Let me introduce you to one of the most beautiful parts of my country: the High Coast.
During the last ice age the immense weight of the ice sheet crushed the land under it, pushing it ever down, deforming the very crust of the Earth. Apparently though, our planet’s surface is more elastic than you might think, so as soon as the ice melted the land started rebounding.
What makes the High Coast special is how extreme the uplift is. Since the last ice age this particular coastline has risen 300 m (984 f), the highest post-glacial rebound in the world. Even today the land is rising about 1 cm (0,4 inches) a year, which is incredibly fast.
As a nice side effect, this has created a pretty cool landscape with lots of hills and cliffs, making the High Coast a popular destination for outdoorsy tourists – and for me and Markus.
Markus grew up in this area, and his parents still live here (this may or may not have slightly increased my attraction to him when we first met, haha! ;) ) so we come here a few times a year.
This summer we spent a couple of days visiting Markus’s parents in mid-July. As usual we met friends and family, ate some nice food, and generally just had a good time. We also climbed a mountain.
Skule mountain
This is Skule mountain, one of the most well-known landmarks of the High Coast. The steep rocky side makes it popular among rock climbers, and near the top is a cave with stalactites and stalagmites.
I have drove past it many times but never actually gone up there, until now! Me and Markus climbed all the way to the top! :D
There are several ways to get to the top. The most hardcore would be to climb the bare rock, Cliffhanger style – or you can be lazy and take the electric ropeway going up the back. We decided to take the hiking path.
It was supposed to take about 40 min, and it did take that long, but calling it “hiking” was a bit misleading.
It was STEEP and required way more climbing than walking. Some parts was just nearly vertical stone, thankfully with some flimsy-looking stairs nailed into it. I had to use my arms just as much as my legs, trying to channel as much of my ape ancestry as possible while sweating rivers.
Thank god I’m not afraid of heights, haha!
My legs were basically jelly when we got to the top, but it was definitely worth the effort. It was a bright and sunny day and the view was gorgeous!
We took another route down though. There was a second hiking trail going a much longer, but also much less steep, way around the mountain. In all honesty, I don’t think I would’ve had the strength to climb down the way we came up…
We also skipped the cave, but that only gives me an excuse to come back and challenge the mountain again. Perhaps an adventure for next summer? :)
That’s interesting how the land rebounds and is still rising! I really love the first photo. The landscape is so beautiful :D The hike up sounds intense, but at least the view was worth it!
Wow, what an absolutely gorgeous area! Sounds like an amazing climb!
Damn, would have loved to hear about the cave. But I love that you hiked all the way to the top. What a feat. I actually love hiking and walking through bushes and vegetation like this. It gets tiring but the views are often very rewarding, like yours. I am reminded of the time Nick and I went to Indonesia and started hiking up a mountain, but we were not prepared since we only stumbled upon it. We went as far as we could but it was more like climbing at some point, and it felt a bit dangerous so we just walked back.
Totally beautiful view with the lake, though :)
Wow, that looks like such an amazing place to be. Even though it would have taken a lot of effort, so worth it. :D
Oh my gosh, so gorgeous! My legs would have been jelly by the end too, but it looks like it was totally worth the trek! Lovely photos and I can’t wait to see more<3
Wow, you are so brave! I don’t think I would have gone near that mountain with a 10 foot pole. LOL. It definitely has an absolutely stunning view, however. WOW. I hope you do end up going back and doing the caves and just experiencing the whole thing over again.
Wow, that is beautiful. Hiking all the way to the top, it must’ve been some work to do. But you made it and judging by the view from up there it was worth it. I guess you have to work hard for beautiful things <3
I’m so jealous! I wish I could still hike. I loved it so much.
I’ve never been that far north in Sweden yet, but it’s definitely on my list! Actually, I might want to go even further and see the northern lights. O:)