We hiked to Litlverivassforsen today, a waterfall in Norway’s Rago National Park. The water for the falls comes from Litlverivatnet Lake and plunges 223m into a river meandering in the valley far below. We got up early to start the walk because we had a ferry booked for 17.00 and wanted to give ourselves plenty of time to get to Bodø to catch it.
From the trailhead where we’d slept overnight, we hiked up a steep trail for a couple of kilometres. After a while it became less steep but narrower, winding its way through the forest between different types of pretty flowers in all sorts of colours… white, yellow, pink, purple. Some, I’d never seen before. With all the new vegetation everywhere it was very green and lush.
There were muddy and boggy sections and, in places, planks of wood had been installed… probably to protect the plants rather than our feet! Some areas were marked off with tape to stop people tramping across them, and we wondered what rare plants were growing there.
After another couple of kilometres, we reached a rocky section where we had to use our hands to scramble over the boulders. There was even a sturdy ladder up one particularly steep boulder! The red trail marks were often difficult to spot, but we found our way to the cliffs above the waterfall easily enough.
We found a good viewpoint on the edge of the cliffs to take photos of the full waterfall and the valley below. Stunning! From here, it was downhill all the way to Litlverivassforsen and the bridge across the waterfall.
Although we could only see the top of the waterfall from the bridge, we could feel its power and hear it thundering, and it was amazing watching it cascade into the void below.
I took some photos and John flew Dave the drone. Unfortunately, it was rather windy so we didn’t risk flying him too far out over the waterfall. Hopefully, we still have some good footage.
By now it was time to retrace our steps back to Molly Moho. The return was mostly downhill so we made good time. All in all, we hiked almost 13 kilometres, with almost 700m of ascent in under 4 and a half hours, leaving us plenty of time to get to Bodø.
As we were ahead of schedule, we emptied the loo and waste water, and refilled the fresh water tank at a service area in Fauske. We even had time for shower and something to eat at an Esso petrol station in Bodø!
Feeling clean and replete, we joined the queue for the ferry, wondering why we’d bothered pre-booking as there didn’t seem to be a priority lane. Somehow, thanks to a local telling us to start a new lane, we ended up being among the first to board. We’re now settled in comfortable seats at the front of the ship. We have a great view looking out towards our destination, Værøy, where we’re spending a couple of days hiking.
Ramblings 
Leave a comment