Galdhøpiggen hike

Quick overview of Galdhøpiggen hike

• elevation gain: about 1.400 m
• total length: 11 km
• duration: about 4-5 hours up, about 2 down
• trailhead: at Spiterstulen lodge
• getting there: by car (road 55, then take the toll road Brekkvegen)
• type of hike: not too difficult, first well marked path, later on a bit steeper and bigger blocks, if not high summer bring hiking poles and crampons
• don’t expect to be here on your own, it’s rather crowded (unless you go between late autumn and early summer, I guess)
• toll road fee for Brekkvegen: 80 kr per day

The map

Our adventure hiking up Galdhøpiggen

Our ascent to the peak of Galdhøpiggen started on a sour note – we had the first fundamental fight. I’m kind of oldschool there, I love to start the hike as early as possible. Nils not being a great morning person resulted in us starting late, around 11 am. Even though I was trying not to be pissed, I could tell that my reserves of patience had been used up. So, on the (rather boring) start of the hike, leaving the parking lot at Spiterstulen hut, we had a heated discussion on how long things should take in the morning to get ready. The benefits of having an open fight are that it is quickly solved, since we both wanted to enjoy the hike together.

After finally leaving the shrubs behind, the hike basically consisted of a well marked path across slopes of stone rubble of varying sizes. Markings were mostly stone piles with a red T. We met many families on the way, some with three or more kids. So the hike description didn’t exaggerate calling this a family hike. Boy, this seriously raised my respect for Norwegian families!

After a while we hit a snow field – Nils already being skeptical about slipping, since he didn’t have hiking poles. It turned out to be quite navigable, though after a while it got exhausting, keeping the gaze down on the blindingly reflecting snow. We made jokes about just sliding down on the way back, since the surface was melting in the hot noon sun.

Shortly below the first peak, Svellnose, the path went on a the edge of a cliff falling off to the Styggebrean glacier. The view of the barely snow covered surface was fascinating, the melting ice having leaving intricate patterns. Since it was past noon, and I was getting hungry, we had a lunch break there, looking out on the glacier. While sitting, one Norwegian family passed us whom I had noticed before. They had three kids, the youngest daughter riding on the shoulders of her dad, only walking some parts of the way by herself. It was such a great picture, seeing them together, and I vowed to myself – should I ever have family – to take my kids hiking into the mountains. Having seen my first mountain only six years ago, I really feel I missed out on something.

After the quick lunch we climbed up Svellnose peak, stopping to take pictures of the wonderful view down into the peaks of Jotunheimen and the Svellnosebrean glacier. THe light was perfect, the sky full of picturesque clouds – it could not have been better. After the short stop, we tackled Keilhaustopp. The rubble turned into bigger blocks, but still easily climbable. There was also a small rubble path on the side, but climbing on the bigger blocks closer to the edge of the cliff down to Svellnose brean was certainly more fun. Unfortunately I wasn’t in best shape that day, and on this part of the hike I could feel my lungs were still not at full capacity. I had a severe bronchitis back in March, and still could feel my lungshad not fully recovered. So I had to pause a couple of times to catch my breath – worth the time anyway, since the view left to Svellnose glacier and right to Styggebrean glacier was amazing.

Eventually we arrived on Keilhaustopp, and had a great view of the rest of the hike. We also finally cuold see the full stretch of Styggebrean glacier, and the long lines of people far in the distance taking the guided glacier tour. It was like watching snakes crawling along, each line of about 20 people. I had originally wanted to take such a glacier tour, but had some wrong information, that the tour would start at Spiterstulen hut, whereas it starts at Juvshytta, further up in the mountains. Seeing the hut in the distance, it made perfect sense, and seeing all these people on the ice, I was glad not to have taken the tour. So my first glacier walk will still have to wait.

The last bit after Keilhaustopp turned out to be annoying – since it was such a hot summer, the ice covering the side of Galdhøpiggen was molten, and the remaining ice field was too slippery to walk on without crampons. Walking around on the side of it was a bit annoying, since the rubble was lose and had a tendency to roll away under the feet when stepping. We managed as well, and eventually reached the top o Galdhøpiggen, where a comfortable, solar powered hut sits just below the peak. Up here, we also met the Norwegian family again, and I took some pictures for them.

