Our plan was to have no plan…and everything was going exactly according to plan.
The only fixed date in our whole Norway adventure was “Norway’s Toughest Mountain Race” – the Hornindal Rundt – on Saturday, July 7th. With that event and a rest day road trip to the coast in the rear view mirror, the question was “Now what?” We went to bed having decided to drive to Ålesund in the morning, to see the city and spend time camping and hiking along the coast. As often happens though, morning came a bit early for me. I spent a few quiet hours pondering the possibilities contained in some tourist brochures and guidebooks. One guidebook offered an intriguing description of Mt Saksa in the nearby town of Urke. No need to rush off to Ålesund. Perhaps a detour was in order? On our way out of a town we stopped to congratulate Siv (we ran together for several hours during the race) on her Hornindal finish. 
Being a wonderful person, and a native to these parts, she suggested some hikes for us to consider…one of which just happened to be in the area near Urke…Mt. Saksa! That settled it. A visit to Urke was our new, no plan plan!!
The 30+ mile drive from Grodas to Urke was impossibly beautiful (of course). After a bit of a climb we entered a long narrow valley of steep walls, waterfalls, rivers, lakes, lovely farms, and eventually Hjørundfjord and Urke. Even if there wasn’t a dramatic mountain to climb, the drive alone would have been worth the trip.
The trailhead to Saksa was well marked and easy to find. We paid to park and after a quick check on gear and food, we set off up the trail. Almost immediately we met Sarah and Idun who had already stopped to adjust their gear and shed some layers. “Technical stop” they said with a laugh. We chatted with them for a bit, then continued on, leapfrogging with Idun and Sarah several times during the steep ascent. And when I say steep – I mean to say a casual stroll by Norwegian standards. In the realm of mere mortals, very steep. Something like the vertical gain of Flagstaff’s very own Mt. Humphreys – in half the distance. 3,500’ vertical in 2 ½ miles vs. Humphrey’s 3,300 in 5 miles.
With very little warning, we were suddenly on top with a rather agreeable group of hikers. A 9 month old girl was celebrating her first summit, accompanied by helpful parents and grandparents. Very soon after we arrived, Sara and Idun joined us on top, along with several others, all enjoying the grand view from the summit of Saksa. And what a view! Directly below us the impossibly blue Hjørundfjord split into two arms, ringed on all sides by rugged peaks jutting up from the water. A moderate breeze pushed some clouds around, but without any real suggestion of rain. This was what we had come to Norway to see.
What we didn’t realize until a few days later, was that this was – literally – what we had come to see. Before we left for Norway, we watched an excellent Salomon TV video (Salomon Dream Trip Video). This video features a young woman who won her dream trip to spend a week in Norway, hanging out and running with Emilie Forsberg and Ida Nilsson. After watching that video, we both said, “I don’t know where in Norway that is…but that’s where we want to go!” Turns out we did!! No wonder we loved it!
We probably spent close to an hour at the summit, soaking in the views and just enjoying the moment. Sarah and Idun were kind enough to snap a few pics for us. They also introduced us to the brilliant Norwegian practice of bringing (and sharing) 
their amazing “Kvikk Lunsj” chocolate bars. There is something of a national obsession with these massive melkesjokolade taste treats – and rightly so. For the rest of our trip, we made sure to bring one along on every hike. (We still have a couple in the freezer!) It was a safety issue! After all, no one wants a repeat of the Donner Party!! We also watched with interest as folks buttered slices of excellent Norwegian bread and layered on a thick piece of cheese for a tasty and filling snack. Others brought out hard boiled eggs from their clever plastic egg carriers. Norwegians certainly know how to enjoy life in the out of doors.
By the time we decided to head down, we’d made two important discoveries. First – we spied a likely looking place to camp in the valley below Mt Saksa. The second was that Sarah and Idun were going to have dinner and a beer a bit later at a small restaurant/bar right on the edge of the fjord…and more importantly…wouldn’t mind our company. The prospective camp site materialized as hoped so we set up camp in a lovely spot and enjoyed a quick dinner. A short bit later we met up with Idun and Sarah.
One beer led to another and the evening stretched on for several hours as these wonderful young ladies schooled us on the proper pronunciation of unpronounceable Norwegian words and place names. We also talked of love, life, aspirations, hard realities, hopes, dreams, differences between Norway and the US, travels we’ve all taken and places we’d like to visit. We talked on well past the time the bar had closed. Eventually we exchanged contact information, reluctantly said our good-byes, and went our separate ways.
Later as we lay in the comfort of our sleeping bags, we both agreed this had been the day that perfectly captured what we had hoped to experience in Norway. Siv, Urke, Hjørundfjord, Saksa, the Urke Kaihus, Sarah and Idun all combined to give us a memorable – no – a perfect day. Thank you Norway. Vi elsker deg.
Are these all pictures from your camera?
The picture of Siv is from the Hornindal race website. The Freia add is from the internet. Otherwise they are from Sharon’s phone and my camera.