Berrfjellet, 670m

Mountain area : Vaksdal/Bergsdalen Fylke/Kommune : Hordaland/Vaksdal Map : 1216-III Stanghelle; (Statens Kartverk, Norge 1:50 000) Primary Factor: <40m (est.) Flatafjellet Hiked : Feb 2002

Berrfjellet (far left) seen from Javnasåta

Introduction

Perhaps a local woman I spoke to before the hike, said it best - "why in heaven's name are you going up there?". It was probably said because Berrfjellet is just a passing rock on the way to the higher Flatafjellet.

Nevertheless, the named point provides good views over Sørfjorden and the Rispingen plateau on Osterøy, so it's by no means a waste of time.

Trail descriptions:

Fossmarki - Berrfjellet (winter) Difficulty : Low Risk : Low Distance : Approx. 2km Time : 1-2 hours to the top Starting Elev.: Approx. 30m Click for detail map Click for area map Access: From Bergen, follow E16 (towards Oslo). At the Trengereid roundabout (where highway 7 begins), set your odometer and follow E16 16,2Km towards Voss/Oslo. At 16,2Km, on a long straight section of the road, you will see a bus-stop on your right, just after you've passed a traffic- camera on your left. This point is also 700m after the Fossmark tunnel. Park at the bus stop, but do not block for the bus. The trail: Walk 100 meters north (towards Stanghelle). Just before the road turns slightly to the right, you will see a gate by the road. Go through the gate and you will find a trail that runs up the forest. You pass the river after a few minutes over a rock that serves as a bridge. With no snow, the trail is easy to follow. With snow, you will have to look closely at the terrain. The forest is not too dense, so as long as you know the direction, you should be able to find your way. The trail stays close to the river most of the way up. There are no exposed points on the trail, but where rocky ground makes the trail, it may be very slippery. A few ropes have been put out to ease the passage over these sections. After you have crossed the river, about halfway up, you will see a V or U shaped gully at the top. You will pass the rock to the right of the gully on the right hand side. Once up over the gully, the trail will continue towards a cabin village a little further up. Start seeking for a way up on your right hand side. Just climb higher and higher and you will find the Berrfjellet summit at 670m. This point is not marked by a cairn, but unless fogged in, you will not see anything higher nearby, except the foothills of Flatafjellet - a higher mountain further up.

Trip Report Feb 16 2002: The weather forecast promised low clouds, strong winds and rain. In other words, a hike up to 1000m was out of the question. I decided for Flatafjellet, over Berrfjellet, but after 5 minutes on Berrfjellet summit, I concluded that it wouldn't be safe to go much higher. The trailhead was hard to find, but after 20 minutes, and thanks to a local woman, I was on the trail. Fortunately, it stopped raining, and I had a nice hike up. Even Troll seemed eager, despite the wet, slippery and steep trail. Up on the mountain, the snow was deep, in places up to the knees due to the wind. A couple of places I fell into small streams, and was already wet when I reached the summit. I decided to go no higher. The winds were strong and I was immediately cold. I decided to stay on top until it cleared, to make sure I was on the true summit. No cairn had been built. Not a surprise, as another mountain rises above Berrfjellet. Within 5 minutes, it cleared up for a few seconds, and I could head down. We found shelter in a gully and enjoyed lunch. I stopped by the cabin village before I headed home, and found a guy working on the roof on one of the cabins. I said hello. He looked at me, and after a long glance, he said "only crazy people are up here in this weather". I had to agree.

Pictures:

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