Trollheimen
Encyclopedia
Møre og Romsdal
is a county in the northernmost part of Western Norway. It borders the counties of Sør-Trøndelag, Oppland and Sogn og Fjordane. The county administration is located in Molde, while Ålesund is the largest city.-The name:...
and Sør-Trøndelag
Sør-Trøndelag
- References :...
counties
County
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
in central Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. The mountain range is part of the Scandinavian Mountains
Scandinavian Mountains
The Scandinavian Mountains or the Scandes, in Swedish Skanderna, Fjällen or Kölen , in Finnish Köli and in Norwegian Kjølen, with the three latter meaning The Keel, are a mountain range that runs through the Scandinavian Peninsula...
.
Etymology
The name ('the home of the trolls') was proposed by Håkon LøkenHåkon Løken
Håkon Løken was a Norwegian jurist, journalist, newspaper editor and non-fiction writer. He was a journalist for the newspaper Dagsposten from 1890 to 1902. He founded the newspaper Nidaros in 1902, and was its chief editor from 1902 to 1910. From 1910 to 1918 he served as a public...
and used by Trondhjems Turistforening in the 1880s, and is considered a "tourist name" (there was no single name for the entire area before). Trollheimen is now the common name in Norway for this mountain range.
Topography and climate
Trollheimen is often considered the most varied of all mountain ranges in Norway for several reasons. The mountains in the western part are alpine in form, with pointed peaks and typical river valleys. The mountains in the east are less steep with more rounded shapes predominating, and the valleys are wider and bear the mark of being created by glaciers. The climate differs from the more oceanic climateOceanic climate
An oceanic climate, also called marine west coast climate, maritime climate, Cascadian climate and British climate for Köppen climate classification Cfb and subtropical highland for Köppen Cfb or Cwb, is a type of climate typically found along the west coasts at the middle latitudes of some of the...
in the west to a considerably drier, continental climate in the eastern valleys, due to their being sheltered by mountains. The valleys in Trollheimen are at an altitude of only about 500 - 800 m (1,600 - 2,600 ft) and are usually forested, and many are used as pastures (No: Seterdrift). There are also several large lakes, like Gjevilvatnet
Gjevilvatnet
Gjevillvatnet is a lake in the municipality Oppdal in Sør-Trøndelag, Norway. It is located in the Trollheimen mountain range, about south of the mountain Blåhøa and about northwest of Vognillan....
in the east, near Oppdal
Oppdal
is a village and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Dovre region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Oppdal. Other villages in the municipality include Lønset, Vognillan, Fagerhaug, and Holan...
, and Gråsjøen
Gråsjøen
Gråsjøen is a lake/reservoir in the municipality of Surnadal in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The lake is located in the northern part of the Trollheimen mountain range. The lake is dammed and the water is used in the Gråsjø power station. The water flows out of the lake and into the lake...
and Foldsjøen
Foldsjøen
Foldsjøen is a lake/reservoir in the municipalities of Surnadal and Rindal in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The lake is dammed and the water is used in the Trollheim power station. Slightly more elevated and directly to the south, is the lake Gråsjøen which is also behind a hydro-power dam....
in the northern part.
Trolla (mountain)
Trolla is a mountain in the municipality of Sunndal in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The mountain is made up of several peaks in along the ridge of the mountain:* Store Trolla, at an elevation of , the highest peak in the Trollheimen mountain range...
(1,850 m), Dronningkrona
Dronningkrona
Dronningkrona is one of the two peaks on the mountain Vinnufjellet. Its neighbor peak is Kongskrona, higher. The peak is located just northeast of the village of Sunndalsøra and the Sunndalsfjorden in the municipality of Sunndal in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway....
(1,816 m, 5,958 ft), Kongskrona
Kongskrona
Kongskrona is the higher of the two peaks on the mountain Vinnufjellet, its neighbour peak is Dronningkrona, about shorter. The peak lies about northeast of the village of Sunndalsøra in the municipality of Sunndal in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. To the north of the mountain lies the...
(1,818 m, 5,965 ft), Såtbakkollen
Såtbakkollen
Såtbakkollen is the second highest mountain in the Trollheimen mountain range, after Trolla at . It is located just south of the Innerdalen valley in the municipality of Sunndal in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. Other mountains around Tåga include Narvardalsnebba , Tårnfjellet and the quite...
(1,840 m, 6,037 ft), Storsomrungnebba (1,799 m, 5,902 ft). In the northern and eastern part, the highest are Snota
Snota
Snota is a prominent mountain in the Trollheimen mountain range in the municipality of Surnadal in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is also the highest mountain in the municipality of Surnadal...
(1,668 m, 5,72 ft), Trollhetta
Trollhetta
Trollhøtta or Trollhetta is a mountain in the border of the municipalities of Surnadal and Rindal in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the Trollheimen mountain range, just east of the lake Gråsjøen and the mountains Snota and Neådalssnota....
