Rondane National Park - a 3 day loop hike
A beautiful autumn trek in Rondane, Norway. I got to hike around this area with my good friend Joel for 3 days. It's one of those classic hikes that I had been wanting to do for some time now. Easy access, yet "real" alpine settings with a few peaks above 6500 feet/2000meters. Access: Drive to Otta on the E6 highway and then turn off for Mysusæter. Its a somewhat steep road for a few miles, eventually you pass Rondane Høyfjellshotell on the right. If I remember correctly there is a small sign for Spranget and/or Rondvassbu on the left afterwards, pay the fee for the tollroad (credit card accepted) and continue another 2 miles roughly until you arrive at a gravel parking lot. You can actually reach this spot with train from Oslo to Otta and then bus from Otta to Spranget which is pretty cool. From here you either walk or bike on the gravel road 3.7 miles/6 kilometers to Rondvassbu mountain station. We had our own bikes with us but if you are lucky there are rental bikes at Spranget which you pay for once you arrive at Rondvassbu. Distance: In total, from Spranget parking lot, 37.5 miles/60 kilometers. The actual loop hike starts from Rondvassbu mountain station and is about 30 miles long. Duration: It took us two and a half days but our days were fairly long: we started hiking as soon as daylight hit, around 7AM and we hiked until 6-7PM with only a few breaks for eating and short rests. Start/Finish: Spranget parking lot. When I did the hike: 2023, 30th of September to 2nd of October, Seasons/Conditions: From June to September, maybe October Difficulty: The trails around this area are generelly well used and for the most part easy to identify. Large parts of this hike are on fairly flat ground but Høgronden peak is 6949 feet/2118 meters and as with all hiking at altitude remember that it can get cold really quickly compared to the valleys, especially if there are winds present. Paper map: Cappelen Damm Kart 46 "Rondane of Alvdal Vestfjell 1:100000, 1:50000 Useful info: https://ut.no/turforslag/115765/klassisk-rundtur-i-rondane-trekanten#10.1/61.9168/9.8712
Pyrenean Haute Route
On July 19th 2023, I embarked on the Haute Route Pyrenees (HRP for short). It is a 470 mile/750 kilometer traverse of the entire Pyrenean mountain chain on the border between France and Spain. It took me 38 days, with one rest day on day 18, to complete the hike, heading in a west-to-east direction from Hendaye to finish in Banyuls-sur-Mer. This is without a doubt the longest and most physically and mentally challenging, as well as rewarding, hike I have done so far. Hiking a big part of the trail at altitudes of 6500-9800 feet/2000-3000 metres with green valleys, mountain peaks and alpine lakes as my companion. In one word: AMAZING! Access: I live in Sweden and chose to get an airplane ticket to San Sebastian(EAS) since I was starting the hike in Hendaye. I walked from the airport to a small ferry in Hondarribia (roughly a 30 minutes walk): https://maps.app.goo.gl/wxDzFpsLwU8TTK3g8 which took another 15 minutes and finally arriving at the beach in Hendaye and the start of the HRP at Résidence Croisère, about 15 minutes later. Getting from the airport to the start of the hike in about an hour and a half is pretty nice! From the end of the hike in Banyuls-sur-Mer, I took a train (I had to switch once) to Barcelona Sants and from there I got on another train that takes you directly to Barcelona Airport. My estimate is that the total journey takes 3 to 4 hours, depending on how smoothly changing trains work out. Other options are flying in to Paris and then taking a train/bus to Hendaye/Banyuls-sur-Mer. You can start from either end, but I believe the most popular option is to start in Hendaye. Distance: Approximately 470 miles/750 kilometers Duration: Really fast hikers can do this hike in 25 days or less. The guidebook I used (Cicerone, The Pyrenean Haute Route by Tom Martens), split up the trail in 44 days. I did the hike in 38 days. Start/Finish: Hendaye, France to Banyuls-sur-Mer, France When: 2023, July 19 to August 26 Seasons/Conditions: The main hiking season is July/August but from middle of June to and including September can work great as well. There is a higher risk of snowfall in the higher mountain passes outside of the main hiking season which may necessitate the use of microspikes and/or an ice axe. Difficulty: This is of course relative, depending on each individual's fitness level and hiking experience. Personally, I would rate this as a difficult hike. There is not always a designated trail, there are quite a lot of boulder/rock fields that have to be negotiated and the majority of the days have an ascent and/or descent of at least 3000 feet each. There are also a few places (two come to mind: Port du Lavedan and Coll de Mulleres) that require "easy" climbing/down climbing. These sections are not hard or long, however if you are unused to alpine settings and/or have no climbing experience, they can prove to be challenging. Useful links: https://www.thehikinglife.com/2018/07/a-quick-dirty-guide-to-the-pyrenean-haute-route/ Guidebook: Cicerone, "The Pyrenean Haute Route" by Tom Martens
Sarek National Park
