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| Hjellefoss (foss = waterfall) plus me for scale! |
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| also crossed this rather exposed suspension bridge |
Stølsmaradalen
After a particularly strenuous and soggy hike with some hand-over-hand vertical climbs we came to a high plateau and the hytte Stølsmaradalen came into view. |
| Støslmaradalen is beautifully situated in a meadow surrounded by mountains |
Upon entering the hytte, it was immediately clear that it was a really old structure - large areas of the wood interior had blackened with age (I'm not exactly sure why this occurs, but it seems to be pretty common amongst old wooden buildings in Norway...) and it was covered with carvings of people's names, dates, and symbols. The combined effect was a rough, weathered texture - almost like the cabin had accumulated wrinkles over time. Apparently, the carvings were not appreciated by the person that tends to the cabin who had posted several notes stating, "Don't write on the walls. Write in the guest book."
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| interior walls of Stølsmaradalen |
More than any other hytte we stayed in, Stølsmaradalen fostered a very inward-focused experience. The windows and doors were tiny, the ceiling was low, and the space was very dark. This was surprising with the cabin being situated in such a stunning landscape. Kind of amazingly, once inside, both Federico and I found ourselves forgetting how beautiful the surrounding valley was. Then, whenever we exited the cabin, we would be awestruck all over again - stopping to look out at the glacier-covered peaks. Any contemporary architectural solution would have big windows oriented towards such a spectacular view; Stølsmaradalen didn't have a single window oriented down the valley. This reminded me of something the museum curator Trond Bjorli had mentioned. His view on hytter is that they are not about revealing nature. Rather, they function as a respite from nature, a place that literally takes you "out of nature" to recover. In this way, hytter actually enable and encourage further exploration of the wilderness (you don't just sit inside and snap pictures out the window). This description couldn't be more accurate for Stølsmaradalen; it was a comfortable retreat, but by turning its back on its setting, it actually made us want to get out and start hiking again as soon as we could!
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| ~4 foot tall doors, quite the head-knocker |
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| the sitting room... looks brighter in the photo than in reality |
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| eating dinner and reading the hyttebook by candlelight |
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| view out the front door, only visible when the door is open |
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| Stølsmaradalen entry elevation |
A Norwegian father (middle aged) and son (in his early 20s) stayed in the cabin with us. We appreciated their company and had a fun time discussing politics. The father disapproved of our dinner, fiskerboller (fish balls) in soup, and explained that fish balls are usually eaten with white sauce alongside a vegetable . . . not in soup. The father reminisced about the last time he visited Stølsmaradalen roughly 30 years ago. He said it was one of his favorite cabins because in the valley you can get beautiful views of both the sunrise and the sunset - a rare attribute for a cabin nestled in the mountains. He was pleased that he and his son had timed their arrival for when "the sunset was on the front door." The father also explained that the cabin was originally a summer dwelling for farmers who would move their livestock up to the meadow in the mountains when the weather allowed.
Like many hytter, Stølsmaradalen has a sod roof. Lucky for me (but not so much for the hytte...), the roof was peeling away in places so I was able to get a better understanding of its layers.
Apologies for my poor handwriting. The layers from top to bottom are:
- soil, moss, plants
- wooden frame for soil depth
- hard plastic waterproofing with circular dimples (to retain water for the plants I assume...)
- a birch bark drip edge (linear element running along the eave of the roof)
- shingles
- wood slat roof deck
- roof beams to support the deck above (these notch into the stacked lumber walls at each end)
Some other interesting details at Stølsmaradalen:
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| nature-inspired coat hook |
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| staggered bunk beds - creates a storage space and alleviates the need for a tall ceiling |
Gravdalen
The following day we hiked 8 kilometers before descending back down into the valley and immediately re-ascending a different mountain to reach Gravdalen. Gravdalen was a pretty standard hytte, but it did have some really amazing hyttebook entries! I'll leave you with those and a few photos. Overall, our trip to the Utladalen Valley did not disappoint, but after 6 straight days of intense hiking we are definitely ready for some rest. Heading back to Oslo tomorrow (7/10/19). |
| Gravdalen |
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| view of the back of the cabin, deer antlers for flair |
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| sleeping room / dining room / kitchen at Gravdalen |
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| hytte-themed curtains : ) |
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| trolls embossed into the front of Gravdalen's hyttebook |
LEARN NORWEGIAN:
(doll-en)
*as seen in Stølsmara(dalen) and Grav(dalen)
*strangely the literal translation of Gravdalen is "grave valley"... not sure why, but it makes our stay there feel much spookier in hindsight!
HYTTE COUNT: 6
Svartsgokoia https://ut.no/hytte/101378/svartskogkoia
Memurubu
Gjendebu https://ut.no/hytte/10581/gjendebu
Torfinnsbu https://ut.no/hytte/10915/torfinnsbu
Stølsmaradalen https://ut.no/hytte/101379/stlsmaradalen
Gravdalen https://ut.no/hytte/10923/gravdalen
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