Ringedalsvatnet, Norway

Ringedalsvatnet is a lake in the municipality of Odda in Hordaland county, Norway. The 7-square-kilometre (2.7 sq mi) lake sits just east of the village of Skjeggedal and about 3.5 kilometres (2.2 mi) east (up the valley) from the village of Tyssedal, which sits on the shore of the Sørfjorden. The lake is the main reservoir for a hydroelectric power station in Tyssedal which provides electricity for the power intensive industries in the nearby town of Odda. The 521-metre (1,709 ft) wide and 33-metre (108 ft) high Ringedals Dam was constructed from 1910–1918. The trail was a bit muddy and slick in early September so bring good hiking boots. I was cringing watching people in old sneakers taking jumping pictures on Trolltunga. We also packed lots of water, snacks, and extra layers in our backpacks. I ended up shedding most of my layers during the hiking portions, but they were necessities whenever we stopped for a break. Despite the beautiful weather, it did get very cold. It was little crowded at Trolltunga, but only when we were leaving after our lunch break. I would highly recommend starting as early as possible. If we repeated this hike, I would actually want to start around 5am instead of 6am. It was worrying seeing people without overnight camping gear starting the hike as we were descending.