Estimated net time	5-6 hours
Difficulty	Some care is required along the narrow ridge after you have passed Rørsethornet. This section is not technically difficult, but some head for height is required.
Drinking water	The only sources of running water are from a couple of streams draining into lake Mørkevatnet when you're at the lowest point between Grøtet and Skåla.
GSM coverage	Coverage throughout the route, except in the lower section between Grøtet and Skåla (April 2011).
Parking	Room for 2-3 cars at trail head.
Start height	38 metres
Vertical metres	1210 metres for the roundtrip.
Trip distance	12.4 km
GPS-file	X
Map		Google Interactive Map
Route photo	Parking and trail head at Vågsmyran.   Approximate route from Rørsethornet to Ræstadhornet.   Route up Grøtet's west slopes.   Route up Skåla's east slopes.

From Ålesund drive road E39 towards Åndalsnes. Turn left onto road 661 towards Tennfjord/Vatne/Brattvåg at Digerneset and continue 8.7 km until you get to the intersection of roads 661 and 659 at Eidet (by Tennfjord). There is a toll booth 1.6km after leaving road E39 (NOK 30, April 2011). At the Eidet intersection turn left on road 659, and follow this road to Brattvåg. In Brattvåg drive through the village centre and turn right towards the ferry port (signs for "Dryna" and "Fjørtoft"). Get the ferry across to Dryna (this ferry doesn't run very often, so it's best to check the time tables).

At Dryna turn right off the ferry and drive 4.9 km on road 668. Turn right in the T-junction, following signs for Ramsvik. Follow this road 5.0 km and turn right onto road 668. From here follow road 668 9.2 km and park on the left hand side of the road where something that looks like a rough gravel road runs parallel to the main road for a few tens of metres. On the right hand side of the road you will see an old wooden sign for Rørsethornet. Park on the left hand side of the road.

Cross the road and follow the path that runs towards the left (north) of the two ridges that comes down from Rørsethornet. This path, which is a little steep in places, will take you all the way to the distinct top Rørsethornet. From the summit, which is marked by a cairn and has a registration book, continue along the ridge. The first part of this ridge has a slightly exposed section, where you will need to use your hands. But these sections are not difficult. The ridge soon gets wider, and offers easy walking. You can see Ræstadhornet's summit cairn towards east, and you get there by either staying along the edge or cut across where you find it best. The path slowly fades away.

From the summit cairn at Ræstadhornet head south towards Grøtet. As you start the steep descent down to the saddle between Ræstadhornet and Grøtet you will find a fine path close to the edge on your left hand side. This path stays clear of the boulder. As you start your climb up from the saddle the path slowly gets vaguer, but this causes no problem. Just make sure you stay left of the boulder. When you get close to the summit turn right (south) and walk across to the summit, which is marked by a small cairn.

From Grøtet head directly south, down towards the saddle between Grøtet and Oppstadhornet. When you get down to approximately 550 metres you will see a small lake to your right. Turn right (west) here and pass the lake on its right (north) side. Then continue down into the valley where the stream down to Mørkevatnet runs. Cross the stream where you find it most convenient, but make sure you don't loose too much height. But be prepared to descend down to 400 metres (the lake Mørkevatnet is at 303 metres), and even lower if there is still snow, before you traverse towards the east slopes of Skåla, and then find your best route up to Skåla's summit. Note that the highest point on Skåla is the southern point.

From Skåla head north-west, and you should be able to find a path running down the north-western shoulder of Skåla. Follow this path down to approximately 300 metres, just before you get to a larger flat section, and then turn right in a direct route towards trail head. The upper part of this route is relatively easy to hike, but when you get further down you have to pass a short section of bush and trees. Aim for a wooden bridge you see next to a wooden building. When you get down to the bridge turn left onto the gravel road, which you follow west towards road 668. Turn right when you meet road 669, and walk the 600 metres back to the trail head.

29. April 2011

I arrived home from Finland this Friday afternoon, and after a quick pit stop at home I headed for the Brattvåg-Dryna ferry. A little after 5pm I was ready to start my hike, on a fabulous afternoon.

The ridge walk across Rørsethornet, combined with the fine appearance of this top when approached from west, was a real highlight, but it also made the rest of the hike appear pretty dull.

My plan was to catch the 20:55 ferry back to Brattvåg, but I knew already before I started the hike that this would be pushing it if I was going to take photos and enjoy the fine views. So I ended up making the most of the hike all the way to Skåla, and from then on I tried to rush it. As I started my descent from Skåla I knew I was late, but got Elisabeth to text me the direct phone number for the ferry, so that I could call them when I got down to the car and knew how late I would be. But as it turned out I would have been at least ten minutes late, and when the ferry confirmed they were according to time tables I stopped any though of setting new records for the Rakvåg-Dryna stretch, and instead stopped at Midsund for a burger and a Coke. Hence arriving Dryna with a little more than 90 minutes to spare for the next (and last of the day) ferry. I was actually reasonably well prepared for this, and had brought my laptop, but this is where the good planning stopped since I had almost no battery power left, and had to settle for a boring hour waiting for the ferry.
Photos 29.04.2011