Hestfjellet from Storevatnet (27.02.2022)
| Start point | Storevatnet E39 (340m) |
|---|---|
| Endpoint | Storevatnet E39 (340m) |
| Characteristic | Hillwalk |
| Duration | 3h 52min |
| Distance | 12.2km |
| Vertical meters | 562m |
| GPS |
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| Ascents | Hestfjellet (312m) | 27.02.2022 |
|---|
Hestfjellet from Storevatnet
On a Sunday with strong winds at high altitudes, I decided to stay away from the most exposed summits and instead made yet another return to Masfjorden and Storevatnet. This time to visit Hestfjellet.
But after getting off the bus (at the bus stop called Nedre Storavatn), I however started to think that coming here today might have been a mistake, as the road towards Haugsdal was covered with ice and I was now walking into a headwind that I almost had to lean into in order to stay upright. Thankfully, I had brought my snow chains, which took care of the first problem, while it also did not take long before I was sheltered from the worst of the wind. Combined with the warmth from the sun it actually ended up as a rather pleasant walk towards the trailhead next to Kjetland.
The snow chains stayed on until passing the side road to Bjørnekletten, although I could probably have removed them sooner (and indeed on the return I put them on much later). The amount of snow was also greatly reduced as I descended to the trailhead. After passing through an open gate and navigating an ice-covered area from the road to the unmarked tractor road behind two red buildings located right next to the paved road, I was positively surprised to find the tractor road completely free of snow. This would not last long though, and I was soon up to the top of my boots in snow.
When the tractor road came to an end at a wet area east of the summit, I simply made my own way towards the summit. At times I think I was following a deer track, but it was hard to know given the growing amounts of snow. In any case, the summit was reached without any difficulties, except for some very easy scrambling and the at times knee-deep snow, and provided excellent panoramic views. Much better than expected! Due to the strong winds, I did not stay very long before retracing my steps back to the tractor road and onwards to the paved road.
All that remained was then the walk to the bus stop back at the main road. And even though I tried to take it very slow, I still ended up with almost 40 minutes to spare, some of which I killed taking an extra walk along Storevatnet (after stopping the GPS-tracking).
Upon returning the bus stop, it would however still take quite a long time before the bus arrived, almost 25 minutes behind schedule. (For some unexplained reason, we also all had to switch to a different bus at Ostereidet, but we did make it back to Bergen in the end…)
In summary, an excellent hike with surprisingly good views from the summit. Due to the tractor road taking you most of the way, the summit can also be reached without any real difficulties. Resulting in a hike that can be highly recommended.
| Start date | 27.02.2022 09:23 (UTC+01:00) |
| End date | 27.02.2022 13:15 (UTC+01:00) |
| Total Time | 3h 52min |
| Moving Time | 3h 18min |
| Stopped Time | 0h 33min |
| Overall Average | 3.2km/h |
| Moving Average | 3.7km/h |
| Distance | 12.2km |
| Vertical meters | 562m |
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