June 25, 2023
Astbygdi --> Sauland
Conquering the zombie hill
I started off the day by waking up at the Sandviken campground I had stayed at. The shade of some nearby trees kept the sun off my tent until about 7:30, so I enjoyed some decent sleep. I spent an hour or so using the campground wifi to update my blog and organize my photos and videos.
By the time I got my things together and hit the road it was close to 11:30 (I was not in a rush). I started biking along the lake, and enjoyed the relatively flat road. After riding a few kilometers, I realized I was in need of a lunch stop. I stopped at a grocery store in Atrå and got a roast beef sandwich, a package of grapes, and a giant pizza roll thing. This ran me about 140NOK, and was delicious and filling.
I didn't even bother locking my bike because there were several expensive road bikes leaned up out front unlocked. This was a popular road bike route, and a popular stop along the route. While I was outside the grocery store ungraciously scarfing down my food, another cyclist approached me. He was just doing a weekend trip with his wife, a loop from Rjukan. He seemed suprised that an American came all the way to Norway to ride a bike.
He departed with his wife, and I finished eating my food. I then approached two other cyclists outside the store and asked them where they were coming from: "Kongsberg" they responded: the same city I had been in two nights prior. They had taken the easier/shorter route bypassing Vegglifjell. We then chatted about our route, we realized we were both aiming to climb the "Zombie Hill" from Rjukan to Gaustatoppen. This hill averages 10% (with sections up to 15%), and climbs roughly 3500 feet. This hill is one of the toghest road climbs in Norway according to PJAMM. The road earned its name by being a part of the Norwegian Iron Man race. Contestants must run up the zombie hill as the final leg of the race. Anyway, these guys looked faster than me, so I said I would see them down the road as I left.
As I passed the town of Miland, the summit of Gaustatoppen came into view around a bend in the valley. It stood towering thousands of feet over me, still snow capped in June.
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1 year ago
At the foot of the climb there was a sign marked "Zombie Hill". I knew it was game on. I continued at a measured pace. I knew I had to keep things aerobic if I wanted to do the climb with minimal breaks. As soon as my legs started burning I would shift down a gear or stand up out of the saddle.
I managed to do the whole climb with only two stops, which I attribute more to overheating than to overexertion. We were in the midst of a Norwegian heat wave, with a forcast high was 82F, and high humidity. I was dripping sweat the whole time.
As I climbed higher, the trees became shorter and more spindly, and the air became cooler and drier (a welcome relief). By the time I made it to the Guastabanen (cog train) parking lot we were in the alpine, with patches of snow still dotting the landscape.
The Gaustabanen is a cog train built inside a tunnel in Gaustatoppen. It was originally a military installment by the Americans, a way to service the radio tower at the top of the mountain. The radio tower still stands today, but it is also a tourist attraction. Gaustatoppen's claim to fame is that is has one of the best unobstructed views in Norway. It's high geographic promenince means you can see over 1/6 of Norway's land area on a clear day. I wanted to experience this view, so I shelled out 490NOK for a round trip cog train ticket.
Boarding the cog train felt like I was getting on a Disney land ride, except it was actually real. It was refregirator temperature inside the mountain tunnel, and water was dripping from the celieng.
Our cog train cranked along for about 10 minutes, spitting us out near the summit of Gaustatoppen. I was the only person on the cog train going up, and the conductor struck up a conversation with me. After finding out I was from California, he seemed concerned about the amount of sharks in our ocean. I told him stingrays are a much more likley threat while surfing. We continued to chat about the university systems in the US and Norway, as he was still a student.
After walking out of the tunnel entrance, I was greeted by a quite expansive view. It was a little hazy because of the high humidity, but otherwise clear with minimal clouds.
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1 year ago
There is a restaurant and gift shop hut near the summit, where I bought a Gaustatoppen special brewed Pilsner, a low-effort summit beer. Walking up to the foot of the radio tower gives the most expansive view. High plateaus cut by deep glacal valleys stretched as far as the eye could see.
After soaking in the view for a few minutes, it was time to head down before the last cog train descended at 5:00pm. After taking the cog train down, I hopped back on my bike. It was almost all downhill to my final destination for the night.
Along the descent, I spotted a double track side road that appeared to go toward the Skogsåi river. It dead ended at a perfect swimming hole. I jumped in as it was still quite warm out, before continuing my descent to Sauland.
Today's ride: 45 miles (72 km)
Total: 217 miles (349 km)
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