Blåfjella-Skjækerfjella-Nationalpark - first week of September 2015

Hello dear All!
I did not write here for a long time, I was more interested in my trip than writing about it. But now I like to share some pictures and insights with you. It has been a beautiful time in the Skjækerfjella-area. I met Hunters, Sheep-farmers, some Moose and Reindeer, Eagles and walked in a very beautiful mountain-area.

Since I was walking in a national-park and sometimes in even more protected areas, I had to reduce the bushcraft-part a little. Camping, extracting firewood and fishing are allowed but I felt it would not be right to cut six trees and  a lot of pine-branches to construct a bushcraft-shelter and things like that. Plus the area is extremly wet - it is mostly a highmoor and great swampy areas - I was happy to use refuge-shelters and huts which are always equipped with fireplaces and fire-wood to dry my boots, tarp and cloth. In the third episode of my Berlin - Nordkap Bushcraft-Tour in 2016 I will reemphasize the bushcraft-aspect again a little more.

After following the pilgrimsway St. Olavsleden from Stiklestad up to Vuku, I headed for the Skjækerdalshytta inside the nationa-lpark, first along the fylkesvei 757and on parallel, smaller roads in direction Malsåa kopparverk.

Entering the Nationalpark: Dirtroads - easy to walk and a night in an open hut at a small lake which is used by fishermen.

This hut has been recommended to me by a friendly norwegian couple. I wanted to enter the nationalpark quickly and so I was quite happy to find this hut with firewood already prepared. I did not have to set up an entire camp, which is not so easy in this area, cause everything is wet - the ground is mostly a swamp or wet moss and to find 2 squaremeters of even, dry ground always takes some time here.

The Malsåa kopparverk is an old abandoned copper-mine with only a few remains left to see. But the wounds in the landscape and parts of some old installations still can be seen. This place is an exellent starting point into the national-park and can not be reached by car, but the way up to here from the last parkingspace is easy to find.
In the refuge hut is enough firewood to warm yourselve or to cook a coffe at the fireplace.

 From here I followed the marked route from Malsåa kopparverk to the Skjækerdalshytta.

mark on the marked route - from one mark to the next

after passing Fiskløysingen - a swampy plateau

looks nice but this is a highmoor - it is wet,wet,wet!

The route is marked but often there is no path to see, so you mostly follow the red marks on poles or trees but inbetween the marks you have to find yourself a way to walk. Card and compass is important here and if you use a GPS make sure you have enough batteries or powerbanks for days!

Crossing the first mountain - Kolstadklumpen - and entering the characteristic landscapes of Skjæker

Finally, after walking on wet ground and on poorly marked routes with no visible path up- and downhill, always having wet feet in wet shoes - I crossed the river, walked through the valley and found the Skjækerdalshytta on the other side of the valley. Here I stayed two nights, did the laundry, dried my things, renewed my food-supplies, relaxed and enjoyed the view.

mobile network and 3G avaible - the last for days..

This hut from NTT is a self-service hut with a food storage which you can use. As a member of NTT the night here costs 200 kr. (about 23 EURO) and the food is mostly tinned food and basic food like rice, pasta, pankace-powder, coffee, tea, bread and breakfast stuff as you have it in a hotel. All, all, all things have to be brought here by snowscooter and everyone maintaining a hut has only five rides free per year, wether he or she owns a tourist hut, a sheepfarmers hut or a private hut. So everything including bed-sheets, food, fire-wood and gas has to be transported here on sledges withe the help of snowscooters in winter. Everything is kind of precious up here but for that the prices are very fair.

view from the Skjækerdalshytta

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