A Trolltunga trip had been a big talking point for a lot of the class during the entire semester as it’s one of the first spectacular parts of Norway I ever saw years ago. I took the initiative an organised the basic logistics of hiring cars and finding out the general prices for the trip for those interested. Within a week there was 8 of us to fill up two Toyota Corolla’s and send it to Trolltunga!

Tuesday morning we set off with our hired cars and began our long journey towards Trolltunga. I’m still finding it strange to sit on the opposite of the car whilst driving on the other side of the road, however I’ve had previous experience in Lofoten so I feel confident driving in Norway. We travelled the most direct route to Trolltunga which was along highway E9 until Haukeli where we followed the E134 and the E13 to Odda. It was strange seeing area’s like Hovden and Haukeli with little or no snow, as we skied there only a couple months ago. The contrast between seasons here in Norway is something that initially attracted me to this country as well as it generally being a beautiful country. We had couple of rest stops to change drivers and keep everyone fresh, we used some of the time in the car preparing for the upcoming oral exam the following week.

We drove up the narrow single lane road towards the Trolltunga car park and soon realised not only could we camp in the area but it wouldn’t to camp here as the Fjord by Odda was close and stunning. As we drove into Odda I saw an amazing valley wedged between two stunning mountain side Buer and Drebekk, this was the stereotypical Norway I always envisioned. We kept driving along side a raging river before finding a lone grassed area which was perfect for us to camp on for the night!

Had a wonderful night sleep perfect to prepare myself for a long day hiking Trolltunga. We soon arrived the car park for the second time and prepared our day packs for the 22 km return trip. I made sure to pack gaiters even thought it was sunny perfect conditions however it was recommended for this time of year. I packed the usual first aid, spare clothes, extra food in case of an emergency. As a group we all unanimous agreed to hike the proper route and not use the tourist switch back ramp. The first quarter of the walk was all ascent comparable to ascent going to Namache Bazar in Nepal. It took a bit over an hour to escape the rock uphill before we were welcomed by mostly flat plains where huge amounts new water were gushing everywhere. After this was an easy incline towards Trolltunga however the ground was covered with slushy wet snow that did get into everyone’s shoes. I was prepared with my gaiters, but the others shoes all got soaked. The route to was very easy to follow however Zoe and I used here map often to just work on our map reading skills and try to figure out where we were. The Ringedalsvatnet dam and the opposing massive mountain side gave us a good indication of where we were. We were surprised talked to a number of people that used the emergency huts as shelter over night so they could see sunrise over the fjord.

After 5 hours of ascending we reached the “Trolls Tongue”, I was surprised to find it, as walking the final 3km was in the distance however we couldn’t see it. As you see it in the photo’s it’s only really visible on one particular side. Irrespective it was spectacular that a chuck of rock was sticking out like that with the surrounding enormous fjord that was the real winner for me. As us boys did on Prikestolen we got down to our undies and took a photo. I was the first one to step on the rock and walk towards the edge which felt reasonably safe until Sam came up from behind me and jolted my hips a metre from the edge. This was the closest point I’ve came to shitting myself. After my heart rate went down we had lunch for an hour soaking up the views and enjoying each others company! We left at the best time as a strong group 30 Chinese tourists reached the top each with their hired walking poles. They were lead up one guide who probably earned a small fortune talking these novice walkers.

All pumped from finally fulfilling a Norwegian known scenic hike we descended back down together as a group chatting, playing games and within 4 hours our knees crumbled at the carpark. In total we walked 22km and walked 9 hours, many people had said it was 12 hours total but we figured we were quicker than the average person and I actually estimated we’d be hiking roughly 9 hours. Although we were in the sun for 12 hours at least without sunscreen whilst walking in snow conditions. This is something we all didn’t prepare for as we all got extremely burnt, to the extent we drove to the nearest supermarket for body lotion. After reflecting on our fantastic day over a much needed nutritious dinner (cheesy pasta, vegies and tuna) we drove to Bergen later than night!