PitP parkrun

'Race': Park in the Past parkrun

Time/Position: 18.43 (1st from 169)

After all the long but slow mountain travel over the last few days, it was good to increase the pace here at the local parkrun. Given that I have hardly run for a couple of weeks, and my mileage generally is very low as I struggle with the heel injury, I was fairly pleased to be able to sustain a respectable pace in rather wet conditions underfoot (albeit nowhere near as bad as it got last winter). This was my third 'win' at the PitP 'timed run'.

Besseggen Ridge

Peaks: Bandet, Besseggen, Vestfjellet (1743m)

Area: Jotunheimen, Norway

Almost certainly Norway's most famous mountain day, this attracts large numbers of tourists from all over the world. As such, it is the kind of thing I would usually studiously avoid, but there was obvious potential to do it on my own ahead of the crowds - partly because, not to put too fine a point on it, most of those doing it take a very long time! The usual time given is 6-8 (or even more) hours, so I thought I'd trot along and set a not-too-terrible geriatric time for it, with sub-3 an obvious basic target to aim for. It worked a treat. I got the first ferry from Gjendesheim across the lake to Memurubu, which was lovely and something I wanted to do anyway. Then it was back up the steep climb I'd done yesterday (and descended two days ago) despatching it in 28 minutes (for the 2k/440m climb to the tourists 'warning sign'). Then came the ridge, which was sheer delight. I was completely alone, miles ahead of the tourists from the very beginning, so could just enjoy it without prejudice. It is undeniably stunning, albeit so much lower than Besshoe that I would have found it very frustrating and unsatisfactory to have done it without first doing that dominant peak. The lake of Bjonblitjonne is the first feature, and the ridge begins to cohere here, just above it - whilst on the right, the stunning shimmering Gjende. The walls above the latter begin to steepen at this point. A broad rocky ridge then leads down to the most famous section, a little narrow neck of land between Gjende and then Bessvatnet on the left (the lake I had walked alongside yesterday). This is a really stunning spot, and it is entirely understandable that thousands of people want to see it. The cliffs plunge down to Gjende on the right, with Friday's peak Knutshoe far below. Bessvatnet is closer and higher on the left, with Besseggen looming as an impressive black peak, reminiscent of Skye, directly above. Then comes the scramble, up excellent rock, and for a short while this recalls Crib Goch. Very enjoyable, albeit a little short. At a platform, the steepness eases and the ridge loses some of its coherence. At a subpeak, the mist came down and I trotted across the now much broader plateau to Vestfjellet, the main summit in a light snow flurry (2c!). I got here in just under two hours, which didn't seem too bad. The descent from here is a bit trickier than I'd expected and still superb, albeit less spectacular that what had preceded it. It hugs the walls above Gjende with views down to Gjendesheim, which now becomes visible still far below (essentially the reverse of the view from the hut's lounge, which looks up to this point). A few little rock walls are surprisingly steep and there are a few chains at this point. A quick traverse gains the main path down to Gjendesheim which I was already familiar with. I ended up with a time of 2.45 for the 14k/1150m traverse, which I was quite satisfied with given that the pace was fairly relaxed and the terrain entirely rock underfoot. I was back well before midday, giving plenty of time to relax at Gjendesheim drinking coffee looking back at the ridge before my bus to Oslo at 3pm. It got very cold in a bitter wind later on.

Besshøe

Peaks: Besshøe (2258m)

Area: Jotunheimen, Norway

Besshoe is the giant peak that I had spent the last few days circumnavigating, in fact my route had been a kind of 'Tour du Besshoe'. So whereas logic demanded that I do the famous Besseggen Ridge this morning, as the weather was perfect and I was already in position at the start in Memurubu, my brain went for an alternative option. This was partly because I pride myself on that kind of flexible thinking, and (related) because I wanted to get up another of the Norwegian 2000ers after Glittertind. Besshoe actually dominates the landscape here, despite the fact that almost all of the global tourists have eyes only for the much lower Besseggen Ridge. Anyway, after breakfast surrounded by schoolkids, it was back up the zig-zag climb I'd descended from the final pass yesterday. This is also the start of Besseggen and there are dire warnings about timing all the way up (ie, if you've taken longer than two hours to reach this spot, turn back). The weather was superb, by far the best of the trip, and this was another reason why my plans started to change, because the high peaks were clear for the first time. At this point I still hadn't decided what to do with the day, but when I reached the 'three hour warning' sign for Besseggen in around 45 minutes my mind was made up. I would have been down from the Besseggen Ridge too early, it would have been a waste of a day, so I decided to plot my way up Besshoe, which was looming attractively to my left. Behind me, the even more impressive Surtningssue, a crystal clear glaciated peak against a deep blue background. At the top of the first rise, I took a lumpy moraine ridge heading towards what seemed to me to be the most obvious route up from this side, the SW ridge. There was no path, and this was really satisfying. It was over boulders but they were fairly solid and eventually I spied a cairn or two a little further right, so somebody had been this way before! I picked my way up and the ridge, although broad, was nicely defined. I still hadn't fully decided on my plans, as I originally intended to bag the peak then return to do Besseggen. It eventually dawned on me that this was a pointless scheme, and also a potentially problematic one given the complexity of the route and nature of the bouldery ridge. Once I gained the summit plateau (Besshoe is a giant dome of a peak, steep and well-defended on all sides but with a shallow, rounded summit) my plans had changed decisively - I was definitely traversing the peak then coming back to do Besseggen tomorrow morning. I checked I could book the boat from Gjendesheim (I was committed to spending the night there as I had booked), had a bite to eat on the atmospheric summit and took in the magnificently huge view. This stretched for miles in the perfectly clear morning air. The plunging western cliffs of Besshoe lent definition to the valleys I had recently traversed, and then Glittertind, Galdhoppigen and a galaxy of peaks further west across wild upland scenery. I think I could see Hurrungane and other rockier peaks in the distance, as well as mountains like Eggen across Lake Gjende. A superb and memorable few minutes, after which I found the normal route which I planned to descend - this takes a broad and fairly shallow ridge between cliffs on one side and a glacier (rapidly receding) on the other, the Bessbraen. It was a very nice way down, again fairly complex, with Besseggen to the right and the beautifully clear lake of Bessvatnet directly below. With the glacier on the left, it became a classic moraine with dusty boulderfields and gravel, until it eventually gave way to a sun-dappled green meadow, complete with babbling stream, below the black bleakness of the moraines. I had lunch here, absolutely delightful, revelling in the situation (I had the entire mountain to myself and saw nobody). Then came a long but easy walk out along the shores of Bessvatnet to a lonely hut and then the bridge at the outflow that I'd crossed on the walk to Glitterheim. I hadn't seen any of this terrain on day one as it was so misty, so it was an enjoyable trot up to the pass and down the final descent to Gjendesheim (18k/1300m/4.40) where we dined on local pork and sauerkraut. I spent the night in the old dorm hut right next to the river.