Day 6 in the Jotunheimen NP Circuit

Well, all good things come to an end and, so, is the final post about my 6-day hike in Jotunheimen National Park: from Memurubu to Gjendesheim.

Now, it is not my final hike in Norway for this trip but it wraps up exploring the beautiful and grandiose Jotunheimen. Jotunheimen is a park I had never heard of before until this trip entered the picture as a potential adventure. Grateful to my friend Troy for introducing me to this jewel of nature in Norway!

Should I stay or should I go?

On day 6 we were not only finishing the hike in Jotunheimen NP, but we were also going to leave the park altogether. We had an option to stay at Gjendesheim (again) that final day in the park but we had places to go! We were going to head to the Valdres valley and the small town of Røn. It did not make sense to get to Gjendesheim to spend a few hours and then drive a few hours the next day before our destination. We opted to make it to Gjendesheim and get on the road. It is not like Gjendesheim was Leirvassbu where I would not have minded an extra night! So the plans were to get to our car (in the long-term parking lot a mile from Gjendesheim) and hit the road.

But, first, let’s talk about leaving Memurubu

We had planned to leave Memurubu and take the Bessegen route to Gjendesheim, not an easy route but well-known as an epic route. However, the weather forecast called for high winds that day at lake level. Bessegen was both higher up and more exposed to the edges (not quite cliffs) and a wind gust would be a life-endangering situation. So we decided to take the lower level route lake-side. It was maybe not as fun and interesting as Bessegen but, under those conditions, smarter.

A relatively easy trail…

… but the trail did not lack challenges though. Bessegen may be left for homework (i.e., a return trip) but the lake-side route was not just a nicely groomed trail. Nothing is at JNP! The cool thing about Bessegen is that you don’t have to do a circuit to do it as there are ferries to Memurubu so it can be just a day hike for those not wanting to do a longer circuit.

The trail initially had some elevation gain before the trail returned lakeside.

Then the trail went through forested areas and included water crossings and rock beaches before the final approach to Gjendesheim.

Overall, it was about 6.5 miles. We did it in 4 hours, including stops, the longest one in a rock beach where we had our lunch. By this point, of course, my legs were tired, my feet sore and my Achilles heels letting themselves be known. But, it didn’t really matter. The circuit we had just completed was worth every pain, every sore spot, every chain segment, every early wakeup, etc. Approaching Gjendesheim was a welcome sight but, also, bittersweet as it meant having new experiences around Jotunheimen was coming to an end. At least, on this trip…

Missed the start? Go to Day 1 (Gjendesheim to Glittertind)

Or, go back to the prior day: Day 5! (Gjendebu to Memurubu)