These Are The Days | A MASSIV Trail Documentary: 350 km solo thru-hiking in Norway
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- Опубліковано 21 гру 2020
- In August 2020, I set out to solo thru-hike the MASSIV trail in Norway; a 350 km. long-distance hiking trail that took me through four of Norways most pristine national parks and areas: Breheimen, Jotunheimen, Skarvheimen and Hardangervidda. A beautiful, raw and overall majestic experience that I can only recommend to those who are dreaming of going on a thru-hike.
For information on the MASSIV trail (in Norwegian):
massiv.dnt.no/
ut.no/turforslag/2.14738
or write me/comment the video, and I'll be happy to answer whatever questions you may have.
To New Adventures,
Mikkel "Biz" Mandrup Fogt.
Inspired by your video, I went to Norway and managed to finish the MASSIV in August 2022. It was my first thru-hiking and also my first time in Norway. Everything was amazing and too good to be true. I have learnt a lot and met lots of new friends along the trail who I still keep contact with till today. Hiking on the MASSIV is simply the best time in my life. In fact, I have been planning on doing other thru-hiking trips in the near future! Thank you for the video and inspirations, you have changed my life completely :) Hopefully one day we may see each other on the trail!
Best wishes from Hong Kong!
Hey man, thank you so much! This made me really happy to hear. I’m glad you had an amazing experience on trail. Best of luck on your coming hikes!
To New Adventures,
Biz
Thank you for a beautiful video Mikkel! This video in particular inspired me to try this hike (my first ever of this type of distance) :) The initial thought was to try and push my body over several days surrounded by the beautiful scenery these national parks have to offer. Happy to say i completed this stunning journey in JUST under 7 days. Could honestly not be any happier with both the performance as well as the accomondation and service at the DNT cabins!!:)
For those interested: I started the trip in the very start of June 2023. Still quite a lot of snow on route, but no need for snowshoes I found - though be careful when crossing snowbridges and take every precaution. Just be vary that the speed you will be able to maintain in the 4 different national parks, differs greatly. Mostly affected by the ascents/descents and the terrain. Almost twice the speed were carried through on Hardangervidda versus Breheimen/Skarvheimen for my part. Jotunheimen falls somewhere in the middle there.
I hiked with a backpack weighing 21 kg (46.3 lbs) for those wondering.
If i can offer any advice it would be:
1. Make up your mind in beforehand about what you want to achieve during this/any trip. This will make the MASSIV trail that much enjoyable as you go!
2. Bring two different type of shoes! At least for 80% of the journey from Breheimen up to (and including) Skarvheimen, some robust, waterproof hiking boots will be necessary. Not only for ankle support to prevent injury, but also for improved grip on slippery surfaces as well as crossing bigger streams, to avoid soaking wet feet.
The second light pair will come very much in handy over various stages of the trip, especially the Hardangervidda, where they will offer some great relief and variation for your stride. The extra weight was 100% worth it I found.
3. Enjoy every aspect of the trip! I found the weather to be ever changing, so to have an open mind and just enjoy whatever these parks throw at you will be highly benefital :)
My route: (difficulty)
Day 1: Sota Sæter - Nørstedalseter 24 km (2/5)
Day 2: Nørstedalseter - Skogadalsbøen: 54 km (3/5)
Day 3: Skogadalsbøen - Sletningsbu: 46,5 km (3/5)
Day 4: Sletningsbu - Bjordalsbu 48,5 km (4/5) - maybe bit affected by HORRIBLE weather ;)
Day 5: Bjordalsbu - Finsehytta 61 km (4/5)
Day 6: Finsehytta - Stigstuv 44 km (1/5)
Day 7: Stigstuv - Haukeliseter 85 km (5/5) - mostly because of distance - terrain, for the most part, was quite easy going
You could also do a resupply at Finse, you could take a train to Geilo where they have all sorts of shops. and back again the same day.
Great tip! :)
Stunning!
Really great and inspiring video - That trail I will need to do!
Beautiful way of telling a story Mikkel. 'twas a great hike. watching from Norway
Mange tak. Can't wait to re-visit your beautiful country. Hopefully sooner than later :)
Amazing, man! Really appreciate that it's just you recording. Gives it a special, raw touch.