Sarek is one of Europe's last true wilderness areas, located in the northwestern part of Sweden. The national park was founded in 1909 and spans 760 square miles (1970 square kilometers). There are no distinct trails or signs and only one emergency hut, Mikkastugan, in the whole area. I did an 11 day hike in July 2021 in this magnificent place. Rain the first 4 days which turned the 6000 feet peaks surrounding the valleys white. Eventually the weather turned for the better and the last days were comfortable summer alpine degrees. The temperature ranged from close to freezing (during night) to the last day hiking in shorts and a t-shirt. Access: By night train from Stockholm to either Murjek or Gällivare. From Murjek by bus to Kvikkjokk (southern entrance). From Gällivare by bus to Ritsem(northern entrance). From Ritsem you can catch a boat, the M/S Storlule, that crosses the lake Akkajaure and then start your trek from Änonjálmme. Distance: Approximately 86 miles (140 kilometers) Duration: 11 days Start/Finish: Änonjálmme-Kvikkjokk When: 2021, July 17-28 Season/Conditions: From June to September. In June it is quite possible to have a lot of snow still from last year´s winter and getting into late August/September fresh snow is not unlikely. Peak season for fast hiking/summit trips is the latter part of July/August. In Sarek there is a high likelihood of rapidly changing weather, and snowfall and heavy rain/wind is possible all summer long. Staying in the valleys will decrease the exposure to snow and heavy wind, but these elements are nonetheless often present at lower altitudes as well. Often you have to cross streams which are really cold with strong currents. Sometimes it can be quite a challenge or even impossible to cross at certain times so it helps to get a general update on the hiking conditions prior to setting out in the wild. I recommend hiking in Sarek only after you have substantial hiking experience and know how to handle yourself in an alpine environment. Useful links: *sareknationalpark.wordpress.com (English and Swedish guidebooks) *sj.se (train and bus schedules/fares) *padjelanta.se/akkajaure/ (information boatcrossing of lake Akkajaure)
Gran Canaria GR131
I wanted to go on a multi-day hike, longer than a weekend, with some elevation and not in freezing cold temperatures. I had read about the Canary Islands being a good place to hike so after some research I decided to head to Gran Canaria. It was a supernice hike! I started in Maspalomas and finished in the northwest at Agaete. You can go either direction, I have read a few accounts of hikers doing it the opposite way. Access: Fly into Las Palmas (de Gran Canaria) and then take the bus to either Agaete or Maspalomas. Check guaguasglobal.com for timetable. It has bus routes covering pretty much the whole island and worked well when I used it. Distance: 46-56 miles/74-90 kilometers. The GR131 is not signposted along the whole trail (although I did not have much difficulty navigating using a combination of the Gaia gps app and a papermap from ramblingroger.com). Duration: 4 days. I have read about hikers doing the trek in 3-5 days. I hiked from early morning to late in the evening all days. Breaks where not frequent except for eating and one longer siesta on day 4 when I found a small lake to swim in and take in the sun close to Acusa Verde. Start/Finish: Maspalomas-Agaete. When: 2022, March 19-22 Food/Water: I cold-soaked the entire trip except for in San Bartolomé de Tirajana on day 2 and Cruz de Tejada on day 3 where I had a cooked meal at a restaurant. I brought two 0.5litres plastic bottles, one 1 litre platypus collapsible softbottle and a Sawyer mini water filter. It can be tricky to source water, especially the first day, starting in the south where everything is much drier. Season/Conditions: You can go all year around but my guess is that May-August can be very hot, especially in the south. The central/northwestern regions are mountainous, often at an elevation between 3300-4900 feet/1000-1500 meters. The highest peak is Pico de las Nieves at 6394 feet/1949 meters. It was a slight detour from the trail, but I went up for the view and it was definetely worth it! I could see all the way back to Maspalomas and the ocean where I had started two days before. Temperatures ranged from comfortable/warm in t-shirt and shorts to a few degrees above freezing one night at Cruz Grande (elevation 4154 feet/1266 meters). I would say this hike is fairly strenous as it does have a fair amount of ascent/descent. Trails are mostly well marked/easy to follow, however the first day between Maspalomas and Fataga was sparsely marked. You do get great views and varied terrain while never being very far away from a village. Useful links *alltrails.com/trail/spain/gran-canaria/gr131-gran-canaria
Triangle of Jämtland
The triangle of Jämtland is a hiking classic, located just southwest of Åre in Sweden. Its popularity is probably due to the combination of fairly easy access, hiking in alpine terrain without any serious technical obstacles whilst knowing that there are well-equipped mountain stations in the area. It is usually done over three days, hiking from station to station and we had beautiful sunny weather the first and last day with constant rain the day in between. The weather can change fast! Access: By car you can drive to Storulvån mountain station where you start the hike (the road heading up to Storulvån can be closed in bad weather/heavy snowfall). You can also take the train to Duved and then transfer to a bus the last stretch. Distance: Day 1 Storulvån to Sylarna 10 miles/16 kilometers Day 2 Sylarna to Blåhammaren 11,9 miles/19 kilometers Day 3 Blåhammaren to Storulvån 7,5 miles/12 kilometers Total: 29,4 miles/47 kilometers Season/Conditions: From June to September. Typical Swedish alpine weather which means you can get it all: sun, rain, galeforce winds and even snow. Here you do have the added security of the mountain stations where you can dry gear, shower and get really good cooked food. Navigation is not hard. I suppose a really dense fog could make directions somewhat challenging, but even then the trails are very well used so as long as you have your compass bearing, you should be fine. Useful links: *sj.se (train/bus schedules/fares) *alltrails.com/trail/sweden/jamtland/jamtlandstriangeln (overview of the trail) *swedishtouristassociation.com/facilities/stf-storulvan-mountain-station/(Storulvån mountain station)
