Norwegian Mountains, Møre og Romsdal

Geitnosa/Geitnausa on Spjelkavikfjellet, Oct 25 2008

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Because of bad weather and a lot of work, I don't get "much around" these days. So thanks for local mountains! On this Saturday, I was in need of something more than just a walk. Something unknown. Something with a potential problem or challenge. But something nearby.

The answer turned out to be the express route to Geitnosa. Straight up. When I stood at the bottom of the route at Vasstranda, it seemed that the route had some steep and ugly sections. In addition, the grass would be very slippery after rain. Should I exercise wisdom and just go for a plain walk somewhere else? Hell no!

Equipped with an ice-axe (as always..), I made my way through the lower forest. I decided to follow the stream coming down this tiny valley. Just for reference, in case I had to turn around. The first steep section was unproblematic, and now the terrain seemed easier. Was this it? I felt a bit disappointed.

The disappointment went away when the valley narrowed in to become a gully. I was still following the creek, but the gully was just too awkward to even consider. Now I had two options. Should I follow grassy ledges in the steep hillside to my right, or should I get on the steep ridge to my left?. I chose the ridge. The main reason was that there were lots of bush and trees to hold on to. As I got onto the ridge, I discovered a track. Perhaps it was a deer track, but it could have been from humans too. Hard to tell. Once I got above the steepest part, I had an excellent view towards Ålesund.

Ålesund/Spjelkavika region
(Click for larger image)

Exactly one hour after leaving the car, I arrived on Geitnosa, 3:10pm. It was fun to do this route, but the route via Nevregylet was even more fun. That hike had more nerve. The summit was a bit windy, so I didn't stick around for long. I chose to descend on a route that I ascended a long time ago. This forest route was just as cumbersome as the route I ascended today, and dangerous too! This forest has some mighty huge rocks with moss covering both the rocks and the holes next to them. And if you step through this moss, you could be in a world of trouble. But the descent went fine, and I returned to the car 3:50pm, 1h:40m after leaving it.