Tops of the Dronninga and Kongen in the clouds

by Arja Schrijver Photography

It was still light one early June evening in the Isterdalen valley near Åndalsnes in Norway. The sun would only set gently two or three hours later. At the same time the sky was a bit dark, because it had been raining all day. Fragments of cloud hung in the valley, in front of the mountain slopes. Those clouds gave the mountains a mystical appearance.

We looked into the valley from the direction of Åndalsnes and saw how the clouds slowly changed shape. Through the clouds we could just see the top of the 1544-meter high Dronninga mountain. A beautiful Norwegian name which transalates to 'queen' in English. To the left of that peak, behind the cloud, is the king, Mount Kongen. At 1,614 metres, this is the highest mountain on the west side of the Isterdalen valley.

The valley itself leads to Trollstigen, one of Norway's most scenic routes, which crosses a mountain pass. Our plan was to follow that route, which goes up with its spectacular hairpin bends, by car and then make a nice hike at the top. Unfortunately, from the point where the first hairpin bends start, the route was temporarily closed because there had been a major avalanche and the road had to be repaired. Driving through the valley itself was fun too though, the mountains are impressive enough.