Looking forward to seeing the next mini-doc 😍
Thanks, brother, much appreciated! Merry Christmas!
Really nice video and thanks for bringing this trek to my mind... and now on my list 😃
You won't regret it! Thanks a lot, Daniel, and Merry Christmas!
Amazing well done!! 👏👏👏
Appreciate this!
beautiful video, thank you for sharing such beautiful scenarios and inspiring others like me to go for a walk and work with the mental anxiety problems that we suffer from. thank you, thank you very much. a big hug from Puerto Rico 🇵🇷 thank you 👍
Much love from Scandinavia, man. Appreciate all of your kind words and can only back up what you're saying. Long walks are definitely good for the mind and soul.
Beautiful video, thanks for sharing! Was doing a roadtrip earlier this year in Norway, and would love to go back next year for some longer multi-day hikes 🤗
awesome video & a great looking trail.. cheers for the tips on resupply
thanks glad you liked it - can highly recommend it, amazing trail for a 2-3 week hike.
Godt arbejde med både vandring, videografi og fortælling! Meget inspirerende 💪. Får lyst til selv at vandre ruten!
Tusinde tak, Peter, det er jeg super glad for at høre. Som sagt, kan den kun anbefales - en stor oplevelse!
Nice hiking diary. Makes me wanna plan a hike.
Thank you, Camilla! :)
Definitely inspiring to do the Massiv in one stretch in the future!
You won't regret it!
Nice one my friend, I'm not jealous at all 😂 Thanks for showing!
Haha, thanks, Brian. Merry Christmas, friend. Looking forward to hiking with you in 2021!
Just found out about this trail and I'm grateful for it. I too finished the PCT a few years back now and have felt empty about all of this. I really need another adventure, in two weeks I will go to Kungsleden but I think maybe the next one will be this one considering it's just a few hours away. :)
Cheers!
Virkelig skøn trail doc at få fornøjelsen af at se! :-)
Tusinde tak, Julie! Fornøjelsen er på min side :-D
Doing Kungsleden this summer and PCT next year. Lovely video, thanks 😊👍🏻
exciting plans! best of luck :)
- biz
Wow amazing, im definitely checking this out! I was planning on doing the Kungsleden next year but this has got me thinking!
Subbed 🤙🏻
Thanks, man, much appreciated! MASSIV is an awesome trail!
Interesting that you did the PCT and then went on to Massiv. I searched for this video as I am planning to do the PCB and thought Massiv would be a good trainkng and test for it
Excellent! Hope to see you walking (and filming) across Norway NOBO or SOBO for your next visitt :)
I hope so too! My next big hike will hopefully be further away, but hiking Norway from top to bottom is definitely also a dream of mine :) thanks for watching
@@wildstraybymikkelbizmandru5793 Looking forward to further-away hikes as well :)
Mikkel, awesome. Maybe we will cross ways on the trail some day 👍
Morten! Thanks a lot, man!
and yes, you never know!
Love your video! Could you share which of the stages are potential exit points? Is it only Fondsbu and Finse? Or are there other stages where one could potentially exit the trail by car / bus / train? Thank you!
This is seriously impressive! Some of the shots of the scenery looked spectacular, looks like an incredible hike. I'm going to have a look at this trail! Did you go Northbound or Southbound?
Thank you so, so much. Means a lot. MASSIV is quite amazing, gotta be honest, it surprised me. I went southbound. You can see my (almost) daily journals if you scroll a little back on my Instagram: instagram.com/wildstray_hikes/
Fabulous video. Some questions.
1. Did you have to take the glacier eccursion to do the tour? I don't know if they're available now? How expensive?
2.how was resupplying? I think the self service huts require advance reservation and the others have limited service. Did you use them for food? How many resupply points are there? How much of a walk to and back?
3. When did you go? Early summer?
An awesome adventure and an entertaining video, thank you! I'd like to know how did you do the glacier crossing?
As far as I am aware, they do the guided crossing every day around 11 or 12. I phoned Sognefjellshytta and booked my spot on the day i anticipated to cross the glacier: www.sognefjellet.no/
There's also a route that goes through the valley if the glacier crossing somehow doesn't work out for one.
@@wildstraybymikkelbizmandru5793 thanks!
