In order to visit Bunes Beach or climb Helvestind, you have take a ferry from Reine to Vindstad, a tiny hamlet off of a picturesque fjord. The ferry
is quite popular - we got to the terminal in Reine early, yet already a line of eager would-be ferry riders had formed. Fortunately, Anneka had purchased tickets online ahead of time, so
we were guaranteed a seat.
The ferry was supposed to depart at 9:00 AM, but everyone was still standing in line at 9:20. Eventually, someone showed up and told us that the captain had
been in an accident, and he was the substitute ferryman for the day. This delay was unfortunate, because there are only two ferry rides per day - one to take you to Vindstad, and the other to
take you back. The delay sliced half an hour off of the time we would have to hike up Helvetestind.
Before dropping everyone off at Vindstad, the ferry first sails up Kjerkfjorden. This is quite a scenic fjord, with steep-sided mountains towering over the
water on both sides. The fantastic views make taking the ferry ride a worthwhile trip, even if you have no intention of climbing Helvetestind.
We disembarked at Vindstad. AAnthony took off at a fast pace, hoping to make it all the way to the summit despite our hiking time being shaved by half an
hour due to the delayed start. Also, the ferryman said to be back at the dock at 2:30pm not 2:45pm. And then, the boat didn't arrive till after 3pm. Melanie and I went at a more relaxed pace.
However because of the shortened time-window, when we got to the split, we did not visit Bunes Beach, but instead turned up the Helvestind trail.
We could see other hikers ahead of us, so we followed along. The trail is poorly marked. We ended up in a huge boulder field, carefully (and slowly) stepping
our way from rock to rock. It turns out that the actual trail is lower and further to the right, but because of the lack of trail markers and the tall grass, we could not see the path on the way
up. On the way down, we stuck closer to the correct path and had an easier go of it. Stay mostly below and to the right of the boulder field when climbing, and that is the best way up.
Melanie and I climbed as high as the mountain saddle - we did not get close to the summit of Helvetestind. But we were high enough to look down into Kjerkfjorden.
It was a clear day and there were fantastic views all around. After a whole lot of photos, we headed back down.
At the trail split, we met Anneka and Leslie coming up from Bunes Beach. They said it was a lovely place to explore. They showed us pictures of a huge whale vertebrae
that had washed up on the beach. It was impressively huge.
Anthony and Paul got higher on Helvestind than Melanie and I did, but neither felt that they had enough time to make it all the way to the very top. But just the
views from the mountain saddle made this a great hike for me. We had nice weather and excellent scenery this day.
