Good day everybody! This blog post is maybe a bit past its season, but it is nice to sit here on an autumn day remembering what an epic trip we had last August to a friend's place right at the tip of the Lofoten Islands.
I don't think I've ever visited this little nook of the world and had this many consecutive days of great weather in an usually very cloudy fjord.
For some of the trip we had with us world traveller and backpacker Takato who was at the time on the Scandinavian leg of his journey around the world. This lovable guy ended up spending almost a month in Finland, Sweden and Norway, some of that time with us, so thank you Takato for putting up with us! You are welcome back anytime!
In the 10 years or so I've been visiting villages like Fredvang and Ramberg it is really freaky to see how quickly the tourism scene there has grown.
There are now rows and rows of cars near trails that used to be known only to locals. There are still many hikes unknown to the masses, and I admit I prefer hiking without a crowd, so I will abstain from pinpointing where exactly some of these shots were taken. Unless you of course recognize the shapes of the mountains, you will know where to go..
The first day started off in sparkling sunshine and we headed for the hills.
To top off the day Janne and I headed for a little evening hike with only clouds and sheep for company..
This day we headed for a hike in much rockier sceneries. After swimming I took off barefoot up one of these ridges, without camera, tempted by the feel of silky rock and soft moss under my feet.
It is the best feeling when you take off your hiking boots and straightaway dip your hot toes into cold water. AAAHH!
The scenery around these islands and fjords plays a bit f a trick on my mind, because while some of the mountain valleys with their muskegs are superbly lush and green, others are very dry and rocky.
On one hike I can feel like I have walked thorugh both the mountaintops and muskegs in and around Juneau, southeast Alaska AND some of the piny mountain ridges in south Arizona.
All in all this was a bit of a sentimental trip for me, both with our dear friends moving away from here, thus mening we won't have have them to visit here anymore, but also because of all the memories that came back from many amazing hiking experiences in Arizona and Alaska.
The house we usually stay at when visiting here is located in a fjord which is facing dawn rather than the night, and so you have to sneak out to one of the bridges connecting the islands to see just what kind of drama the sun and clouds are playing out each night.
While everyone was relaxing and getting ready for supper I went out for just a few more moments of fresh air on the porch but ended
up walking a ways up the road lured by pink light hitting the facing mountain ridges.
There was an absolute still on the water, only the outflow of the tide was causing a slight ripple in the calm of the inlet.
The fireweed was performing a duet with the red sun caressing the sides the mountains.
Later the longing shades of blue and turqoise took over with a lament of their own..
I could've stayed there forever and ever, but the hike we did earlier that day was making itself known in my empty stomach. I slowly walked back to join my friends for supper.