On the peak, a brass metal pointer helps to identify the peaks of the surroundings. Also, the peak offer a grand view donw the glacier and mountain ranges od Jotunheimen. It was so impressive to see all these rugged, snow and ice covered peaks, seeing how they had been carved by the glaciers now sitting tame and quietly. The colours and contrasts were great as well – white snow, dark grey mountains, the shadows of the peaks and the clouds on the nows and blues sky… an amazing scenery. We took a lot of time taking pictures. I especially loved the naked glacier, seeing how it took big rocks slowly down, forming beautiful patterns.

Around 5pm we decided to hike down, stopping for a can of coke in the mountain hut. It’s nice, environmentally conscious – offering cold drinks on hot days, solar powered, and asking people to take the cans down. I haven’t seen a single can of coke on the whole way up, so Norwegians hiking take care of their environment and really take their trash down. Just before leaving, we saw a couple of paragliders starting their flight from the icefield below the peak. Thinking on the way down and my knees, I seriously wished I could do the same… one day, I will get the licence. It just does not make so much sense now, living in a place so far away from all mountains.

The descent turned out to be fun – we skiped down on the rocks, making great speed that way – only being passed by a mountain runner or two. As we came towards Keilhaustopp, we decided to take the shortcut on the ice fields. A great idea, as it offered a lot of photography fun. An ice field in the sunshine is the equivalent to walking on a big reflector, making for picture perfect fashion photography light – all angles, beautifully diffuse.

Around 6pm we were down at Svellnose peak, and I was getting a little bit tired in the knees… just thinking on the long and boring stretch down made them hurt. Fortunately, we had a lot of fun running down the snow fields – the joke about sliding down turned practical, as we made a lot of speed slide-running down. It was a nice, refreshing change from the rubble skipping before, though after I while I noticed it required a lot of concentration as well.

The snow fields took us almost down to the shrub-covered area, so we saved a lot of way there. At a small river running down from the melting ice, I stopped to take pictures of a flock of sheeps grazing there. They were so cute and fat and wooly, and not very shy. One of them was actually very curious (or maybe smelled the spare apple I had left) and started nosing around my backpack, and since I took the advantage for some portrait shots, it got curious about my camera as well, and started sniffing around… too bad I had to laugh and it got scared!

The Norwegian family had also come down by then and seen the sheep, and the father let down his daughter to play with them. We walked down abit, talking, and got some nice recommendations where else to go in Norway (Lofoten, of course…. maybe next year?). After a while, I had to start jogging down though, since walking slowly was just too much strain, so we left them behind.

Down at the Spiterstulen parking lot, I was glad for a cold bottle of water, and looking forward to wash off int the river Visa. As we drove down the potholed Brekkvegen, all spots along the river where taken by campers, and I didn’t really feel like taking a bath with watchers. So we decided tostop for washing off the sweat and sunscreen later, on the way to Venjesdalen. Eventually, we found a nice rest stop on a broader part of the river Visa, and decided to wash up there and cook dinner there as well, since the camping tables were so convenient. While cooking, the sky turned into yet another amazing sunset, an the peaks in the distance started to glow.

Around 10pm, we started off towards the north, still having four hours of drive ahead…another late night, thanks to the late start into the day. Fortunately, it doesn not turn completely dark around this time of the year, so driving is easy – especially going onlyat 90 or 100km per hour. After a while, we saw the first typical 2Elk crossing” road signs, and I made a joke about never seeing any deer or cows or such when these road signs are around. Just to prove me wrong, a couple minutes later I saw an elk – luckily on the left side of the road. It was a big cow, and she just had crossed the road – a few seconds earlier, and it would have been a close encounter. The massive size of the elk cow was a sobering view, so for the remaining three hours, driving past between Reinheimen, Rondane and Dovrefjell national parks, I kept my eyes intently on the roadsides.

Arriving at Venjesdalen toll road, I was extremely tired. Nils had slept most of the way, since we had an agreement to start the next day earlier. Now he helped me navigate to the toll road, and around 2:30am we finally pitched the tent next to the lake Venjesdalvatnet in a beautiful valley, with a view of the famous Trolltinda mountain range.