Hike to the Gorsa Bridge

This 6 mile circular hike took us to the Gorsa Bridge and spectacular Sabetjohk canyon.

We began with our 2 minute drive from our holiday house to the ferry port at Lyngseidet and here we drove onto the ferry which took us across the fjord to Olderdalen.

A day of rain had been forecast but thankfully it was dry when we set off… if a little cloudy.

From the ferry we could see a glacier high above Lyngseidet.

From the ferry port we drove through more amazing scenery alongside the fjord.

We arrived at the car park which had picnic benches and a couple were even in a little wooden shelter. Here we decided to eat our light lunch before commencing the walk.

At the car park entrance we had to download an app and pay with a credit card.

After crossing a mostly dried up stream we began the walk through shady trees.

Before long we came to the remains of the mining industry which was in operation until 1919.

The walk took us through trees and pleasant meadows but became steeper and rockier as we neared the bridge.

There was also a lot of mosquitos so a spray such as smidge is advisable.

We saw glimpses of the canyon from the path. But the real wow factor was at the Gorsa Bridge.

The Gorsa Bridge crosses 153 m above the Sabetjohk Canyon and the views were incredible.

The gorge was spectacular and at times bungee jumpers leap from the bridge and plummet to the depths of the gorge…

There were several waterfalls which could be seen from the bridge.

From the bridge we took the path on the opposite side of the gorge to make our way back to the cars.

The scenery here reminded me of Maui in Hawaii…

The return path had been easy and then it became a track road. We decided to make things more interesting by turning off the road and taking a lovely green footpath instead.

With peace and quiet and just the sound of birds chirping away or the odd bumblebee this was idyllic…

Until we lost the path…

Somewhere we had lost sight of the footpath and had taken a wrong turning… or missed something… there was no footpath to be seen and with a steep drop beneath us we decided the only way was up.

Up meant scrambling up the steep and rocky side of the mountain, finding footholds in the rocks and grabbing tree roots to haul ourselves up. And not knowing exactly what we were to come across.

One slip or wrong move and one of us could be careering down the jagged rocks with unpleasant consequences.

This little drama went on for about 30 minutes until eventually with a bit of teamwork and with everyone looking out for each other we made it safely to the track road where we clamboured over the barrier thankful we were all still in one piece!

The final section of the walk back to the cars was easy and uneventful as this time we stuck to the track road!

We drove back to Olderdalen port and took the 40 minute ferry back to Lyngseidet.

Summary

After a rainy forecast we had sun and blue sky throughout the walk. Despite the perilous situation with the lost path, we all enjoyed the adventure and returned to the house in high spirits. Tonight we enjoyed a delicious meal cooked by Roza.