Lomsdal-Visten 2015 (english)

[Sascha Augsten]

Hi,

last year I got some very helpful tips from this board for our Trip in Lomsdal-Visten. We had a very nice journey, although the weather was not allways fine and we had to change our plans at some parts. There is a long Travelreport, written in german, but lot of photos here:

https://www.outdoorseiten.net/forum/showthread.php/88476-NO-Det-gjemte-landet-Lomsdal-Visten-2015

Maybe you can use google translator. Furthermore there is a Full-HD-Video about the trip, you can skip some long german dialouges and all important places are named by subtitles:

 

 

I will give you a shorter report in english, so you can use this with the media. I am sorry that am not able to use nowegian language.

We spent 11 Days in Lomsdal Visten in July, an important feature was the huge amount of remaining snow because of the strong winter. 

Day 1:
We started in Borkamoen with a bad weather forecast but good spirit and 20 & 18 Kg Equipment and food. After one hour we did the first use of our bugshirts because of the numerous mosquitos. Then we did the first mistake, we tried to follow the path that was shown in map to Bjornstokkvatnan. The map shows a track straight to the north but there was obviously no path, instead we were lead in very uncomfortble terrain, large rocks coverd with fern. So we returned and found the real path which is leading around the mountains on the east side.We did a break at Bjornstokkvatnan (here again, the map shows a path but the easyast way is close to the water) and then did the long ascent to Ovre and Midtre Breivatnet. Very nice landscape but a very hard ascent. Not because of the meters in high but of the rough terrain. It is the combination of rich vegetation, very boggy ground and the mass of "little meters in high", so micronavigation becomes important. We were very tired as we reached Ovre Breivatnet. The weather was dry but very cloudy, found a nice campingsport near the ford.

Day 2:
Very very nice day with bright sunshine. We had a fine day crossing the beautyfull vidda (lot of snowfields!)  to Lappskardet. Titingsdalen looked very nice from there, the descent was a little bit tricky. In Titingdalen we found a lot of scrub but no path. ( I think it would be the best to go close to Titingsdalselva. So we went to north, finally followed wat seems to be an old telegraph road and at the end of a long day, we reached Tettinghytta. Because of the hot day, this was the first time in a norwegian cabin we did not use the oven. Tettinghytta serves a lot of mouses there are a lot of new fieldbeds to sleep save and we did. 

Day 3: Dry but instable weather in the morning, but what a nice landscape. The dense and springlike vegetation of Tetingsdalen, then imposing tetingforsen. After Tetingforsen we were aware of the expected steep descent, indeed lost the path sometimes and had to handle some steep areals, but all in all it was easy doable. Then we reached borjorja and the rain arrived. The Section from the fjord to Strompdalen (and further to Lomsdalen) seems to be the "Hikinghighway" of Lomsdal Visten. A Very clear path and even some Waymarks.  So, wet to the bones, we reached Cosy Strompdalhytta and had a nice and dry and warm evening.

Day 4. Next Day again had a lot of impressive scenic landscape, despite of the cloudy sky. we crossed Breivasselva at the bridge in front of impressive Breivassforsen, then went to the broad flowing Lomsdalselva. There was a lot of scrambling over the cliffs on the way to Lomsdalen, not very dangerous but tricky and  tiring. But we had fine views over the Lomsdalselva. (On realy bad weather or winter, i read there is a hidden route to Lomsdalen witout scrambling which startet near the bridge and goes over/around the hills. !) We crossed Lomsdalen at very cloudy but dry weather and found a nice campspot at lomsdalselva, half the way to the lomsdalselvabridge. 

Day 5. Next day it was raining cats and dogs and we stayed in our tent the whole day. It was impressive to observe the rise of lomsdalselva, aproximatly 150 cm in 10 hours.

Day 6
The weather changes a littlte bit to the better site, cloudy but dry. Navigation and Walking in Lomsdalen ist very comfortable compared with other areas in Lomsdal-Visten, so we had an easy walk in this nice surroundings. After we left the stony plateau, with increasing vegetation there were tons of mosquitos in the more windcovered areals, but our bughshirts saved us a lot of blood. We missed Lomsdalskoia at first, because the path to it is on an sharp turn to the right and it is a little bit hidden in the woods, but later found it easy. We did a little break at the cabin and the sun came out. The cabin maybe good on wet and dark days but on the this now bright sunshine day (and  tons of anoying mosqiuitos there!) we decided to go further on our route. We crossed The bridge over Lomsdalselva and went further looking for a campspot in upper areas on the way to Hendriksdalen. But during the next hour, the ground became more and more boggy, so we returned and did a camp near the bridge on and had a nice evening.

