Hall of the Mountain King

Amid the land of fjords and steep mountains lies the plateau of Rondane, the oldest national park in Norway, spanning around 963 square kilometers and boasting ten peaks above 2,000 meters. Its barren, wide-open landscape is uninhabited by man but is home to one of the last herds of wild reindeer in Europe. Nomadic hunter-gatherers would have wandered these areas some 3,500 years ago, and old tales will tell you that this is the home of trolls. We’re not here to trap wild reindeer or get surprised by three-headed monsters, though. We’re here to pedal our bikes along Rondane’s network of rugged hiking trails. Given the remote nature of the area, gravel roads are sparse to non-existent, and few connect with each other. Despite the occasional bout of hike-a-bike over rocky paths and across rivers in freezing temperatures and rain, the solitude and natural beauty we find is a breathtaking reward. Over the course of 30 hours, we traverse the Rondane plateau from top to bottom, West to East, and back again, piecing together 230 km of trail on an unforgettable overnight loop.

Written and photographed by Marius Nilsen