Besseggen

Gjendesheim - Besseggen - Memurubu

Besseggen is one of the most famous hikes in Norway, and if you hike it the way the guidebooks tell you to, you'll run into 300 people, and you're most likely not going to enjoy the hike.

We decided to do the exact opposite of what all the guidebooks were suggesting. Laura and I met up with Lukas at 11 p.m. at the local bar in Gjendesheim and decided we'd wake up early to beat the crowds. When my alarm clock went off 4 hours later, I felt like I had literally just closed my eyes. Anywho. Headlamps on, gloves on, snacks in the pack, go.

We started hiking up the ridge, leaving Gjendesheim and its lights behind us. Very slowly, the sun rose, and the sky turned from black to dark blue. We were on our own, and by the time we reached Besseggen, the rays of light had just started to hit the mountains around us. The view of the two lakes from up on the ridge is priceless. The one on the right was so still that it looked more like oil than water. Way down in the valley, a boat was cruising by, bringing tourists to the official starting point of the hike to Memurubu. We met all of them on our way down and were glad not to be among them.

Besseggen

Breakfast