Skåla

The hike to the top of mount Skåla is one of the ehh.. top hikes in Norway. Skåla lies at an elevation of 1,848 meters above the fjord and the village of Loen in Stryn. The hike is pretty demanding as you ascend 1,800 meters from the trailhead to the top. Although some people do it in less than an hour and a half, but they don't carry a large camera. The views on the way up are breathtaking. Along the way there are several waterfalls. It's also interesting to see the vegetation change as you ascend from sea level to above tree level. I knew I would be in for a challenge because of the snow, which started at an elevation of 1,000 meters. I decided to see how far I would get. In the end I made it all the way to the top (and back of course).

I stayed at the wonderful Visnes Hotel in Stryn, a historical boutique hotel built in the 19th century with creaking wooden floors and beautifully decorated rooms. The food is great too.

Ascending through deep snow was quite challenging, but the views made it worth it.

I'd originally planned to climb to the top of the saddle which you can see in the distance (the area in the middle of the photo where snow meets blue sky), but after some deliberation I decided to push on...

The saddle right in the middle is where I took the previous photo pointing my camera in the direction of what is to the left of this photo.

More Norway! Lofoten! Vesterålen! Senja! The spectacular Munkebu Hut and the possibly even more spectacular Møysalen. Amazing Jotunheimen National Park, Romsdalseggen, Svellnosbreen, Nigardsbreen, Dalsnibba. Yet more Norway.