From our cabin near Lom we drove out towards the national park, our aim of the day being a hike up Mount Galdhopiggen, the highest peak in Northern Europe! There are two options for doing this - take the non-glacial route from Spiterstulen (a big climb but without the need of a guide to cross the glacier) or go guided from Juvasshytta (much less of a climb as Juvasshytta is quite high up.
We chose the latter option for the novelty of crossing the glacier - and by Norway standards this offered great value too: 200k per person for the guide and 100k for the toll road, so about £21 each overall. Driving up presented the usual amazing scenery, and at Juvasshytta we were greeted by freezing temperatures and the sight of people skiing. In September!
A hasty retreat to the car after arranging the guide had us layering up (good move!) before we set off across the rocky and fairly flat area to the first of many snowfields. Thankfully the snow was well compacted and we hiked 3km to the glacial area with relative ease. The slight upward slope kept us warm too.
Next, we were all tied together on a long rope via knots at intervals attached to the harnesses we were all wearing. The harness was a chest-type harness - not particularly favourable for women in terms of comfort I thought! However, on other occasions I've used the sort of harness you step into, which I'm told is particularly uncomfortable for men, so fair's fair I suppose...
Roped-up, we set off across the glacier in a long line. The trickiest bit about this was trying to keep the perfect distance behind the person on front of you - so the rope didn't drag on the floor but also so you weren't getting the occasional yank. This was easier said than done as the slow and slightly erratic walking speeds of others made for a stop-start trip. Needless to say the thick gloves, headband, buff and hood were all on at this point.
Once we'd reached a rather steep rocky edge, we discarded our rope, and glad to be free, made our own way up the edge to the summit. A faster pace and very steep climb kept me warmer, but the cloud made visibility very poor - at times we were just following the steps of those in front which was a bit disconcerting! The sound of voices alerted us to the fact we had reached the top, and a cosy cabin was very welcome as we waited for the rest of the group to reach the top.
Unfortunately there were no toilets to relieve my desperation so I distracted myself by using the incredibly fast wifi to catch up on life in general. Upon leaving the cabin we made a rapid descent through the snow to the rock edge and reclaimed our rope to hike (a little quicker thankfully) across the glacier. I was very thankful that no one fell down a crevasse in the blue ice below, but was also happy to leave the rope - which made for surprisingly unsociable walking - for the final time and make our own way back to Juvasshytta and Eric.
Overall this was an exhilarating experience, and so cold! Today was Peter's 27th birthday and he said it was without a doubt his coldest ever..
No comments:
Post a Comment