Stavali to Kinsarvik

Our last day of hiking. We planned our route to end at a Fjord, just because we could.

After a sad goodbye to our Freisand host and the hotpot and the lovely cows, we were on the trail again.

What a lovely day!

We knew from the squiggles of terrain on the trail map that this wouldn't be an easy hike. We had been climbing a whole lot- there was lots of uphills and a disproportionate amount of downhills all week. Ah, the dread of having to end up at sea level at the end of the day.

We encountered only one other person the first half of the day: a local, shirtless, with his dog, speeding along at a blazingly fast pace.

The waterfalls started getting bigger and more frequent.

We ended up going down a bald rock mountain face. Scary! I wouldn't have been able to do even attempt this if it had been even a little bit wet.

We started seeing a lot of day hikers. People trying to hike in flip-flops, asking how far the waterfall was. Sigh.

We saw a helicopter air-lifting supplies to Kinsarvik.

They either get supplies air-lifted or they have to wait until winter when a snowsled could get to them to restock.

The roar of the water was constant now as the mountain just drops off into a fjord.

Not surprisingly, Norway produces a great deal of the energy from hydro electric sources.

Humans have been walking some of the trails in Hardangervidda for 9000 years. Before there were roads and organized townships, the trails had been the main trading routes since the Bronze age.

Soon, the trail turned to a dirt road, which turned into a paved road that led to the town of Kinsarvik. Kind of an anticlimactic way to end an epic hike. We did find raspberries though.

And there it is. A Fjord.

We stayed at a tiny, lovingly restored cottage house nestled between sheep pastures and mountains.

The owner of the cabin had a handful of sheep high up in the mountains that we had seen much earlier in the day. She said they drive them up in Spring, and they find their own way home. When they feel like it's getting cold, they show up in her yard, waiting to be fed.

Hot shower! Flush toilet! Real coffee! Comfortable cozy little shack with a view! It was quite a nice place to call home for the night.