Day 12: Mo i Rana to Svartisen
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Pim van Pelt
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title: 'Day 12: Mo i Rana, hiking to Østre Svartisen'
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date: 2022-09-05T16:38:08+02:00
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Tags: []
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Categories: []
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---
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## Our trip today
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{{< image src="/img/day12/map.png" width="300px" float="right" >}}
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We arrived at _Mo i Rana_ yesterday night and we checked in to a cheap hotel called _Svartisen Hotel_, it's unmanned which means we had to
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go get our room key down the street in the _Ole Tobias_ hotel (a Best Western). Because we had a particular hike in mind, we kind of knew that
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we weren't going to be able to make it and leave on the same day, so we do some math and decide that we can afford to stay an extra night in _Mo i Rana_. I
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had paid EUR 63,- for the hotel, which really has a totally acceptable room (albeit with no service). When Paul paid for the second night
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directly at the hotel, he paid EUR 53,- which made our day. We slept well.
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Today, we got up at 07:30 because we knew that we needed to forrage a little bit
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for our breakfast (it's not served in the hotel, but there is a mess hall and kitchen we felt free to use). The store opened at 08:00 sharp
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so we marched in, got some edibles, including a nice sliced bread and I insisted to get Nescafe _oploskoffie_ which I used to hate but for
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some reason has grown on me. I missed my orange juice up in the Lofoten, so I got a pack of that, too.
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{{< image src="/img/thumbnails/2022-09-05/IMG_5348.jpg" width="400px" float="right" >}}
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Back at the hotel, we went to the basement room with about 50 chairs or so, all completely empty, breadbaskets left out unused, and the room
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was unlit. But it did not stop us, and we proceded to have a wonderful breakfast for two. I saw in the kitchen that there were pots and pans
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so I was briefly bummed out because we could've (should've!) boiled some eggs, but to my surprise, Paul conjured up two hard-boiled
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eggs from yesterday. Such a smart fellow!
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Just before 9am we hopped in the car, and I noticed that Tessa refused to present the door-handle for the driver's seat. The door does open
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and close, but I guess we'll have to limp along with that small downside from now on. We drive the car to _Svartisen Rana_, some form of
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cabin at the South end of lake _Svartisvatnet_. It's currently unused, and there's two campervans there with folks fixing to start their
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day. We dash past and start our trek along the North shore of the lake.
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## Hiking Svartisvatnet to Svartisen
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{{< image src="/img/thumbnails/2022-09-05/IMG_5349.jpg" width="300px" float="right" >}}
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Online I had read some horror stories from folks complaining about the mud, matsch, zomp and other theatrical "Don't go there"-style
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warnings. But they all do say that after the _zomp_ comes a nice 3km hike to the glacier itself, and they kind of all recommend taking the
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boat from here to the North shore. We don't though, because either (a) we are manly men, who would not think twice to sit on some stinkin'
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boat, or (b) there is no service today. You pick.
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So off we go, alternating between the mud and matsch on the one hand, and the rocky shores on the other. We both much preferred the shores,
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the rocks have some mineral sediment on them, and when the sun dries it out it feels a little bit like the magnesium powder athletes put on
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their hands, it's very grippy and we do not slip and slide over the rocks at all. Every now and again, the rocks become hard to pass,
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because there's shrubs and trees sticking out trying to make our lives more ... interesting. So we scurry back onto the muddy path for a few
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hundred meters until we find a spot to go back to the shores. It's kind of fun: we oscillate between "Oh crap, this mud sucks" and we walk on
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the rocks. Then, 15 minutes later, "Oh crap, these trees suck" and off to the mud we go.
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{{< image src="/img/thumbnails/2022-09-05/IMG_5359.jpg" width="400px" float="right" >}}
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But then eventually, the roaring sound we've been hearing in the distance comes into focus for us. We turn the corner, and pop out of the
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woods like Jacks in the box, and all of the sudden we're at the Northern shore with a little boat dock, and the watch informs me that this
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is the 4km mark. Cool! We spend a few minutes at the dock resting our legs and eating a muesli bar; and then we get on our way to the part
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everyone keeps on saying is fun. They are not wrong!
