After missing out on the last 300km of Oslo-Bergen Trail two weeks ago, I jumped at the chance to tackle the DNT Ryger Route – Ryfylkeheiene Traverse ✌🏼 This route has been listed as an FKT for three years without any recorded times, and I’ve been wanting to change that for a while.
I set off from Haukeliseter on Sunday morning in beautiful weather. The plan was to go for an unsupported FKT – no food resupplies from DNT cabins – so my pack weighed over 6kg at the start.
The first day was hot, 20–28°C with clear skies. A stiff headwind made the heat manageable.
First low point: my earbuds died after one hour and refused to charge despite many attempts to clean them. No more music for the rest of the trip. Ironically, they started charging again when I got home…
About 60km in, I suddenly ran into Frode Moen – a local legend – who came up into the mountains just to run a section with me. That was a real highlight 😎
Pushed on around Blåsjø and reached DNT Storsteinen after 98km and 4000m of climbing, around 2 a.m. The last three hours were tough. I made a freeze-dried meal and slept for 2 hours. One of my soft flasks had burst and had to be thrown out, luckily there is plenty of water along the route and it was no problem to continue with one flask.
When I left Storsteinen at 5 a.m., I was met with intense headwinds that didn’t let up all day. At 10 a.m. the rain started (as forecast) – and it kept raining for a full 24 hours. I realized I had packed the wrong rain jacket. It’s rated 20,000mm waterproof, but I really should’ve brought my Gore-Tex Shakedry…
The terrain is technical, but the first 80km has some runnable sections. By day two, I realized it would take over two days and that I’d likely run out of food near the end – so from around 130km I started using small amounts of provisions from the cabins.
Around 130km, I had some soreness under one foot, but after a short break and some foot care, it wasn’t an issue for the rest of the trip. And as usual – zero blisters and baby-smooth feet by the finish, which I’m very happy about 🦶
The kilometers dragged on in the rain all evening. I hallucinated white shadows running beside me during the last hour. I arrived at Blåfjellenden (170km) at 11 p.m. just as darkness fell. After dinner, I decided to get a solid 4 hours of sleep to power through the dark, rainy night – and give my legs and brain a proper reset. I also felt early signs of runner’s knee in my left leg, so I wasn’t sure it would hold up to the end.
I left at 5 a.m. over the mountains toward Hunnedalen in relentless rain. Once there, I took shelter in an outhouse and wrung out all my soaked clothes. I reached Tomannsbu at 8 a.m. with about 30km to go. I lit a fire to dry my gear, had some chocolate pudding and a Real Turmat, and rested on the couch for half an hour. The plan was to go non-stop the final 6–7 hours. The rain finally stopped and it got warm, but the terrain was still tough and waterlogged. The knee pain came and went – strangely, like clockwork – one hour on, one hour off. Swarms of horseflies in the last few hours kept me moving 🙃
I reached Eikebrekka at 15:15, where my good friend Even Husa was waiting with Coke, wet wipes, towels, and deodorant ❤️. Things got a little grotesque when a full roll of leukotape had to be peeled off from various parts of my body where the sun doesn’t shine.
Super happy to complete the route – and in a solid time – but I do think a few things could’ve helped cut down the total time:
- Going self-supported with a lighter pack from the start
- Cooler temps on day one
- Less headwind for the first 150km
- More than 5 hours of sleep the night before (wedding party = suboptimal prep)
- Dry trails and no rain
These factors made a second night’s rest (5.5 hours) necessary. Then again, this route probably needs some proper rest for both legs and head. And with most of the route above 1000m, you’ve got to expect some serious weather.
Bonus: When I got to Eikebrekka (in the middle of nowhere), I randomly ran into the original creator of the route from DNT. We shared some stories – a perfect way to end the adventure 😊