Norwegian Mountains, Nordland
Hornsveten (148m), July 13 2009
To the main Hornsveten page (maps, route descriptions, other trip reports, etc.)
Hornsveten seen from Skutfjellet
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The 2009 summer vacation in northern Norway had taken its toll on my feet. After 13 tops in 9 days (and a whole lot of driving!), I was in need of a day of rest. And what better way of resting than visiting some of the "peculiar" coastal tops that require minimal effort.
Today's target was Hornsveten, and mom joined in. We drove to Storhorn and asked for permission to park on someone's property. The time was only 2:45pm, but "someone" and friends were already enjoying a couple of beers and were in a jolly good mood. "Someone" pointed out the route to Hornsveten, but a caravan blocked my view. As I failed to relocate myself in a timely fashion, "someone" said he would come down and move the caravan. As said; they were in a jolly good mood..
A few minutes later, we were on our way along a forest road that suddenly ended. The path that "someone" had mentioned was nowhere to be seen. The only thing to do was to bite the bullet, head off-trail into the birch forest and gain the ridge that would lead us in the direction of Hornsveten.
On the way to Hornsveten
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Getting to the west top was a straightforward walk. Moving on to the east top was far more interesting. The cliffs down in the small valley forced us to really search for a way up. The ascent involved a short section of exposed scrambling, and while mom in general hates the concept of exposed scrambling, she's ok with it when I'm leading the way. I do appreciate the trust...
On the way up to the main top
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Once on the main top, we enjoyed the views. We didn't notice Lovund island at the time, but I noticed it while processing the pictures afterwards. Getting down from the main top wasn't straightforward, but we did find a good route. We passed under a cliff that had the most amazing rock feature, and my vivid imagination made me see a giant eagle...
Giant eagle
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Back in easier terrain, I suggested to mom that we could practice on some climbing moves. This was another concept that she didn't immediately fancy, but after some persuasion from my side, she gave it a go. It all went well, and she enjoyed it too :)
Practicing on climbing moves
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We were back at the trailhead 4:10pm, 1h:20m after heading out. It was a very fun hike, which I recommend to everyone!
Next report: Anddalshatten (soon)
