22-Dec-2001 -- Friday 21 - Saturday 22 December 2001

On the project home page the location is described as being 1 km north of the small town of Rosendal. But since Rosendal is closely flanked by mountains to the east and a fjord to the west, a detailed map was required to judge the exact difficulty involved! However, the confluence appeared to be conveniently located on a hill just outside the town (pic. #2), so I decided to give it a try during the Christmas vacation.

Since I live in Oslo but most of my family is in Bergen, I drove from Oslo on Friday and spent the night in Rosendal. I could then make an attempt on Saturday, after which I could go on to Bergen in time for the Christmas celebration.

The trip from Oslo over Haukeli mountain was nice but uneventful even though at this time of the year driving is often restricted by bad weather. The last stretch goes through a newly built tunnel under Folgefonnen glacier. The tunnel is about 11.5 km long(!). Impressive, but far from the longest in western Norway.

I stayed at a nice hotel where I was the only guest. (This is definitely off-season in Rosendal.... The beautiful Barony in Rosendal, built in 1665, is one of the main attractions in the summer: http://www.baroniet.uio.no/)

Saturday morning I parked my car in a place just north of Rosendal, where a logging track went uphill in what seemed like the right direction. It was the most beautiful winter weather imaginable, the Hardanger Fjord and the surrounding mountains bathed in sun (pic. #3)

The road wound its way upwards, apparently zeroing in on the confluence. At about 200m above sea level, there was a container of oxygen, ready for use! (pic. #4) Is this the Western Cwm of Mount Everest or is it just a hill outside Rosendal....?

Ignoring the oxygen I followed the logging track to a vantage point, only 300m from the confluence. The view of Rosendal is terrific (pic. #1). I thought I would have to force my way through the forest to cover the last distance, but to my surprise a marked footpath led on in the right direction.

Barely 50m from the confluence it intersects with another marked path leading up from Rosendal, at an altitude of about 350m. Apparently, local hikers must pass this point all through the year without knowing about this worthy(?) project!

Anyway, Victory was sweet, and the necessary pictures were taken. (pics #5-7). The confluence is located on a level spot in the forest, overlooking Rosendal.

In the evening I proceeded by ferry from Løfallsstrand and drove to Bergen.