Search and rescue in West-Norway.

[Birnando]

A dear friend of mine dissappeared last fall in Moere and Romsdal in the western parts of Norway.
About 30 of his friends and a few from the Red Cross decided to have yet another go at searching the area where he was last seen.

We searched rivers and waters, hillsides and forrest.
Alas, we where not able to get any more clues as to what has happened to him.
The search will continue though!

While it was a sad occasion for us being there, we couldn't help but walk aorund in complete awe of how beautiful the area was as spring made its way up the mountains and down in the valleys and fjords.

Here is a few snaps from my phone I took at the search area and on the way back home.


First pic is while driving down to the camp site.
Mountains surrounded us on both sides for miles and miles.



In this pic you can see our camp at the bottom of the Romsdalshorn 1580meters above sea level.
The camp site is at about 67m



Just opposite the Romsdalshorn you can see the famous Trollveggen, "the troll wall"
It is the highest free fall in northern Europe, well over 1000m or 3000 feet.
For years it was the Mecca for the base-jumping community around the world.



Here we are walking thru the cultural landscape of this walley.
Our search area for the day was the forrest at the end of that field.



Another shot of the Trollveggen.
The small knob just to the left of the peak is where most jumps are done.
Earlier on they did most of the jumps from just the other side of that peak, called Bruresloeret, "the bridal vail"



On our way home we decided to take the scenic route back
Seen here is the Trollstigen, "the troll's ladder". It serpentines all the way up the mountain.
It's always fun watching Danes and Germans trying to navigate their mobile homes and caravans up there

[aa1192]

Good luck finding your friend. I hope they turn up safe and soon.
Those are gorgeous areas. I can only imagine a picture can't do them justice.

[Birnando]

In this shot, taken from the Oerneveien, "the eagle's road, you can look down on the small town called Geiranger.
It is at the bottom of the Geiranger fjord.
The ship seen here is the Hurtigruta, a famous ferry/cruise-boat that goes up and down our coast all year round.
It has at times been the only way to travel the coast, and the standard way for mail and goods to reach the various fjords and communities along the coast all the way up to the land of the midninght sun.



This picture, taken from the same spot shows more of the Geiranger fjord.
If you look closely, you can just about see farms way up in the hillside.
How people could, for centuries, live up there is beyond me
One of the famous stories about one of those farms is that whenever the tax-man came to collect taxes, they simply pullep up the rope-ladder to stop him from reaching them
That was the only way up there, so no tax payed by those clever people up there..



This shows us crossing on of the plateau's on our way home.
While it is May, King Winter hasn't quite let go yet
Those sides of snow reaches can easily reach 18-20 feet, even more sometimes, during mid-winter


I feel lucky living in this country.
While not very big, it does provide some world-class scenery for sure

[rolodave]

Thanks for the great pics.
What a beautiful coast.


Sorry about your friend. There is always hope.

Dave

[JimmyHAD]

Sorry to hear of your friend's disappearence. I hope there is a good outcome. I had no idea how beautiful Norway might be until a friend sent an email from a website called Picture of the Day. (link) Here is the photo and descriptive text ;

In this fantastic capture we see Vøringfossen, one of the most famous waterfalls in Norway, and Måbødalen, a wild and narrow valley located in Eidfjor, Hordaland. The waterfall drops a total of 182 meters (597 ft) with a major drop of 145 meters (475 ft).

Although there are numerous ways to experience the waterfall and the vertical-walled valley, most people will view the falls from the upper and lower lookouts. A path from the scenic national tourist route through Hardanger (Rv 7) leads to the foot of the waterfall. The old road, constructed between 1887 and 1924, winds up the mountain side in 125 hairpin bends.

[Birnando]

Sorry to hear of your friend's disappearence. I hope there is a good outcome. I had no idea how beautiful Norway might be until a friend sent an email from a website called Picture of the Day. Here is the photo and descriptive text ;

In this fantastic capture we see Vøringfossen, one of the most famous waterfalls in Norway, and Måbødalen, a wild and narrow valley located in Eidfjor, Hordaland. The waterfall drops a total of 182 meters (597 ft) with a major drop of 145 meters (475 ft).

Although there are numerous ways to experience the waterfall and the vertical-walled valley, most people will view the falls from the upper and lower lookouts. A path from the scenic national tourist route through Hardanger (Rv 7) leads to the foot of the waterfall. The old road, constructed between 1887 and 1924, winds up the mountain side in 125 hairpin bends.

Thank you!
Yes, the Vørngsfossen, not all that far from Bergen, is another beautiful site.
I saw it the first time when I was about 7 or 8, and it was one of the sites that gave me an eternal love for the outdoors.

The area I searched this weekend is a bit further to the north along the western coast line.
About a 4-5 hour drive I'd say.
The entire trip is simply full of places like that.
Stunning views

[pixelfixed]

Sorry about your Friend.Beautifull country you live in.
I just finished a huge tome about the history of the Vikings starting in 600 A.D.
To Think that they gazed upon some of those same sites amazes me.

[JimmyHAD]

Bjoernar, and anyone else who might be interested, I added a link to the website that photo came from. Here it is again ;

Category: PICTURE OF THE DAY «TwistedSifter

[Hirlau]

I'm sad to hear about your missing friend.

Thanks for beautiful photos, of a land I will probably never see.

[Sailor]

So beautiful pics, Bjørnar, thanks.

Been up there in the north for few times. Kirkenes, Varanger fjord and surroundings. It's amazing how the landscapes changed almost directly from the border, from almost never ending forests to high mountains and Barents Sea.
Guess i'll never forget those beautiful landscapes. Surely will get back there again some day.

Sorry to hear about your friend.

Tomi