Vinstra Valley Before Winter

I wanted to publish a series of photos that show that winter is here soon.

Two and a half weeks ago I published a small photo story, On Foot or by Bike for a Hike in the Mountains?

Eleven days after that bike ride, I took a new ride in the same landscape, 17 km up in Vinstradalen, south of the village Driva in Oppdal, in Trøndelag county.

Vinstradalen is a mountain valley with many farms with summer grazing for cows and sheep. The valley is a parallel mountain valley to the more famous Drivdalen, where the main road and railway between the south and north of Norway run.

This time it was a trip by car because the snow had settled on the peaks, and it would be too heavy to get the 17 kilometers there by bike.

It is a bit fascinating to take a ride in such a landscape where you have fresh memories of autumn nature and sharp colours, and see how the snow that has come changes the landscape.

Taking such a trip, even if it is by car and not by bike or on foot, is in itself a bit interesting. I travel away from the safe and familiar down in the village or town; I come to the edge of civilization, a place where the climate is inhospitable with strong winds and cold and where almost no human goes.

The car I drive has 4-wheel drive, and it is absolutely necessary to go on such a road in late autumn. The road surface can be slippery, and the snow has started to form in some places.

As I approached the destination of the trip, past Ryphusan with the pilgrim accommodation at the top of Vinstradalen, there was more snow in the road. I had to realize that there was only one thing to do: find a place to turn the car. I had reached the hill just below Drotningsdalsvegen, where the snowdrift that lay over the road was so deep that I did not dare to take the chance to get stuck. It would be stupid of me to be stuck in the snow with the car in a place like this so far from civilization!

10/2021© Øivind H. Solheim —

Øivind H. Solheim is a nature photographer and a writer from Norway who loves writing fiction, essays and articles helping others understanding life, other humans and themselves. He has published five novels, two non-fiction books and a poetry book.

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