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The walk up varies in landscape significantly from the muddy forest below. Here, clearly the glacier has smoothened the rocks considerably
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over the millenia when it was still sticking out this far. Now, the edges of this valley are smooth, and in the middle a reasonable white
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water is jetting down. Paul approaches it and I take a picture of him. Me? I'm a little bit less Gung Ho.
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## Østre Svartisen
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From here, the trail is clearly marked with cairns that have bright red stripes painted on the rocks, and it's 3.0km from the boat docks to
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the glacier. We make our way up there quickly, the terrain is relatively easy to cross. Then we round a corner, and there she is!
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{{< image src="/img/thumbnails/2022-09-05/IMG_5378.jpg" width="800px" >}}
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What a stunning view we are treated to, and with the Sun shining bright on the ice. Svartisen in Norwegian means black ice, but it's not
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dark or dirty at all. It's shimmering in all sorts of blues, whites, and it's massive. The picture even being a wide angle doesn't do it
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justice. This glacier is 370km2, and the tongue we're walking towards is named _Austerdalsisen_, in the eastern arm aptly called _Østre
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Svartisen_.
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{{< image src="/img/thumbnails/2022-09-05/IMG_5373.jpg" width="200px" float="right">}}
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We have lunch there, some Knäckebrot with Jarlsberg cheese (this tastes a bit , but not quite like Swiss Emmental). We goof off a little bit
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at the tippy of the glacier, we cannot resist making the Thumbwars [Tongue joke](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1NEKS4nfmk), to make it
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all official. And if you don't get that reference and had to click on the YouTube video, never mind then, we're off!
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## And back again!
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The hike back goes quicker somehow. Firstly, we chopped off 800m by beelining it from the glacier to the boat dock, we skip most of the
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round-about way getting there. Don't be fooled - this does not save us any time whatsoever, but we do feel like it gives the hike that extra
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little special touch. Back at the dock, we nom on some chocolate chip cookies, and Paul guilts me into eating all four (even though I was
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happy eating only two). He simply inhales his.
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{{< image src="/img/thumbnails/2022-09-05/IMG_7624.jpg" width="600px" float="right">}}
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After forcing ourselves and each other to get up from this overly comfy dock (for a brief moment we just wanted to stay "I guess we live
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here now!"-style), we hoof it in high gear back to the car. We only stop a few times to take some really nice overview panorams with our
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phones, as mostly we've seen this part already :-) We're making excellent tempo here, it's 4km back and we split them at 16m44s,
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16m46s, 16m22s, mostly because at this point it no longer matters if our shoes get muddy or our feet get dirty, and also we tend to walk
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much more on the rocks on the way back, and also, perhaps now that it's later in the afternoon, the weather has made some more of the
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wetness disappear? I dunno, but we are definitely back at the car lickety-split. We bumped into a couple + dog about 700m from the parking
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lot, and they asked us if we had went to the glacier and how far is it. We gave them our stats so far, and wished them a nice hike. They're
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definitely out and about late, as it's already nearing 16:00 and we have 4h48min of hiking time plus of course a good hour of hanging out at
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the glacier and boat docks combined. If they do that too, they'll be back at like 9pm or so! But not us, we reach Tessa at 15:22 and that's
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it. Job well done. A truly memorable experience!
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## What's next?
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Tomorrow we check out of our _Svartisen Hotel_ in _Mo i Rana_, and we'll drive down south a little bit trying to split the distance to
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Jotunheimen in two. We figure that driving the larger half first to _Trondheim_ makes sense, so that the next day we have only a short trip
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to _Gjendesheim_.
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{{< image src="/img/thumbnails/2022-09-05/IMG_5430.jpg" width="400px" float="right">}}
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Paul found us a nice restaurant called _No.3_ just across the **real** hotel where we checked in, about 800m walk from ours. We had the same
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meal: cheeseplate as a starter and 500g T-Bone steak as a mains. I took a bottle of tempranillo because, as one convinces themself, after
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hiking 2200kCal, surely one can eat 3000kCal in one meal?
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At dinner, I found a great hotel with a swimmingpool at dinner, but unfortunately I typed the date of today not tomorrow, and tomorrow
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it's not available. Well, we find a more expensive hotel, because why not, smack in the middle of town, so I guess tomorrow evening is sight
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seeing in _Trondheim_ (a thing that I am actually already looking forward to, even though my legs at end of the moment are not). We charge
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the car to 361km, which is more than enough to land us to one intermediate charging point tomorrow, and then on to _Trondheim_. I have a
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chuckle as Paul stumbles out of the car (legs objecting vehemently) to unplug the charger. This happens to me all the time! Back at the
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hotel, not many words are spoken. We both fall asleep and snooze like a log.
