Moments and Magic: Helgehornet Calls

Summer has always been my favorite time of the year. I love the sunshine and all the colors that come with it. The flowers are in full bloom, trees are standing tall, and pasture is alive with activity. The best part of the season is the fine weather that allows for outdoor activities like mountain climbing.

To end the spring semester, my Norwegian language class decided to trek to Helgehornet, a 623-meter high mountain located between Ørstafjorden and Voldafjorden. The class assembled at the school grounds to make sure everyone was accounted for before driving down to the “skytebane”, Norwegian word for “shooting range”, at the foot of Helgehornet. Helgehornet is totally covered in snow during the winter and the more daring of souls ski their way up. In the summer, it is an easy climb, even for non-climbers like many of my classmates were! The terrain gradually goes up, and the way is paved with tiny, pretty mountain flowers too hard to resist taking pictures of. I must confess I enjoyed this summer climb more than that which the hubby and I took towards the beginning of spring when Helgehornet’s mountain floor was colorless and simply white with snow.

The expedition got a little more daunting towards the top as one had to literally crawl up through huge rocks. There’s no giving up at this point as the goal is not too far away!

I reached the top in about an hour and a half as I had to stop many times to take photographs of the blooms along the way. My friends had time to enjoy their packed lunch, take lots of photos of themselves against the beautiful Ørsta background while they waited for me. Once I got to Helgehonet’s summit, they were ready to trek down! I just had some minutes to regain my energy, take more photographs of the mountain range surrounding Ørsta and the obligatory we’ve-been-there-class-picture!

We made it!

I must admit I was one tired creature after this short journey. I was bed-bound for twelve hours but after viewing the breathtaking photographs on my laptop, boy, was I more determined to prep myself up when nature calls!