Hiking Norway’s Trolltunga is otherworldly

If trolls really did exist, this would undoubtedly be their domain; massive boulders littered the scrubby vegetation, extensive glaciers sucked in the feet of unsuspecting intruders and a gaping canyon make limbs tingle. This is Earth, at the very least, though nothing about the situation seems realistic. Especially this destination, whose landscape defies expectations.

This is the hiking trail to Trolltunga, Norwegian for the Troll’s Tongue. A few hours’ drive outside Bergen, Norway, it is a truly epic hike of 22 kilometers round trip that begins (and ends) with 3,197 nearly vertical steps along a disused funicular. Hikers trek through boulder fields and over glaciers, either through pouring rain or unrelenting sunlight to arrive at the fabled tongue, sticking out from the cliff about 700 meters in the air.

Everything that makes the hike perilous is what makes it wondrous. Remote and difficult to reach, it remains fairly unspoiled. Distant hikersaere mere specks on the expansive glaciers, reminding one how small we are. Every slope and boulder reminds how indomitable the Earth really is, how we must work around our environment. And the hike reaches the most beautiful climax once you stand on the tip of the tongue.

Read full story…

 

The following are paid links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.