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It was a big and beautiful day.
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## Pictures of the Day
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{{< gallery-category >}}
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{{< gallery-photo fn="2022-09-05/IMG_5348.jpg" caption="Breakfast was missing, so we fixed the glitch">}}
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{{< gallery-photo fn="2022-09-05/IMG_5349.jpg" caption="The rocky shores of lake Svartisvatnet">}}
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{{< gallery-photo fn="2022-09-05/IMG_5352.jpg" caption="Paul trodding throuhg the mud on the way to Svartisen">}}
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{{< gallery-photo fn="2022-09-05/IMG_7619.jpg" caption="Pim is making his way up the shores of Svartisvatnet">}}
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{{< gallery-photo fn="2022-09-05/IMG_5355.jpg" caption="Dual-0.5-Selfie, Pim's shot">}}
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{{< gallery-photo fn="2022-09-05/IMG_7621.jpg" caption="Dual-0.5-Selfie, Paul's shot">}}
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{{< gallery-photo fn="2022-09-05/IMG_5356.jpg" caption="A relaxing moment with our feet over the lake">}}
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{{< gallery-photo fn="2022-09-05/IMG_5359.jpg" caption="Paul at the whitewater coming from Svartisen">}}
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{{< gallery-photo fn="2022-09-05/IMG_7634.jpg" caption="0.5-Selfie of Paul at the whitewater coming from Svartisen">}}
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{{< gallery-photo fn="2022-09-05/IMG_5364.jpg" caption="The glacier tongue of Østre Svartisen">}}
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{{< gallery-photo fn="2022-09-05/IMG_5365.jpg" caption="Paul at an oddly shaped Flat Stone (which Pim's mom would love, we're sure)">}}
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{{< gallery-photo fn="2022-09-05/IMG_7641.jpg" caption="Paul makes contact with Østre Svartisen">}}
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{{< gallery-photo fn="2022-09-05/IMG_5369.jpg" caption="Pim makes contact with Østre Svartisen">}}
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{{< gallery-photo fn="2022-09-05/IMG_5373.jpg" caption="'Touch your tongue to mine', © Thumbwars">}}
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{{< gallery-photo fn="2022-09-05/IMG_5374.jpg" caption="Paul and Pim are happy they made it to Østre Svartisen">}}
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{{< gallery-photo fn="2022-09-05/IMG_5377.jpg" caption="The lat/long at this arm of Østre Svartisen September 2022: <br />N 66.51881 E 14.09317">}}
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{{< gallery-photo fn="2022-09-05/IMG_5378.jpg" caption="Overview shot of Østre Svartisen">}}
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{{< gallery-photo fn="2022-09-05/IMG_5380.jpg" caption="An overview shot of the smelting water lakes">}}
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{{< gallery-photo fn="2022-09-05/IMG_7651.jpg" caption="Beautiful weather - overview shot of the smelting water lakes">}}
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{{< gallery-photo fn="2022-09-05/IMG_5381.jpg" caption="Pim is enjoying the Sun on the way down">}}
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{{< gallery-photo fn="2022-09-05/IMG_7624.jpg" caption="Overview shot of the Northern shore boat dock (which we did not use)">}}
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{{< gallery-photo fn="2022-09-05/IMG_5382.jpg" caption="Svartisvatnet seen from the North">}}
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{{< gallery-photo fn="2022-09-05/IMG_5384.jpg" caption="Pim and Paul are reunited with Tessa">}}
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{{< gallery-photo fn="2022-09-05/IMG_5430.jpg" caption="We feast on T-Bone Steak in Norway (kashingggg!!)">}}
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{{< gallery-photo fn="2022-09-05/IMG_5434.jpg" caption="Pim spots an (almost) gramatically correct German joke">}}
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{{< gallery-photo fn="2022-09-05/IMG_5435.jpg" caption="Tessa has a bit of privacy at the Mo i Rana supercharger">}}
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{{< /gallery-category >}}
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{{< gallery-modal >}}
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{{< gallery-script >}}
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