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© Ivar Arne Nordrum / NRKParts of Gjende lake are still frozen over.
Should be green by now, and have thousands of sheep grazing

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"I am currently on a MC trip up though the coastline in Norway, and it has been a very cold journey so far, only 3C on some passes in the mountains," says reader 996bip.

"I was planning to also do some hiking to some of the known mountains, though tourist season is in full swing, still a lot of places is closed due to snow, and frozen lakes. The popular hiking trail over "Besseggen" was closed due to the boat that takes tourist over the lake, could not go because of ice.

"The same on "Nigardsbreen" a glacier arm on Jostedalsbreen, the boat on that lake could not go because the lake was nearly empty. The summer melt, and the movement of the glacier has not even started yet. I had to walk along the lake about 45min to reach the glacier, and it was amazing be able to go so near and to almost touch the ice. Here's a short clip from that day:


I also visited "Bondhusbreen" an arm in Jostedalsbreen. This was a hike of 2,5 hour each way, but there was not much to see here, because the glacier arm is hanging high up in the mountain and its dangerous to go near it. One funny thing I read on one of the info plaques for the area, is that the Folgefonna glacier is actually increasing some places. For example the buildings on the Folgefonna glacier ski resort needs to be moved sooner or later, because the glacier is advancing towards the building. I have never heard that in MSM...

I wanted to go to the " Trolltunga", but the trail was covered with 1.5 meter of snow. I talked to some locals, they said it was way too early to go there now this year. They couldn't remember that this has happened before.

Should be green by now, and have thousands of sheep grazing

I have ridden several mountain passes up along the coast, and there is a lot of trees that's not even started to get green yet, and now the summer solstice is here. I made a short clip of my ride over the Brokke-Suleskard road. This area should have been green by now, and have thousands of sheep grazing.


Here's an article about the closed hiking trail:

Do you have plans to go on one of Norway's most popular hikes over Besseggen? You'll have to wait.

Boats cannot leave because of ice, and in the mountains there is still too much snow.

"I've never experienced anything like that," says Harald Øvstedal. "It's a meter or one and a half more than is usual.

"We lose financially that we do not get started on Saturday, but we just have to hope people come back later in the summer," says Øvstedal.

Last year Besseggen was named one of the 20 most exciting hikes by National Geographic magazine.