Hiker Discovers Viking Sword in Norway.

Marissa Fessenden, "Hiker Accidentally Discovers 1,200-Year-Old Viking Sword in Norway" Smithsonian   magazine  October 28, 2015.

The mountainous Haukeli region of Norway attracts visitors for its fishing, hunting and hiking. One of those hikers recently stumbled across an unusual find: a Viking sword that may be 1,200 years old. Gøran Olsen had just stopped to rest as he hiked a well-known path in the region, reports Elahe Izadi for the Washington Post. That’s when he noticed the remarkably preserved sword in the rocks. The Hordaland County Council recently announced the discovery. "It's quite unusual to find remnants from the Viking age that are so well-preserved ... it might be used today if you sharpened the edge," Per Morten Ekerhovd, a county conservator, tells Mairi Mackay of CNN. According to Ekerhovd, hikers often discover artifacts in Haukeli, though the sword is remarkably well-preserved. Frost and snow cover the region for half of the year, while low humidity in the summer months helps protect undiscovered objects.