Geiteryggen - the name translates roughly to "goat's back" - sits at 1218 metres and marks the watershed between East and West Norway. Water falling on the western side flows to the Sognefjord. On the eastern side, it drains to the Hallingdal river system and eventually the Oslo fjord.
This has been a crossing point for centuries. Cattle drovers brought their herds over this pass, heading from Hallingdal farms down into Aurlandsdalen to the lush summer pastures in Stemberdalen. The route was so important that when engineers first planned the Bergen Railway, they proposed running it through here. The plans were rejected - the railway went via Finse instead.
The DNT cabin Geiterygghytta, which opened in 1914, sits at the foot of the ridge. It has 88 beds and serves as the gateway to Aurlandsdalen. From both sides of the Geiterygg tunnel, it's only a 3-kilometre walk on gravel road to the cabin.