First Attempt: Sørskottinden Peak
a pickle
There are a handful of hikes up into the local mountains that surround the village of Nordskot.
The gang of guys I was living and working with on the island, who by now I lovingly and collectively referred to as my merry men, had climbed one of the mountains before my arrival. Their story of the hike sounded epic, so on my first day off I headed to the trail head. It was a beautiful day: sun shining, just a few clouds, crisp but not too cold, and a fresh dusting of snow.
I got a little lost in the snow, taking a trail leading left at a fork instead of going right. It took me to the view point photographed above, a beautiful spot but not the way to the summit. As I backtracked to the fork I went a little rogue, losing the trail completely and ended up in knee deep snow.
I found a river and walked along its banks hoping it would lead me back to the trail, and sure enough it did. I made my way back to the fork and took the trail bearing right, heading up to the summit. This section of trail was steeper and more slippery than I had anticipated. Then the trail disappeared.
With the summit in sight I was determined to continue on, forging my own way through snow that was gaining in depth.
I thought I had the right idea, following a ridge that looked to eventually meet the summit. Instead my path took me underneath the summit where a steep face stood between me and the top. The snow was layered above a sheet of ice underneath, too slippery to climb up without crampons and ice axe for safety. For a little while I tried to advance by climbing between clusters of exposed boulders, but the distances between boulders grew too far for comfort.
I was in a little bit of a pickle. Wedged securely between two boulders I decided to stop for lunch and figure out whether I would push on or head down.
“well, i am in a pickle”
“i cannot go any farther”
“so close, but so far”
After eating a few snacks and enjoying the view, I decided to head down. I knew I wasn’t on the trail and didn’t want to end up getting in a real pickle, a dangerous one.
Getting down was fun, I slid down on my bum instead of trying to trudge through the deep snow. In no time I was back on the main road leading to Nordskot, but I still had an hour before my ride back to the Island so I went exploring a little bit.
I found a lovely spot atop a hill with a stunning view over the archipelago. At low tide the waters were even more colorful, light green in the most shallows and a deep blue in the deepest spots. I had a quick cat nap and then heading back to catch the boat to Manshausen.