After a rest day turning into a white water rafting adventure on the Sjoa River, I set off from Otta on my second hike in Norway, in the Dovre and Rondane national parks. I was to start my 4-day hike in Dovre, a small national park situated between Rondane to the southeast, and Dovrefjell-Sunndalfjella to the north.

On day 2-4, the trail cut south through Rondane National Park, which is Norway’s oldest national park.

I chose Otta for my starting point, mainly for its location, being situated in the middle of Jotunheimen and Dover/Rondane national parks. Also, this small town is easily accessible from Oslo Gardemoen airport in three hours, on one of five direct, northbound trains departing Oslo every day.

From Otta, four trains leave daily for Hjerkinn, which was the starting point of my hike in Dovre. On the 50min ride, I spotted three moose trotting alongside the tracks. I had seen reindeer in Jotunheimen, but they didn’t compare to the impressive size of moose. These are the largest deer species, being strangely bulky, and having awkward faces, as well as the males’ broad, flat antlers.

There is bus transport from Hjerkinn to Hageseter hut and campsite, but on arrival at the bus terminal, I realized that only one bus a day leaves in that direction, and it travels early in the morning. As it was, I had no choice but to start my hike to Grimdalshytta four kilometers short of the trailhead at Hageseter.

Once on the proper trail, I was still somewhat disappointed by the scenery, that didn’t boast any of the fascinating lookouts and panoramic views, I was used to from my 6-day hike in Jotunheimen National Park. The rocky mountainscape in Jotunheimen had been rough and relentless.

However, it was only the Fell, a barren and hilly landscape above the tree line in Rondane that felt desolate. You either experienced the alpine tundra with its low vegetation consisting of lichens, grasses and moss, but with an absence of any impressive mountain scenery, or you felt the rain that set in after two hours. Possibly it was both that turned the Fell into an uncomfortable place to be, a miserable one even.

For hours the rain didn’t abate and neither did the wind, not for long at least, before another violent gust got ahold of my pack. The exposed high plateaus offered no protection from the elements. On that first day, surprisingly, the weather was the toughest part about this hike, not the trail itself. Unlike in Jotunheimen, no balancing-across-boulders-acts were asked of me. Until I met my last challenge for the day anyway, a steep scramble up and down the steep-sided walls of Nordre Tverrae River gorge.

When I finally arrived at Grimdahlshytta hut, located a hundred meters above the Grimse River, the wind and rain had stopped. Grass grew on the roof of the black timbered buildings, with blazing white window frames and chimneys of layered native stone. The setting was beautiful and I was surprised that there were only a few campervans and no other hikers to be seen.

Compared to Jotunheimen NP, the opening stretch of my hike in Dovre was very quiet. I met only two hikers all day, therefore solitude is definitely on the side of Dovre and Rondane National Park rather than Jotunheimen.