Norwegian Mountains, Nordland
Sørfjellet & Jøtulen (Kvaløya), July 8 2010
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Kvaløya island
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After having done the ultimate Torghatten round trip together with Anne and mom earlier in the day, I continued towards Sømna to visit Sørfjellet (221m) and Jøtulen (170m). After my visit to Kvaløyfjellet in 2008, I knew where the Sørfjellet trailhead was, but I didn't know anything about Jøtulen. In fact, I had never been to Ytre Kvaløya before.
I left the Sørfjellet trailhead 4:18pm, and reached the top 4:38pm. In other words - a very short hike. I noticed a nice bay (Kvernvika) below the mountain and could see someone in the water. I asked myself if I wanted to go for a swim myself, but the answer was no. After a round of pictures from the top, I headed down and was back at the car 4:55pm.
The Vennesund-Holm ferry seen from Sørfjellet
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I then drove to Ytre Kvaløya - as far as the road took me. There was a house, and I spent some time talking to the owners, as well as petting their dog. They told me that not too many hikers came for Jøtulen. I could easily imagine that to be a fact. There was no distinct path, so I just headed up from the house, to the west and into a small forest. Once out of this forest, I ran into a deer. We observed each other for a few seconds, before the deer was satisfied and took off.
Deer on Ytre Kvaløya
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Two eagles lifted just as I reached the top (5:33pm - 17 minutes after heading out). If I only had the camera ready at the time, I could have returned home with some very cool shots. After having a look around, I concluded that I really, really liked this area. I added the following to my virtual to-do list: a) visit Gimlinga (island), b) traverse Langøya (the island has some really cool humps), c) ascend Kvaløyfjellet from this side (there are some potentially interesting routes), d) scramble Kjøpmannsfjellet from the southwest (doesn't look easy) and e) visit Einvika (just beautiful). At least something to look forward to, the next time I'm visiting Helgeland.
Einvika on Ytre Kvaløya
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I took a slightly different route down the mountain and could see the deer running below Kjøpmannsfjellet. I passed through a field with high grass just north of the house, and could easily see where the deer was spending the nights. The owner of the house confirmed that the deer really enjoyed this field. Happy with two new tops "in the bag", as well as eagle and deer observations, I returned to our "base-camp" in Brønnøysund.
South view from Jøtulen
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