Day 7. Our plan was, to go further to Visstindan and crossing to Strompdalen and then go to Trofors, so at this step of our Trip, there was plenty of time. We decided to climb middagsfjellet. It was obvious from the map, that the northface was not the easiyest approach, but avoiding the steep craggs on the north face and heading more to the northwest, it seems doable. So, ignoring some Signs of instable weather like huge Clouds, dull air and a light corona around the sun , we started. The Terrain was much more demanding as we expectet, with a lot of easy scrambling and at 700m, wie got some nice views over lomsdalen. Then two things happened: The weather changed to very bad conditions with increasing rain and wind and we reached a large plateau in front of the summit, which had unexpected heavy difficulties with a lot of snowfilled canyons, partly eroded with melting eater. As conditions got worse and worse, we had to quit at 870m, 31mih before the summit. But there was now choise because the wind was now a storm and the was no outlook from the summit. It tooks us nearly 5 hours to come back save to our tent because of the bad conditions and the scrambling, which was now much more demanding. Very exhauseted and wet to the bones, we finally reached our tent, enyoing dry conditions, hot tee and hot fat food. We slept well that night!

Day 8: There was a small break of the rain in the morning but the next front with bad weather and steady rain arrived quickly, so we decided to stay another day in the tent to relax, collecting strength for the the demanding section over the Visttindan-pass. 

Day 9: The day started with sunshine, this should be one of our best days with impressive landscape and fine weather. The approach to the fjell got much easier as we gained more hight because of the slight vegetation. we went not through Hendricksdalen, although we orientated us more to the notheast to kjemmfjellt, carefully navigate to avoid the hughe crag over Henricksvatnet. The views in all direktions were amazing, unbeatable was the View to the Visttindanpass itsself, surrounded from the stony summits of Veskjeringa, Vistmannen and litlskardtinden. The three summits were standing lintimidating like creatures from the past,  it was a little scary. And there was a lot of snow at the pass and on the way to it. Primary it was the expectetd snow at the norceface that forced us to chance or planes and that we decided to went back to tosbotn over nedre Breivatnet.

This decision looks very defensive and carefull, and i think, that was it. But we had the very hard day on middagsfjellet, the unstable weather and only 2 days left (and not PLB, we will change that and have now a delorme inreach SE )  So we still have unfinished business with the Visttindan.

So, it was a nice daytrip and some ours and nice views laters, we arrived at our old campsite near the bridge. 

Day 10: There was more than a little sadness because of the  retreat. After 8 Days without seeing any human beeings today we heard some engine-noises from Lomsdalskoia (propably the owner) spotted 2 peolple crossing the valleysome kilometers away and meet two young norwegian guys at nedre breivatnet. The way to nedre Beivatnet over the hills between was very nice, we navigated precisely to a broad part of breivasselva that seems promising for fording, but was´nt because of slippery stoneplates and strong current. So we went to the Outflow from nedre breivatnet where fording was possible. My wife found the only place that was large enough for our tunnel-tent. This was one of the most beautyful campspots but although the loudest in front of the rapids. We had a nice warm evening, and did observe deep grey clouds comming in. Very bad Omen at all.

Day 11: Before we went to bed, we knew, it would be a long day. After waking up, we knew, it would be a very wet day and at the end of the day we are conviced, that it was our hardest trekkingday ever. At the beginning, there was only a lot of rough terrain and steady rain, but hour for our, the rain and the strong wind was growing up and the conditions became harder and harder. To lapskardet, it was all in all good doable but at the vidda between the two Breivatnets, there was the combination of a poor sight, strong winds and some trickys slippery stoneplates and snowfield. The along the lakes was very slippery and down to tosbotn, it was just a mud slide. But we finally reached tosbotn and got a nice offer from a norwegian couple to use there vacation home. I think after 14 hours in rain and storm, we looked really pitifull. Interesting day with happy end, next day we returned to Trondheim and then home to germany. I was a very fine trip and we will return in 2017 to Lomsdal Visten.

Comments and questions are welcome

Sascha

 

[Kjell Iver]

Thanks for sharing! Seems like your route is excactly as we discussed earlier - and an ultimate route to see the main part of the national park. Too bad you did'nt get to Visttindan - but it is understandable. I know the Middagsfjellet can be difficult. Actually any route through this area can be rough.

When returning - did you consider passing all of Breivatnan on the east sides? It is common to do that when the river are high..It is a bit rocky - but easier than passing the river when its high..

[Sascha Augsten]

Yes, at the returning passing just the east sides of the lakes was part of an emergency exit plan, we hoped it would be possible and furthermore because there is a shelter on the east side of the lower lake.

 

By the way the most difficult part at the returning was after the ford on the south side of ovre Breivatnet. It was very difficult to find the entrance to the southern valley because at first you have to climb up to the pass and the sight was just a few meters and we had heavy rain and storm. Neither we could see the stone cairns on the ridge nor we could evaluate the ascent route in the upper areas. We even did not see the 2 big snowfields we remebered from the start. But with patience and attention - an at least with the gps-track, all went well. 

I hope we will return in 2017 to Lomsdal-Visten with 3 weeks of time. Then we will explore the north of the park and the Visttindan and, by good condition, will try to got trough Grunvassdalen.