July 21: Besseggen

Happy Friday!  We completed a tough 14 km seven and a half hour hike today that left us both exhausted. After taking a five minute shuttle ride, we rode on a ferry to the start of the Besseggen Fjellpark trek.  The ferry ride through the fjord was spectacular as I caught the sights from the top deck despite the cool temperatures.

The first portion of the trek was all uphill as we plodded along with many other hikers.  The weather was relatively nice with peaks of sunshine and scattered rain showers.  Right before reaching the most grueling part of the trek (about 4 km into the hike), we came to our favorite spot for pictures as we were able to view two fjords that sandwiched a ridge of rocky mountains.  

After a complete photo session, we literally scaled a thin rock faced mountain that was slick due to the rain.  One false step and you could fall straight back or off either side of the mountain – definitely not for the faint of heart.  Although quite slippery, we made it to the top and proceeded onto some flat terrain.  The rest of the hike provided more outstanding views but the weather turned cold and drizzly before making our final descent.