Blåfjella-Skjaekerfjella Nationalpark is with more than 1900 sqkm one of Norways largest, but contrary to areas like Hardangervidda touristically quite unknown. Although the area of the park is not that large, it feels giant because it forms a large corridor along the Swedish border. There are only few hiking trails and huts and the landscape of dense primeval spruce forests, wide fjells and moors and distinct peaks is very varied. Two isolated farms, quite unique in Norway, emphasize the wild, remote character of the park which was founded only in 2004.
In Vera some signboards inform about the Nationalpark and to my surprise there is a newly marked hiking trail which I am able to follow for some kilometers. A continuous drizzle falls which underlines the greenness of these mountains with spruce forests in the valleys.
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| Into Skjaerkerfjella
Just in time before the rain comes back in earnest I pitch camp already early in the afternoon...
It rains all night and in the morning so I have a late start. There are a lot of ups and downs before I get on the hilly ridge of Saeterfjellet.
Towards Saeterfjellet
Soon I am in dense fog and one more time on this trek I am grateful for the GPS...
The hiking trail ends at the top of Hitre Saeterfjellet just a little higher than 700 meters. Apparently this mountain is another part of the "mountain challenge" I already got to know.
In the early afternoon the sky clears and I get good views across the broad Stigadalen towards the Skjaekerfjella mountains. Although they look quite impressive, they are only little higher than 1000 meters!
It is important to stay up on the slopes of the mountains, because a little deeper, there is thick birch brush, which could turn the walking slow and exhausting...
View over Stigadalen
In the brush I spot Ring Ouzels, birds I know from the Alps!
Although the Gaundalen farm is still 15 kilometers away, I already spot it!
Ring Ouzel
Later the slopes flatten out and I have to cross the surprisingly broad and deep Stigå below a small waterfall, which poses no problem.
Sun and clouds always change, which makes for spectacular light.
Sun between showers
Rainbow at Blåfjella-Skjaekerfjella
Although the conditions with all the rain are not so easy, I am very happy to be in this wilderness where I once again saw no other human today.
In the morning a Redwing is singing near my camp.
Redwing
A light drizzle is falling and soon I descend into a narrow, spruce covered valley. The creek is flat and nothing to speak about, but when I wade it, I slip and fall into the water and land on my chest. In a second I am up again but unfortunately my telelens which I always transport attached to the belt of my backpack, got wet. As it is not sealed I just can hope that when the water inside has evaporated it will work again. Too bad, and this incident happened at a really small and easy creek...
Soon I get on a very muddy quad track and finally reach Gaundalen fjellgård, an isolated farm, 30 kilometers from the next road.
First the dogs greet me barking, than the proprietor Steinar Gaundalen appears. I am looking forward to hear more about the life on this remote farm, which the family owns since more than 400 years, but Mr. Gaundalen seems to be rather shy, although friendly. He shows me the visitor book and I am quite surprised how many people visit this place. Probably mainly hunters and fishermen, his main source of income. But the farm has also three cabins which are rented out to hikers as well. Especially the Moose hunting is very popular here. Steinar wants to introduce me to another hiker, who is still sleeping in his cabin. But after a minute 18-year old Norwegian hiker Bendik from Namsos gets on the scene. He started a long hike from Røros to Børgefjell with a friend. But as his partner had to give up with feet problems, he continues by himself.
Steinar Gaundalen and young hiker Bendik
Bendik prepares coffee for the two of us, enhanced with homemade 90 % alcohol, seemingly quite popular in Norway...
We have a very nice chat, but one of these drinks is enough for me, so I continue walking at about noon. In the meantime the weather has cleared, it is warm and the sky is blue!
In the forest nearby I watch a spruce grouse hen flying away and on the moors there are some snipes, I often hear the distinct call of the common snipe. There is no real trail, but I can follow the stilts of an since long abandoned telegraph route.
I ascend to about 800 meters where I get nice views back to Skjaekerfjella and to the peaks of Blåfjell across Holderen Lake.
View back to Skjaekerfjella
Blåfjell across Holderen Lake
Soon I am in open forest again with the first stunted, old pines.
A moose hind slowly walks away into the forest.
Old, stunted pine
Further down I get back to the spruce taiga. Fascinating how the landscape changes here by descending just some meters!
Spruce Taiga
The water of Holderen lake is calm and inviting. Too bad, that I don't carry a packraft...
