The air felt crisp, the morning fog was still covering the mountains surrounding Sota Sæter and as I closed the gate and started my adventure. I passed by sheep and cows and left civilization behind. I was about to experience the DNT Massiv route. I was really excited to go into the mountains, the weather forecasts were perfect with the promise of no wind, sun and perfect running temperatures. I ran up the first ascent and hit some rocky trails, and this is the Massiv. Loads of rocky trails where your balance and technical skills to jump both small rocks and big boulders matters far more than speed. Happy and enjoying the mountains, I made my way to Nørdstedalseter for my first fuel break. Continuing on my way to Sognefjellshytta I had great views to both the Galdhøpiggen massif and Hurrungane, and I was so excited! In Sognefjellshytta I just got a quick coffee and a solo soda, to be sure to make it to the top of Fannaråken before dark. Getting to the edges of the glacier, the snow had melted and I didn’t see any good place to enter it. I chose to pass by outside of the glacier climbing even more rocks to reach the top of the mountain. As I reached the summit with the highest placed mountain cabin in Norway, all the tourists were outside enjoying the beautiful sunset. It was amazing.
As I carried through the night I passed Skogadalsbøen and the lush Utladalen in the dark. The sun rose, the trails had been of the rocky kind for a long time. I arrived at Fondsbu just in time for breakfast, packed some food and spent some time relaxing on the couch including a 15 minutes nap. Passing the lake of Tyin, the Jotunheimen trails in the heaths and bogs with blueberries, cranberries and cloudberries were a welcoming change from the rocky trails that had been dominating the route until now. I made a quick stop just to eat in Slettningsbu and tried to continue efficiently to the next cabin Sulebu. On the trials I scared sheep and tourists alike while singing out loud to the songs I listened to on my AirPods. I was in good spirits.
Just before Sulebu I met reindeers and saw a rainbow at the same time. I tried to have a quick snack, but socializing with the other tourists it’s easy to spend more time than planned. As I headed out in the night I again had a beautiful mountain sunset. In the top of the mountains I turned off the headlights and I watched the stars in the dark night. I was lucky to also see two shooting stars and stopped to enjoy the moment. What a privilege it was to stand at the top of the Norwegian mountain massifs, no wind and just experience nature in the dark. As the night continued, I started to experience the effect of little sleep and my mind started to make up all sorts of stories, including flying drones with lights, “wild animals” among other things. In Skarvheimen I decided to get one hour of sleep on my second night out. I should have eaten before getting comfortable with the covers and pillows on the bench. I was cold and freezing and it was hard to get the chills to leave my body. Waking up I was feeling a bit nauseous which made it hard to eat and I had to spend too much time just to get some food in my stomach.
Entering the third stage Skarvheimen, the landscape once again turned into rocks and boulders. I lost my gloves somewhere in the rocks, but had a pair of wind- and waterproof gloves which I used for the rest of the trip. At Iungdalshytta I was pleased to finally have some real food and once again had a nap of 10 minutes on the couch. Rocks, rocks, rocks passing Kongshelleren and even more rocks.
Reaching Geiterygghytta in the night, I made some freeze-dried food, slept 15 minutes and continued towards Finse in the dark. Stumbling in the dark, trying to motivate and remind myself to keep my legs moving I could easily have fallen asleep walking. It was freezing cold and not a good place to lie down either. I turned the music up loud, counted down every 100 meters and I managed to motivate myself enough to finally reach Finse 30 minutes before breakfast. Enjoying fresh food and making sandwiches for later, I also prioritized getting an hour sleep in the couch.
When leaving Finse towards Krækkja I was now entering the fourth stage and Hardangervidda. This was familiar terrain, my legs felt light and my spirits were high. I enjoyed the trails and reached the cabin just in time for soup, or so I thought. I was told by the owner it was too late and the soup was finished. Sleep-deprived and disappointed, I almost started crying. The owner managed to get some soup they were serving for dinner, and life was again looking bright. After some chatting with tourists and a 10 minute nap, I got into the endless mountain plateau pushing through the landscape. It is really special and beautiful, but it feels never ending and drains the energy in a monotonous way. But some of the trails were easy and finally allowed some speed, maybe for the first time on the whole trip. Stigstuv was already closed for the season so I continued without a break and I made it to Sandhaug yet again in the middle of the night. Leaving Krækkja the weather had turned, and it was actually cold wind and rain. It was getting worse and I was freezing cold as I arrived. I was so tired that I prioritized setting the alarm first thing to avoid oversleeping by mistake, which I easily could have.
For a change I allowed myself 1,5 hours of sleep and waited a bit to get out to avoid the weather and too much of the dark. My feet were hurting and my brain stopped functioning normally, so at this stage the job was to continue to still move my legs and get forward. A beautiful sunrise and knowing I was getting closer to the end kept up my spirits. At Litlos I was desperate for a coffee, also downed a coke and stocked up on chocolate for the remaining part of the trip. At this time I paid less attention to the landscape, focusing on my main goal to reach the finish line. At Hellevassbu I probably should have eaten more food, but was so tired in my legs and I was afraid I would be stuck too long here if I stopped. The people I met here were too nice to be able to leave quickly. I had one chocolate and a gel and decided to run as fast as I managed for the last 21 km. I actually managed to keep up the speed until there were 5-6 km left, and then it was hard to summon the energy needed. My left knee started to hurt on the descents towards the end and I ran until I couldn’t ignore it anymore. Reaching the last descent slower than I would like to, I also met a rain shower the very last kilometer.
Arriving at Haukeliseter I was welcomed by flags, balloons and cheering, a very pleasant surprise. I did it, I finished the route in just over four and a half days. So happy and proud to have made it!