Breitinden (26.05.2013)
Written by hmsv1 (Hannah Vickers)
| Start point | Vasstrand |
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| Endpoint | Vasstrand |
| Characteristic | Hillwalk |
| Duration | 5h 00min |
| Distance | 9.0km |
| Map |
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| Ascents | Breitinden (843m) | 26.05.2013 |
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Today I met up with an old friend whom I knew from my first university walking club at Aberystwyth. Richard was passing through Tromsø this weekend on his way to Kilpisjarvi where he would be doing some work for 2 weeks, so it seemed like a good opportunity to take a hike together again for the first time in nearly 7 years! It was a warm and sunny Sunday and at first the plan was to go to Skamtinden, but since Richard had his dog Bryn with him it seemed like a better idea to take a hike that was a little less steep and exposed. Not that Bryn can’t scramble, but it was less to worry about with a more straightforward hike.
I suggested a trip up Breitinden, which lies at the western end of Kattfjord by Vasstrand. I first visited the mountain with my friend Kamila in the middle of the mørketid last year (see Breitinden (Kattfjord)), so today would be a complete contrast with the summer-type weather that was continuing in Tromsø……. I thought that we might expect to see some snow still higher up on the mountain, but when we arrived at Vasstrand and took a look up it was clear that winter hiking boots would not be necessary, and my crampons which I’d packed earlier could now be ditched from the rucksack. I really couldn’t get over how little snow there was. It seemed like the mountains had transformed from spring to summer in less than a week! Very confusing.
We started the hike at around 1pm and followed the river (Yttergårdselva) up towards Vasstrandmyran. It was a good path, dry and easy to follow all the way up through the forest, but it sort of disappeared once we were in the middle of the myrområdet. The ground was a mix of wet grass and annoyingly spiky low bushes, which we had to force our way through mainly because we decided to take a route straight up to the pass between Ryptinden and Breitinden. On reflection we could probably have avoided it by walking up and over Stortuva first.
Fortunately, once we finally got past the bushes, it was just walking and a bit of clambering over the rocks. Nice to be back on warm dry rock again! Since we were being typically British today, we decided to stop at the windiest place on the mountain i.e. the pass and drink tea there. On the other hand there were very pretty views over to Sessøya and Rekvik from the pass and the sea was a stunning bright blue colour today. Fortunately there was not actually so much wind when we sat behind one of the many large boulders, and it was actually possible to sit, eat and not have to put too many clothes on.
The pass was only at about 500 moh, so after we’d finished eating and drinking we continued on our way for the 843moh summit. It was quite easy and fun to find a route up amongst the rocks, and within an hour at quite a relaxed tempo (or maybe it was more) we were on the top, with more or less uninterrupted views across and down the whole length of Ersfjorden. It was just as fantastic to be standing up here now in the summer as it had been when we’d had the beautiful mørketid light (and pink moon) in the middle of winter. We had another long break at the summit, since it was warm and there was not much wind around. Bryn seemed to be having a very relaxed day by lying down and lapping up the sunshine at every opportunity.
Both Richard and I were a little skeptical about the way down the other side of the ridge since I remembered having to down-climb a few metres during the winter when there was a much thicker snow cover. This time it turned out to be a fun scramble down on dry rock. Instead of doing the scramble though, Richard managed to find a way around by not descending straight off the ridge from the top. I think it was peace of mind for him to not have to manouver Bryn down something a little more awkward. I met them down on the snow once I’d descended.
From where we first touched the snow on the east ridge, we had continuous excellent ‘hiking’ snow all the way down to Litleskaret, the pass between Breitinden and Styrmannen. This came as something of a surprise, since the huge snow field on the northern side of Breitinden was not at all visible from Vasstrandmyran on the southern side we ascended from. Fortunately the snow was so shallow and compacted that it was possible to run light-footedly down the snow without sinking, and it was a very easy way to save time and stress on the knees! Just a shame it didn’t last the whole way back down to Vasstrand.
After reaching the pass, it was a very gradual descent back over the myr, and gradually the snow disappeared and we were walking back on grass soon. It wasn’t all as tiresome as the route we took up since we’d managed to avoid the bushes and trees by keeping as high as possible before descending down to the path that went alongside the river. It was a good choice, and a much more pleasant way to finish the trip with lush evening light all the way back. The best thing about hiking early in the summer? It can be warm, dry and quite importantly - mosquito-free, even in the bushes and trees.
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