HORNELEN...ich werde dich nie vergessen

HORNELEN - Emergency Bivouac - Peak gusts 33-37 m/s (very strong winds/hurricane force) - I will always remember this mountain hike. At 860 meters, Hornelen is the highest cliff in Europe and is located on the island of Bremagerlandet.

I chose the route from Lisete, which is a bit longer but less steep than the climb from Hunskår. I started at 2:00 p.m. in perfect weather, with a light wind...the tour was supposed to take 6.5 hours total (there and back)...the weather forecast was overcast from 5:30 p.m., but I should have reached the summit by then...or so, I thought 🙃 .
The route dragged on and on, and I soon realized I'd need much longer, but I was confident I could descend smoothly, even with a headlamp... The trail starts muddy, as it often does, and then transitions into less vegetation and climbing sections...then another plateau and the final climbing section.... I didn't actually reach the summit until 7:30 p.m., perhaps because the landscape once again captivated me so much that I had to keep taking photos 😀?

The wind was getting stronger, but it was still OK...The heavy rain was supposed to start around 11 p.m.....By now it was 8:30 p.m....walking in the dark and rain with these rocks that turn into a slippery slope is extremely dangerous...
In the bivouac, I find a bivouac sack and emergency dry food...my salvation...I consider whether it's better to stay here through the night??? My food will last until lunchtime tomorrow (taking into account the exertion and adrenaline).

Ultimately, I decide to spend the night in the bivouac. The gusts of wind are frightening, and the door can't be closed properly, so some wind is always coming in...I barricade myself from the inside...I'm not that cold, but my body heat is soaking wet inside the bivouac sack...
Somehow, I make it through the night and am almost blown away during the weather check that night and in the morning when I step out of the bivouac...

At 8 a.m., I finally start the descent....for the next three hours, only a maximum of 1.8 mm/h of rain is expected. predicted...I can't wait any longer because the wind will steadily increase until 6 pm.

I first climb on all fours, checking every rock and holding on to something with both hands... The wind is mostly from the front or gusts from the side... it becomes a physical effort and exhausting... The first 30 minutes of the upper climbing section go quite well... I just keep telling myself: the worse the weather, the slower and more carefully I should walk, I'll get wet anyway💦... I have to brave the wind and conserve my energy... and every time I think the wind is dying down, another gust comes along and throws me into the mud...
After 2.5 hours, I suddenly see two people climbing... I can't believe my eyes... as they get closer, I urgently recommend they dismount because the forecast says the summit is even stormier now... They still want to continue, think for a moment... it's their responsibility, I can only advise against continuing the climb.

Anyway, I continue on and am now in the green zone...a few more climbing sections, but then after 40 minutes, the muddy path begins again, which isn't easy, especially because everything is now flooded; even where there was a path the day before, there's now a trickle...So I've been walking completely in water/mud for the last two hours and I can feel that even my waterproof Gore-Tex shoes are no longer waterproof at some point...but that doesn't matter anymore...

And suddenly... I see my car in the distance.... about 40 more minutes and I'll have made it.
Yeeh🙏🏼👣💯.....at 1:05 PM I finally arrive at the car...relieved and with one more experience:
Very important in Norway: WIND forecasts...I hadn't been aware of that until then, I've never experienced wind speeds of this magnitude...

You grow with the challenges...

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