@@Lobomobile sure, no problem :)
Thanks a lot for sharing your experience along the trail 😊
Could you tell me roughly which date you started your hike at the northern terminus? I think I read that a good time is end of July to beginning of September. But would be nice to get an idea how it looks like based on your video 😁
Hey, I started the trail on August 3rd! Was a really nice time to hike the trail, I think I was fortunate enough to have a bit of lucky weather window, but yeah, I think those months are probably the best time to go!
What a nice documentary! Amazing trail, great filming. I'd love to do this trail in the future. Can you give any recommendations about what clothing to bring? I've never hiked in Norway, my trekking setup is based on the weather conditions of the french alps, I try to be as ultralight as possible, but don't want to take any risks of being too cold or wet,...seems like you need good rain stuff and isolation, right? Thx!
Really depends on when you go, but the gear you use for the alps, should be pretty good for Norway as well, at least during summer! :) A good shell layer (jacket + pants), warm fleece or puffy, long johns and long wool shirt, then you're definitely good to go!
I have a pack list on my Instagram @wildstray_hikes for the Norway hike :)
@@wildstraybymikkelbizmandru5793 Finished my Massiv Trail last week, awesome hike, thanks for the inspiration and your gear recommendations. I did it northbound and couldn't do the last 2 days (Nordalesaeter and Sota Saeter) because of exceptional bad weather (worst flooding in 25 years) but apart from that it was absolutely awesome!
Amazing film, thank you for sharing. If you could only do half of this trail, what half would you choose?
Hi Laura, Breheimen, & Jotunheimen are definetly the most spectactular and I'd pick that part, if I only had to do one. However, Skarvheimen was my favorite part due to the remoteness and vast beauty of the section. Hope this helps!
@@wildstraybymikkelbizmandru5793 Thanks so much, yes that really helps!
Great film! I'm so excited to thru-hike the Massiv-ttrail when I get the chance. Did you have a Lighter-pack list for this particular hike?
Also, how did it work, using a tarp? Did it get windy, or were it hard to find low-wind spots along the trail?
Hi Emelie :)
I have this lighterpack for my 2023 AT + CDT thru: lighterpack.com/r/ggcel4 not the same gear, but similar setup (less warmer gear for the MASSIV though).
It was actually a tarptent, Trekkertent Stealth, and it wasn't an issue with wind. Wouldn't know with a tarp though, but I'd imagine it'd be fine.
Hope you have a great hike :)
@@wildstraybymikkelbizmandru5793 Thank you so much!! Also, during these longer hikes, what do you use for navigation?
Hi, thank you so much for this superb video! I was wondering, since DNT states on their website that "sportshoes" are not allowed for the glacier crossing - did you get problems or was there any discussion? I will hike this route in August (most likely nobo) and am looking forward to it very much! :)
Hi Grei! There was no problem at all. Nobody questioned it. The crampons worked fine on my Altra Lone Peaks as well :)
@@wildstraybymikkelbizmandru5793 Great! Thank you very much!
@@wildstraybymikkelbizmandru5793 Hi, I enjoyed your video a lot and I hope to hike this trail too. I have another question about the glacier. How did you do it logistically? Did you just randomly join an organized group? Or did you plan this? How? And what about the crampons/harness...? I assume you didn't carry the equipment all the way...
Hi! Loved your vid. You inspired me to do this hike. Tomorrow I'am actually leaving to Norway to hike this trail. You brought a lot of food during your hike. Do you know if it's possible having diner in the cabins? Or do you have to carry food for at least 8 days?
It's possible to dine in the cabins, but from my experience, most cabins only offer dinner to guest that stay overnight / booked at stay in the cabins. I do not know if this was only a COVID-restriction, but I could imagine it's always like this, since they're often located quite remotely, so with transport of food, etc., I'd think they'd like to know how many ppl to serve. :)
Looks beautiful! I'm curious as to how frequent the river crossings were. Did you bring any wading shoes or sandals?
Very few actual river crossings as most rivers have well-constructed bridges (or bolted wooden planks) that allows you to cross!
What a cool video! Hiked the PCT in 2019 too and this trail looks awesome. What tent (tarp) and camera did you use?
