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Vidden view from Haugavarden(No Javascript) |
Grønetua ("The Green Turf") is a point on "Vidden" - the mountain area between the mountains Haugavarden/Ulriken and Rundemanen in Bergen. This website does not recognize Grønetua as an independent mountain, but as the distance to its "parent top" (Haugavarden) is quite long (4Km+), I decided to create a separate web page for this top.
Grønetua is the highest point north of Borgaskaret - the pass that logically divides "Vidden" into a north and a south section. The main trailheads for reaching Grønetua are; Jordal, Hjortlandsdalen, Borgo, Bergen via Våkendalen, Bergen via Rundemanen, and via Såtbotn. Over time, I will document all these routes, but until then, try my recommended roundtrip starting at Jordal.
You will enjoy great views from Grønetua. True, Haugavarden (the highest point on "Vidden") offers even better views, but from Grønetua you will see eastern mountains that the Gullfjellet massif obscure when viewed from Haugavarden. Just like Haugavarden, Grønetua is a bit "off-piste" compared to the mainstream trail across "Vidden". While most people tend follow the main cairn trail across Vidden, you'll hardly run into anyone on these two tops.
Grønetua is also the high point on "Vardegga" (Cairn ridge). This seems to be a name that more people recognize. I still haven't met anyone who knew where Grønetua was located.
Grønetua (1115-I: 642m, Ø.K: Highest contour is 640m) has a primary factor of 64m towards the higher Haugavarden (673m). The saddle is found NW of Lake Borgastemma. Ref. Økonmisk Kartverk (5m contours), you cross the 580m contours on the high route, but not 575m. The saddle height has been interpolated to 578m. Note that the Borgaskaret pass is approx. 583m, so the Borgastemma pass is the lowest pass on the high route to Haugavarden.
The summit point (32 V 302481 6702814) was measured to 642m by my GPS (no correction for error margins).
Notes: Class ratings are in reference to YDS. Click here for more information.
The trails described below are not necessarily the *easiest* trails to this mountain.
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Jordal - Grønetua roundtrip (summer/autumn)
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From Bergen, follow highway E16/E39 northbound. Halfway between Bergen and Åsane, turn right towards "Eidsvåg". Turn right again and follow signs to "Jordal". This is a tremendously weird junction, so keep calm. If you don't turn right after leaving E16/E39, you'll be right back onto the motorway.
Drive all the way to Jordal, and when the road turns north by a bridge, find a place to park.
Follow a gravel road that runs in the direction of the Jordalen valley. This road only leads to the uppermost house. Follow a path that takes you through two gates. There is a trailsign pointing towards "Stallane". Ignore this, and stay on the trail that crosses the stream just after the second gate.
The trail upwards is easy to follow. A mudslide in 2005 has washed away parts of the trail halfway up the valley, but it is still easy to follow.
Near the top of the valley, you will pass two trail junctions. You will see the trail to Rundemanen and Våkendalen to your right, and a trail to Vikinghytten on your left. Go right ahead and follow the trail along Lake Øvre Jordalsvatnet.
At the far end of this lake, you'll join the cairn trail that runs across Vidden. Approx. 1,3Km after you pass the drain from the lake, you will see a trailsign that a.o. points towards Vikinghytten. Turn left here and follow the path past Lake Borgastemma and up to the Grønetua plateau. Just before you reach the Grønetua high point, you will pass another major trail junction. Follow signs to Vikinghytten.
From Grønetua high point, descend northwest towards Vikinghytten. At the hut, turn west (left) and follow a trail that takes you back to the top of the Jordalen valley.
It's so great to have mountains like this nearby when you don't have the inspiration or energy to drive out of town. I don't know how many times I've been on Grønetua, but I never took the time to create a proper web-page for this top. Besides, my picture archive needed update. As the weather was just gorgeous, this would be the day for the pictures.
I have visited Grønetua from every possible trailhead over the years, but my favorite choice is still Jordal. There is something about this valley that inspires me. I tried to convince my aging dog Troll to walk up the valley, but he wouldn't. I am sort of getting used to this weird, small figure that looks from the left to the right, looking for a way out of this nightmare. I put him in the backpack, and I sensed a certain delightful sigh.
A mudslide had changed the beautiful valley into a disaster area. It was apparent that there was a mudslide, but where was the mud? If I hadn't seen the start of the slide, I would have guessed that the river had gone wild during massive rain. But where was the river? This puzzled me as I headed upwards.
I had always taken this roundtrip by visiting Vikinghytten first. I decided to do it the other way around this time. I followed the Vidden trail until I reached the Vikinghytten trail junction on Langelifjellet. I saw people all over the mountain. This was not the most popular season for hiking, so I guess only true mountain lovers were out today. The wind was freezing cold, and I had to put on full winter clothing to feel comfortable.
I had left the trailhead 10:55AM and reached the top of Grønetua 12:30PM. The wind was strong, and I had to seek shelter behind a rock in order to keep the camera steady. Troll was now willing to walk, as hours in the backpack can get boring. I chatted with a hiker on our way down to Vikinghytten, before hurrying down to the trailhead.
On my way down to Jordalen, I passed Anna L. (from the Department of Physics And Technology at the University of Bergen) who was studying the mudslide with some friends. We didn't talk then, but Anna must have recognized Troll, as I received an email after the hike. I asked her about the mudslide, and her opinion was that it started by massive rain producing a stream that worked its way through the soft ground. A large rock (uncovered by the slide and seen on the pictures below) must have divided the stream into smaller streams. Thus, the contents of the slide has been spread across a large area, and parts have been washed away by the local stream that runs in the valley.
Why isn't anyone recognizing ME in the mountains?
:)
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Move cursor to read notes, and click on the images to see full version.
Some of the thumbnails may have been cropped to fit the format.
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