| Gastgiveren from
Kjerringåsen, via Stanghuset Gastgiveren |
| Estimated net time | 2-2½ hours |
| Difficulty | No difficulties. |
| Drinking water | No proper access to drinking water. |
| GSM coverage | Very poor coverage throughout most of the route. |
| Parking | Room for many cars at Kjerringåsen ski centre car park. |
| Start height | 90 metres. |
| Vertical metres | 350 metres for the roundtrip. |
| Trip distance | 9.6 km |
| GPS-file | X |
| Map |
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| Route photo |
From south-west end of lake Tunevannet get onto road 114, signed for Skiptvet. Follow this road for 12.4km, then turn left to "Kjerringåsen skisenter" and continue on this gravel road for about 1km to the ski centre. Find parking at the big car park.
Start walking up the main ski slope, to the top of the mountain Kjerringa. Slightly west of the highest point you will find signs. Follow the wide path leading to Harehjellhytta. After ~250 metres the wide path meets a forest road coming up from south. Continue on this forest road. After ~800 metres along this forest road there is another forest road forking off to the left (east), but ignore this. There is a wide path forking off to you left (south) 350 metres further south-west, signed Stanghuset. Ignore also this, and continue another 80 metres until you have a wide path going right (north-west). Get onto this path, and continue on this path for 750 metres until you get to Gastgiveren high-point.
The return is easiest done by returning the same way, but there are a number of other paths and forest roads leading back to Kjerringåsen ski centre.
I hadn't done any physical exercise since Monday and this was Sunday! The reason was that I had been stuck in bed with 'flu, and hadn't felt fit for anything but sleep and coughing.
On Friday night Njål and me went to Sarpsborg to help my mum empty the house of late aunt Aase. Saturday it was raining all day, and I was still not feeling fit enough for anything more physical than what was required to empty kitchen drawers and living room cupboards. But I did decide that on Sunday I was going to do something, whatever the cost.
When I woke up around seven on Sunday morning I noticed that it actually was a gorgeous day. I therefore quickly got changed into something suitable for an easy forest hike, had a couple of sandwiches, and hit the road around 07:30.
I found the Kjerringåsen ski centre without any problems (I had been there before, >30 years ago), parked the car, and headed up the alpine slopes that were covered by just enough artificial snow for allowing them to offer skiing that Sunday.
Around 30-40 vertical metres up the hill I was already struggling to breathe, even though my opening pace had been very modest. I slowed down even more, and told myself that "you don't want this to be your last hike for weeks". As I got to the top of Kjerringa, at 210 metres, I was past the warm up stage and was feeling a bit more comfortable. I was now able to increase the speed a little, and in the flatter areas I was able to do easy running. I was now feeling much better and decided to do a de-tour in the area before heading up to Gastgiveren, the main target of the day. I did a nice round, walking and easy running, in the flat area south-west of Kjerringa, before entering the path leading up to Gastgiveren.
From Gastgiveren I did the shortest route back to Kjerringa and back down to the car, feeling very happy that I was able to do some kind of physical activity again.