(1,616 m, 5,302 ft) and Blåhø
Blåhø
Blåhøa is a mountain in the municipality of Oppdal in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is the highest at the northeastern end of the Trollheimen mountain range...
(1,671 m, 5,482 ft). In the southeast there is Kråkvasstind (1,700 m, 5,577 ft).
Flora
Trollheimen is known by botanistsBotany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
for the diverse alpine flora
Flora
Flora is the plant life occurring in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring or indigenous—native plant life. The corresponding term for animals is fauna.-Etymology:...
, due to nutritient-rich soil and the varied climate within the mountain range. One of the rare alpine plant
Alpine plant
Alpine plants are plants that grow in the alpine climate, which occurs at high elevation and above the tree line. Alpine plants grow together as a plant community in alpine tundra.-Alpine plant diversity:...
s in Trollheimen is Artemisia norvegica. Approximately 1,160 km² of this area is declared a nature reserve. In the midst of the area is the Svartåmoen forest reserve, with undisturbed pine
Scots Pine
Pinus sylvestris, commonly known as the Scots Pine, is a species of pine native to Europe and Asia, ranging from Scotland, Ireland and Portugal in the west, east to eastern Siberia, south to the Caucasus Mountains, and as far north as well inside the Arctic Circle in Scandinavia...
forest, mixed with birch
Downy Birch
Betula pubescens is a species of birch, native and abundant throughout northern Europe, Iceland, northern Asia and also Greenland....
. Innerdalen
Innerdalen
Innerdalen is a valley in the municipality of Sunndal in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is also Norway's first nature reserve. The valley and nature reserve begins at Ålvundeid by the highway in the west and stretches approximately to the east to Innerdalsporten. It lies within the...
, in the western part, was Norway's first nature reserve, and is often described as the most beautiful valley in Norway.
Recreation
The "Triangle" (No:Trekanten) is a route between the three mountain lodges (Gjevilvasshytta, Jøldalshytta and Trollheimshytta) each a fairly long hikeHiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
of some 7 - 9 hours. It is possible to choose a route covering the three peaks of Trollhetta, a spectacular (but long) hike comparable to the Besseggen
Besseggen
Besseggen, or Besseggi, is a mountain ridge in Vågå kommune in Oppland county. Besseggen lies east in Jotunheimen, between the lakes Gjende and Bessvatnet....
route in Jotunheimen
Jotunheimen
Jotunheimen is a mountainous area of roughly 3,500 km² in Southern Norway and is part of the long range known as the Scandinavian Mountains. The 29 highest mountains in Norway are all in Jotunheimen, including the very highest - Galdhøpiggen...
. The hike to the peak of Snota is often considered one of the most beautiful in Norway. There are trout
Trout
Trout is the name for a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the family Salmonidae. Salmon belong to the same family as trout. Most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
in most of the lakes.
Gråsjøen
Gråsjøen is a lake/reservoir in the municipality of Surnadal in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The lake is located in the northern part of the Trollheimen mountain range. The lake is dammed and the water is used in the Gråsjø power station. The water flows out of the lake and into the lake...
and hike 11-12 km. There are several other smaller lodges as well, and many more marked routes. Trondheim
Trondheim
Trondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...
is roughly one hour drive from the nearest part of the mountain range (Jølhaugen or Resvatn). Gjevilvasshytta is the oldest DNT lodge in Norway, with timber from 1739, and widely regarded as one of the prettiest ().
Archeology
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
. There are several traces of stone age people using the mountains as a hunting ground, particularly stone "fences" used to channel scared reindeer herds towards cliffs, where some would fall off and die. These "fences" seem to be very old, as some angles seems to have been blocked by remnants of the ice sheet. Thus, these hunters might have been among the first wave of humans migrating to Norway. In addition, since 1997 there have been many unusually long and warm summers, and the glacier
Glacier
A glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
s in Trollheimen and Dovre have retreated, revealing many prehistoric arrowhead
Arrowhead
An arrowhead is a tip, usually sharpened, added to an arrow to make it more deadly or to fulfill some special purpose. Historically arrowheads were made of stone and of organic materials; as human civilization progressed other materials were used...
s. Some are 4,000 years old or more, but the majority is 1,000 - 2,000 years old. These hunters probably migrated down to the fjords to the west (Sunndalsfjord, Surnadalsfjord, Todal) to avoid the harsh winters.
People hiking near glacies in late summer and autumn are encouraged to have a watchful eye
Human eye
The human eye is an organ which reacts to light for several purposes. As a conscious sense organ, the eye allows vision. Rod and cone cells in the retina allow conscious light perception and vision including color differentiation and the perception of depth...
for prehistoric artifacts
Artifact (archaeology)
An artifact or artefact is "something made or given shape by man, such as a tool or a work of art, esp an object of archaeological interest"...
.