The downside to doing cruises is shore excursions. Too many people in one spot for me. But I have searched the internat and can't find any info on Hiking down from Vatnahalsen,or the top of the Flam Railway. I had found and excursion that take the railroad up then hike halfway (about 10kn) and that sounds great but I'd rather we do it without the crowd. Do you think I can find a well written description of how to do it? Nope. Bite the bullet and sign up with the ship. We're hoping that because it says "strenous" in the description it will discourage a lot a peolpe. The other draw back is you're on a schedule. I'd rather get up early, hit the train and start hiking. We aren't supposed to meet until 10:20am to walk to the train for a 10:40 departure. Just bite the bullet and go. Ok, we could have done it on our own but I'm glad we did it.
  The Flam Railway is a 20 km trip from Flam to Myrdal, providing beautifal views of the Norwegian counrtyside, complete with rushing rivers, deep ravines, snow fed waterfalls and mountain farms. The trail leaves the Vatnahalsen station in the same direction as the train so wait for it to leave before starting. We had to gather up our group and guides and get our snack and water bottle first. There are bathrooms at the hotel and the station, pick the shortest line. We start off just after noon and the trail is marked very well. 
 At first it is kind of steep with switchbacks but nothing too bad. But then, we've been hiking Mingus Mountain to get in shape for this. We overtrained. On the other hand, Mingus didn't have the gorgeous waterfall running along side that turned into a powerful river that you follow back to the ship. The trail is really more of a road and there were plenty of mountain bikes going both up and down. Crazy! After a little bit, the trail flattens out and is a really nice, scenic stroll through the countryside. Waterfalls in Norway are like bald eagles in Alaska. The first few you see, you get all excited. After the second dozen, they aren't as much of a thrill. Still stunning, just not as rare. Lots of goats wandering along with us too. There is one long tunnel that was a little interesting. While the road is flat, it is uneven. So when you can't see where you're putting your feet, you slow down a lot. We had lots of clouds/fog that came and went so not as many chances for the stunning panoramic views but when it was clear, it was stunning. Passing showers made us glad we packed the raincoats, but you don't get that green without a lot a water!
 The trail follows the railway all the way down to Flam and is an easy transition to the train station and ship. Overall, it was an easy hike of 10km that we did in about 3 hours. We stopped a lot to pet the goats. The best part of the trip was that once we left Vatnahalsen with the group, we didn't have to stay together. Go as fast or as slow as you want, the last guide will be sure you are on the train. The train doesn't pick you up until 3:30pm at Berekvam, so go and have fun. Great philosophy! Maybe shore excursions aren't that bad after all.