Autumn Adventures in Drammen!
View of Drammen from the mountains.
On Wednesday the sun was shining and the forests were beckoning. It actually was a pretty warm day (19C or around 66F), especially considering the prior week had been fairly cold (37F in the morning with a high of 52F for the day). Needless to say, I wasn't going to spend my day sitting inside.
Hiking along.
My friend and I took a train to Drammen which is just to the west of Oslo. Trains come every twenty minutes or so, and typically the ride takes about 35 minutes. We were a bit delayed because there is construction going on, so it actually took us closer to 45 minutes to arrive.
1.5km uphill to Gamledammen.
Once we arrived to the Drammen train station, we walked to the torg (square) and caught bus #3, getting off at Turheisen. This is where the adventure really began. Our main goal was to hike up Kjørterudjuvet, which is a gorge where there are different ladders and ropes. We asked a couple of Norwegians for directions and one pointed us to the trails.
The trek up to Gamledammen.
There were lots of hiking trails, so we ended up walking past the path we were supposed to take to Kjørterudjuvet. It was such a beautiful walk with all of the lovely leaves and pleasant weather, so we didn't mind going in the wrong direction. Eventually we returned to the place we thought the trail was at and began hiking up along the slope and side of the gorge, thinking eventually it would lead us to the right trail with the ladders and such.
Looking down at the gorge.
It was a long hike to the top, and the Norwegian who gave us directions passed us on his way down. He asked if we had gone to the gorge, which made us realize this wasn't the path we thought it was. We were already a good chunk of the way uphill, and he told us there was a nice lake at the top, so we hiked on, thinking we could go to the gorge after seeing the lake.
View of the gorge from above.
The hike was long, but I actually prefer walking uphill then downhill, so it was quite nice. Also, there were tons of blueberry plants along the paths. Most plants were bare, but I stopped wherever I could to pick the few blueberries I did see.
Gamledammen.
At the top, we were rewarded by beautiful views of the fall foliage around Gamledammen lake. There were a few other visitors having picnics around the lake, so we settled around a different side; resting and snacking too.
Photo-op in front of Gamledammen.
We arrived to the lake around 14:30 and after a short rest, did a little exploring around it before getting ready to make our way back down, in an attempt to yet again find the path to Kjørterudjuvet.
Bridge to an island in Gamledammen.
Gamledammen is essentially a man-made lake, formed by a dam which prevents too much water from flowing through the gorge. Virtually every river in Norway is dammed to produce hydroelectricity. In Gamledammen there was a little lake in the middle that one would have to swim or boat out to. There was also another island accessible by bridge.
A rainbow of foliage at Gamledammen.
I will feel so sad when all of the leaves are gone, because the colors are so stunning now.
One of the islands in Gamledammen Lake.
After exploring the top of the mountain, we were all set and ready to head back to the bottom. There were signs about being careful in the gorge and entering it at one's own risk, so we were curious to see if we could go down via Kjørterudjuvet. After a little bit of looking around for a path down along the rocks and stream, we found a dry place to walk and began our journey.
Gamledammen lake.
Goodbye Gamledammen, hello Kjørterudjuvet. We were very lucky we could get to Kjørterudjuvet from the lake, because time was running out to do what we originally came to.
The rocky side of the gorge of Kjørterudjuvet.
In the gorge, there was no real trail, just a steep and rocky landscape to navigate. The descent was slow-going; having to check for lose rocks and avoid running water in particular areas.
My friend repelling down in Kjørterudjuvet.
The first real "obstacle" we came to was a series of two ropes tied together to help us repel down the gorge. My friend went first; choosing a steeper and wetter path. I went last and crossed the water much higher, not getting wet at all.
The first ladder we came to on our descent.
Next, there was a ladder to help us descend. The ladder was really two metal ladders tied together, but it was a bit sketchy because one of the rungs was broken on it. Needless to say, I had one hand on the blue rope along the gorge's side, and one hand on the ladder in case things went wrong.
Navigating the rocky landscape down.
Later on, we came to a second and final ladder. This one was of welded metal and looked like it had been there for a long time and was designed to be there. It was also much sturdier and less scary to go down.
View of the water which runs out from the gorge.
Overall, I think we had an advantage going down the gorge, and was very glad that we were able to see Kjørterudjuvet after all, because I was beginning to think we wouldn't have the time. We were also fortunate, because we finished around 18:00 when the sun was beginning to set, making it difficult to see inside the gorge.
Sun setting over the hillside.
We briefly stopped to take some photos of the setting sun on the trees in the forest and then hiked back down to the bus stop to head into the city.
Hiking in Drammen.
The bus ride back towards the center of Drammen took about fifteen minutes. It felt nice to get to sit for a bit since we'd been on the go for many hours. Since it was still a nice day I wanted to try to do a little bit of sightseeing around the city center before heading home.
Fall leaves near Turheisen bus stop.
The sun was setting fast so we decided to get off at a stop near one of the bridges we had seen on our bus ride in the morning. We had a short walk from the bus and through a park to the Drammenselva (Drammen River).
One of several bridges crossing the Drammenselva.
We walked across Ypsilon Bru (Ypsilon Bridge), enjoying the peaceful sunset on our quick sightseeing tour. There were a few boats and rowers practicing in the river, but otherwise things were pretty quiet.
Rowers on the Drammenselva.
Rowers practicing on the Drammenselva.
My first impression of Drammen when we came in on the train, was that it seemed like a factory town. In reality it seemed like a nice, charming town outside of Oslo, surrounded by hills covered in forests and lakes.
View of Ypsilon Bru in the background.
Tusen takk Drammen for a nice autumn adventure!
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