Holderen Lake
To my surprise I meet a fisherman on the Kvernelva, which connects a chain of lakes. He came by boat from nearby Sweden and wants to stay some days at the nearby Holden cabin, an old farmhouse, now owned by DNT.
Kvernelva
I soon get on a trail which passes by Holden. Now I am in dense, swampy Taiga, which would not so easy to walk without trail...
For some time I follow the shore of the big Skjeldbreien lake, where I finally set up my camp just at the waterfront.
It is very idyllic here, but mosquitos and midges test my patience, so unfortunately finally after having dinner I retreat to the tent...
Camp at Skjeldbreien
In the morning before seven the temperatur is already above 10 degrees, and the midges are so bad, that when I take off my tent I need to wear my head net!
Although I try to dry out my lens in the sun, it remains foggy and disfunctional...
I continue along the red markings across forest and swamp, which is sometimes really muddy...
Muddy....
After about two hours I leave the trail near the shepherd hut Langvasshytta. First the off trail walking in the forest full of steep ravines is complicated and slow, but when I get back to more open landscapes even orientating becomes easier. I need to do big detours because many lakes and swampy valleys block a more direct route.
Around noon it starts to rain, it is grey and dull, what a contrast to yesterday afternoon!
In the afternoon I have enough and pitch tent on a dry ridge, in hope that tomorrow the weather will improve...
 Short break from the rain...
Next morning it is still raining heavy. When the downpours seem to subside I start hiking at around nine. But just 45 minutes later I pitch tent again, because I am already quite wet, a strong wind is blowing and the weather seems to worsen. I would soon leave the valley and fear the fierce conditions on the treeless fjell, therefore I prefer to set up my camp again...
After some hours I feel cold from underneath. A closer inspection reveals that a deep puddle of water has formed in a slight depression below my tent. The floor has already started to leak...
It is uncomfortable but not to avoid, I try to remove my tent as quick as possible, but still I am cold and wet...
I am grateful for the water resistant down in my sleeping bag...
Flooded tent
I load the weather report for the next days on my InReach Explorer, according to it tomorrow should be better...
Unfortunately next day is almost as bad, maybe the wind is a little weaker...
I am running out of food, so I need to leave the shelter of my tent, and will try to reach the Gressamøen hut today...
I wear everything I have, even the down jacket under the rainshell, but still soon I am cold because of wetness and wind. Especially my hands get numb, although I wear two pairs of Gloves. But even the Gore- tex mittens soon leak in these conditions. To avoid hypothermia which is a very real threat there is only the solution to constantly keep on moving fast. Not so easy in fog and difficult granite terrain, full of steep gorges...
It is really sad that the weather is so bad, because I am sure, that this large wilderness would be another highlight of my trip...
Finally I descent from the open fjell to forested valleys.
The third day of rain...
The primeval spruce forest is very lush and green. It is part of the former Gressamøen Nationalpark which was already founded in 1970.
 Spruce forest in the rain
After 22 Kilometers I reach the former farm houses of Gressamøen. Most of the five buildings are locked, but one of it, which was already built in 1797, is open to visitors, although private owned.
It is so nice to be out of the rain...
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For me this is a bit like a journey to the past, because 30 years ago I stayed here as well! At that time my journey was inspirated by a book which was written by Hans- Otto Meissner, about his moose hunting in the area, which was much wilder in the 50's...
I stayed two days at the cabin and searched for wildlife in the larger vicinity. Even then the weather was not very good...
Next morning it is still raining heavily, but the wind has calmed down. I am running out of food, therefore I decide to go to Snåsa, 35 kilometers on a dirt road.
While in 1987 the Luru River was only crossable by cablecar, today there is a bridge...
Although there are two cars on the parking lot, I see nobody.
Today I can use my umbrella, so the walking is much better than the days before, but still quite wet. After 15 kilometers I see the first sheep and some private huts. But I have already covered 27 kilometers when a shepherd stops and offers a lift. The guy owns a software company with 15 employees, and his 1000 head sheep herd is more of a hobby. The work is mostly done by polish workers which is very common in Norway, according to him. He immediately starts to complain about the bears, which take quite many sheep. He even shows me a cellphone video his dad has taken filming a young bear!
When he drops me at his farm I walk six more kilometers to the village Myrset, where I soon find another lift, with the wife of the local pastor who takes me to Snåsa campground!
She has driven his husband and 8-year old daughter to the mountains, because they want to do a weekend hike! Tough Norwegians! Although tomorrow the weather should really get better after four days of heavy rain in a row...
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