Spectacular backpacking in Norway - Gaustatoppen

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This time we wanted to go backpacking to the majestic Gaustatoppen in Southern Norway and spend the night in a Samaya 2.5 tent up on the ridge. The Samaya 2.5 is an ultralight single wall tent weighing 1.7 kg including footprint. The weather forecast for the next day was excellent from early morning and we had our hopes to experience the sunrise from the summit. We weren't that lucky unfortunately and you could say that the forecast wasn't exactly spot on, at least not for the morning hours. But it was a really great experience anyways (although the tower creates some freaking noise)!

A visit to the DNT cabin which is located just before the huge tower is definitely mandatory. We had a waffle and a coffee there and a chat with the friendly staff running it.

Gaustatoppen is one of the most popular hiking destinations in Southern Norway and is easily accessible from the starting point of Stavsro. Gaustatoppen, with its elevation of 1883 meters above sea level, rises approximately 300 meters higher than any other nearby mountains and offers a 360-degree view from the summit. It is a unique mountain located in the southern part of Southern Norway. The trail from Stavsro is the most popular one and thousands of tourists hike there every year.

Tip: A much longer and much more varied hike can be done by hiking all the way from Rjukan and follow the valley on the west side of the mountain - that entails approx 1600 m of elevation gain and the distance is 11 km each way. Highly recommended if you're in ok shape :)

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