Vassfaret Nature Reserve
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Vassfaret is a U-shaped valley formed by the gigantic glaciers once covering Norway, and is located roughly a three hour drive north of Oslo. The valley is characterized by dense forests, an abundance of lakes, steep hillsides and a few modest mountains. Of old bears roamed the area. These days the large predator is gone, but hawks and eagles still persist. Owing to the fact that this is a protected nature reserve wildlife thrives and spotting elks is not uncommon.
Forestry is not allowed in Bringen Nature Reserve which we visited. And neither are marking paths, setting up cell-phone antennas or anything which may disturb or alter the scenery, or the old forests. Bringen Nature Reserve is a part of Vassfaret Nature Conservation area.
Until this summer I have merely ventured into the outskirts of Vassfaret photographing a river with some modestly interesting waterfalls, and I have also followed the gravel road from Hedalen to its end. The road offers some great vistas and takes us alongside a few of Vassfaret’s beautiful lakes.
My dentist, who also is a keen photographer, knows Vassfaret almost like his own backyard. When he generously volunteered to be my guide a Sunday in June the dense forests of Vassfaret had to give up a few of its secrets.
Following a two hour drive we cycled an old gravel road for about 30 mins before we started negotiating our way through the dense forest. Ole-Martin Høgfoss (my dentist) had brought with him a GPS device which turned out to be of great help, in particular during our return to the bikes. I suppose it took us at least 30 mins with rough walking before we found the path that would take us to the first waterfall. My wish had been photographing waterfalls, preferably also a waterfall with a vertical drop.
The path led us past old almost unrecognizable remnants of settlements where a few families had tried to farm the relatively hostile forests which demanded a more or less in-human effort to clear a field and yield a crop. Winters are freezing cold, livestock would be a target for bears and other predators and swarms of mosquitoes would make summers a small hell. If you or someone in the family became ill or injured hours upon hours of trekking would ensue to fetch a doctor. I cannot even imagine the hardships the families had to endure.
The forecast had predicted partly cloudy all day. However, after an hour of trekking the first rain began to fall and it developed into three episodes of thunder, lightning and heavy rain. The sun didn’t break through before we began the return.
When we arrived at the first waterfall it still rained so we opted to find cover under some trees and ate a few sandwiches waiting for the rain to cease.
The bottom part of the waterfall was very wide and not very photogenic in my eyes. The river didn’t carry much water that day. This part of the fall may look quite differently during spring thaw.
However, the upper part offered some very nice curves and lines so we decided to climb up the steep slope.
When I had mentioned that I hoped we could photograph a waterfall with a vertical drop Ole-Martin fortunately remembered several years ago once visiting a waterfall fitting the description.
The forests opened up a little so that the next stage was a tad less strenuous than the first save the last part where we had to walk uphill a while before a sight I will never forget manifested before our eyes.
There are a few locations which completely take your breath away, leave you in awe and which inspire you to utter a few “wow”. This was one of them. I am afraid none of my images from here do the waterfall and surroundings justice.
When arriving at our final destination both Ole-Martin and I were thoroughly soaked and so was our gear. My weather sealed Pentax K-1 and Pentax 15–30 were still dripping wet from the lightening shot and ensuing heavy rain which took us by surprise at the first waterfall. I have to admit I was a little worried that perhaps I wouldn’t get any shots of the second waterfall, but the camera operated flawlessly in spite of what it so far had endured.
Getting close to the waterfall turned out to be quite the challenge for me. The rocks were treasonous and slippery like soap due to the precipitation. My hiking boots weren’t up for the conditions whereas Ole-Martin’s Viking Hunter boots sat like glued to the rocks. He thus negotiated across what was hurdles to me, stretched out his hand and pulled me over. Putting my life (to exaggerate a bit) into the hands of others does not come easy to me, but Ole-Martin is one of those persons it is easy to trust…..also in the dentist’s chair.
The conditions, the scenery, the at times strenuous trekking, the novelty of it all and the great company made this into a Sunday I will remember with fondness and late forget.
