Norwegian Mountains, Nordland
Øyrtinden from Langfjorden, July 12 2009
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Øyrtinden
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A few years before I became I mountain guy, I found out that I wanted to visit Øyrtinden. A little girl in the (extended) family also wanted to come along. We headed out from the power station by Langfjordøyra, but in the end, the mountain turned out to be too big for her. We turned around at approx. 600m elevation, and I promised myself to come back for this mountain one day.
That was in 1995. This was 2009, and it was high time I revisited Øyrtinden. The weather was (still) beautiful and I looked forward to get to the top. I was mentally prepared for a second hike from Langfjordøyra. I couldn't remember many details from the route, other than it all was stunningly beautiful. And now I could perhaps include Dalaunfjellet (the neighbour mountain) on the hike. But when I arrived at Langfjorden, a couple of other hikers pointed out a new (and well marked) route. As this was the new route to Øyrtinden, I figured that this was the one I ought to follow. And Dalaunfjellet would have to wait until next summer.
Beautiful Langfjorden
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I headed out 10:11am, just ahead of the other hikers. I reckoned I might as well speed it up and get through the forest section before too many ticks got stuck on me. But it was a hot day, and speeding took its toll. When I reached the pass between Øyrhatten (the forest ridge) and Øyrtinden's west ridge, I looked for the path up from Langfjordøyra. I considered following this path on my way down, but I couldn't see it.
The west ridge was nice and gentle with a gradual vertical gain. I enjoyed the rocky upper section most, and took the time to reflect on the fantastic trip I just had to Bodø. Eidetinden and Store Strandåtind (a.o.) definitely made this summer an unforgettable one.
I reached the summit cairn 11:32am, approx. 1h:20m after heading out. I then moved over to the high point, marked (IIRC) by a bolt. The view that greeted me was most welcome. I was already fairly familiar with the coastal region, but less so with the mountains to the east/southeast, I could easily recognize Breidvasstinden and Søre Snøfjellet & Nordre Snøfjellet (visited 6 days later). Especially nice was the view towards Anddalshatten, which I was fortunate to hike only 2 days later;
Anddalshatten
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Once the pictures were in the bag, I headed back down. One of the other hikers was now high on Øyrtinden, while the other one was enjoying the view at 600m, along with his dog;
Getting the overview
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I was back at the trailhead 12:23pm, and concluded that I had an easy hike, and that I missed the terrain I pictured from the '95 hike. But the mountain is still there, and there will always be another summer..
Next report: Skogmofjellet