Ah fellow 2019'er! How awesome, man! When did you hike the trail? I went March 15th - August 18th, NOBO.
I used a Trekkertent Stealth 1.5 DCF and my iPhone 7 for the MASSIV :)
I started April 19th and did the Sierras (it was crazy but also the best thig I will remember for the rest of my life), most of the peoples skipped it and hiked south.
One question regarding The Massiv. DId you use just the phone for navigation or is paper map necessary?
Hej Mikkel, vildt flot video - man får totalt lyst til at tage på tur igen! Hvor langt gik du ca om dagen? og hvordan gjorde du i forhold til strøm til kamera, tlf. osv. ?
Beautiful video! What are you listening to while on the trail?
Hey Sarah! Most of the time, I listen to podcasts or audio books, but also a decent amount of music when the going gets tough!
Hey dude, loved your video. Can you give a rough packing list? Im doing the exact trail in 2022.
Hey man, thanks a lot! Here's a gear shot before the trail: instagram.com/p/CDYx5M5lZ00/ Good luck on the trail. Shoot me a msg on Instagram if you have questions.
Great hike. At which time of the year did you hike? Looks cold.
August! Wasn't cold, just a lot of snow in the mountains this year!
I think I will do this next year :D
you will not regret! it's an awesome trail :)) - biz
Thank you for sharing! What was your total elevation gain and loss for the trek?
Hi Jenna, sorry, I am not a 100% sure, tbh. I didn't reallly have a elevation map for the trail, unfortunately. The official site doesn't really list it either :/ massiv.dnt.no/massiv-dag-for-dag/
Total elevation gain is estimated to be 10445m :)
Great video! Researching this hike myself, did you cross all glaciers wearing trail runners?
I only crossed a glacier at Fannaråk. The snow was good and compact, not slushy at all. Harness, robe and crampons were provided with the guided trip. I hiked the entired trail in trail runners but most people, however, wear boots.
@@wildstraybymikkelbizmandru5793 Hi! :) That means in order to pass it you bought an additional guided tour? The glacier is not on the route of the trail?
@@magdalenamendyka7223 I'm not sure whether it is required to have a guided tour across the glacier, it may be - but I heavily recommend it. You'll probably not carry glacier-crossing gear, i.e. spikes, harness, robe, etc., so it's definetly safer to cross with a guided tour. And as said, it might also be straigh-out required.
There's an option to walk an alternate down the valley and skip the glacier, but the glacier is on the official route.
Hi Mikkel, How did your tent work out on the trail? I have a stealth 1.5 myself and wondered if I should bring that. Thanks!
Hi Rob, my tent did really well for the trail. Had a couple of wet & windy night, but nothing that made me doubt bringing the Stealth was a good choice. I'd take the Stealth, if I were you. :)
@@wildstraybymikkelbizmandru5793 Thanks a lot! I will :)
Hi is it possible to contact you in order to get more first hand information about this trail?
Yes, you can contact me on Instagram at @wildstray_hikes (preferably) or via Facebook: facebook.com/wildstray
@@wildstraybymikkelbizmandru5793 Thanks,i plan to hike it next summer, did about 200 km on hardengervidda 1 year ago
So next one is Slowenien mountain trail? 😁🗻😅
I haven't checked that out yet, but will surely do now! Thanks! I have plans for long hikes in 2021 and there will be more thru-hiking films!
@@wildstraybymikkelbizmandru5793 awesome! I'd love to hike that one in 2021. Looking forward to more great videos of your thru hikes ☺️👍
Hi Mikkel, I tried to message you but your email returned. I have a question about your video. Can I contact you direct? Thanks!
Hi Solo, yes please contact me on mikkelmf@hotmail.com or by Instagram on @wildstray_hikes :)
@@wildstraybymikkelbizmandru5793 email sent. Thx!
Excellent video! Norway is on my list but not likely until 2023 or later. This looks like an excellent option. When did you hike it? I am assuming it would be best during the summer.
I hiked it in August, which was very pleasant. Trail is open all year, but for hiking, I think June - August is probably the best time, weather and terrain considered :) however, I am no expert. You can read more on english.dnt.no/
Sorry, would love to watch, but music is too intrusive.
That's alright :) some like it, some don't.