Tverrådalen
From Beiarstua we took the steadily ascending trail into Tverrådalen along the stream Tverråga. In the beginning the trail leads through pine forest. The stream has some interesting rapids and small waterfalls.
Going further the vegetation changes to birch forest. There are more and more open grass and swamp areas. It is a relatively easy walk up the valley.
We decided to pitch our tent in the upper part of the valley where we had a nice view down the valley towards Beiardalen and the mountain range and glaciers beyond. We stayed two nights in this spot, as the weather turned out rainy on the following day. Such a lazy day can be really nice sometimes :-)…
When the rain stopped I explored the nearby area in search for interesting photographic subjects such as the following stream:
The weather improved in the late afternoon, but as we had lots of time we decided to stay another night. The morning provided beautiful light with dense clouds but small spots of sunshine on the landscape.
We left early and took the trail across a wide pass to Bukkhaugbua in Tollådalen. Bukkhaugbua is a tiny but really lovely hut. As it was noon we had lunch and moved on – otherwise we would really have loved to stay in the hut.
Tollådalen
Tollådalen is a lush valley with birch trees, brush and swampy terrain near the river Tollåga. As you go further and higher there are some rock outcroppings that offer nice views of the surroundings. There are no really tall mountains in the vicinity.
We set up camp early when we found a location that provided water and a view. We really enjoyed the rest of the day in this warm and sunny weather.
Bjellåvasstua and Nordre Bjøllåvatnet
Also the next day was going to be short day. We reached the Bjellåvasstua hut at about noon. Before we arrived at the hut there was a strange encounter with a reindeer that came towards us, stopped just before running into us and then turned away. In the afternoon, we met him again when he was standing just outside of our hut in front of the door.
This behavior is unusual for reindeer. They usually appear in herds and flee quickly when someone approaches them from the distance. We did not know what to make of it. The next day, a hut warden arrived and told us that the reindeer is called “Little Boy” and just seeks company :-). In the evening he followed me into the hills were I went to photograph the lake Nordre Bjøllåvatnet from a different perspective.
We had the hut for ourselves during the night. As it was such a beautiful location, we decided to stay another day and took the rowboat out of its shed for an excursion on the lake. Due to strong wind, it was no easy going for us greenhorns – but it was fun:
In the afternoon, other hikers arrived and the hut got quite crowded. Fortunately, there’s lots of space in the surroundings and even a beach close to the hut. We had a great time.
