Autumnal kayak trip to Grindøya
Late summer mountain hike
The forecast was correct – the sky was blue the whole day today. At 9 o’clock I meet my friend Chris on a parking place and we start a mountain hike. The morning air is a bit chilly and some leaves even have frost on them.
After we have crossed the river Tromsdalselva we follow a path and some quiet residential streets and arrive at the way up to Sherpatrappa. That’s is a stone staircase of 1,203 steps leading up the mountain. Today is Sherpatrappa Opp – a competition where people run up the stairs. We however prefer walking and are lucky, that the competition will not start before eleven.
At the end of the stairs the terrain becomes less steep and you have a gorgeous view on the island Tromsøya and its beautiful surroundings. I see the island Håkøya that I circumvented by kayak two days ago. And today there is another competition: Tromsøya rundt, a 24 km long kayak tour round the island. From 400 metres up, we spot a group of kayakers passing below.
I assumed it was too late in the year for cotton grass – a clear sign for wet ground – but by a small and shallow pond we find a field of these candyfloss like flowers.
A lake always gives an awesome extra perspective in the mountainous landscapes, especially when it is as clear and blue as this one.
A white reindeer is grazing by the trail. It is not shy at all and ignores us while looking for food. On the way back we will meet it again.
I will never loose the fascination for the Norwegian landscapes, where sea and summits meet. I paddled to Grindøya – the island in the middle – several times. In the back lies mountain range on the island Kvaløya. This island is more than 1200 times larger than Grindøya and mainland Norways 5th largest island.
The weather has become warm and summery. Anyhow you can see the signs that the summer comes to an end. The colours have started changing.
On our way back we use Sherpatrappa again and get an awesome view on the town. Tromsø in a nutshell: Two Hurtigruten ships – the bridge Tromsøbrua – the iconic church Ishavskatedralen. And in the background the mountain Kjølen, where I’ve seen the midnight sun seven weeks ago (I and II).
Takk for turen, Chris!
Kayaking around Håkøya
Yesterday I finally had time to join the Thursday paddling in Tromsø again. The weather was calm and the tour leaders suggested to take a tour to the island Håkøya. After the usual preparations I entered the club’s kayak that I’d reserved – a Valley Etain 17,5 – waited for the others to be ready and off we went. Fourteen paddlers we were, including the tour leaders.
First we head west over the sound Sandnessundet. After 3 km we reach the northern tip of the island Håkøya.
First I was a bit disappointed about the gathering clouds after the clear and sunny day. Then I realised again, what wonderful light the combination of clouds and the low sun can produce. The houses and farms on the island look extremely picturesque in this light.
We slow down a bit and go on land to take a break. While sitting, eating, chatting we decide to circumvent Håkøya. Great – a new tour for me!
We enter the kayaks and continue our counterclockwise circumvention. Since I’ve been on Håkøya before I’m looking forward to some of the attractions such as the red sail boat anchoring near the shore and especially the 330-metre-long bridge Håkøybrua, built 1961 with its prominent wooden construction.
What however comes completely unexpected are the three catamarans anchoring on the southern side of the bridge. Huge, modern and probably ridiculously expensive sailing catamarans. What a contrast to the other sailing boats and the wooden bridge.
It is half an hour to sunset. The clear sky in the southeast has turned red and the light on the mountains is spectacular. Alas, My only camera on the water is my iPhone, so no telephoto shots.
When we reach the east side of the island the sea is getting rougher and choppier. The next photo is probably my favourite shot from the tour showing the sea, the evening light and some of my kayaking mates.
With the waves comes the wind and of course it comes right from the front. Together with the waves I have to focus more on paddling than on taking pictures on the last 3½ kilometres. Just two snapshots. On the second one you may see the lights at the kayaks. We’re in navigable waters with commercial traffic and we have to be seen. I have a light on the kayak as well and a second one attached to my life vest. And by the way, the clouds are vanishing.
After 13.5 km we arrive at the boat houses of the Tromsø Sea Kayakers Club at half past nine and it is pretty dark. Soon the kayak season will be limited not by temperature but by available daylight. Until then I’ll hopefully can join some more “Thursday paddlings”.
Here is a map of our route (including some zigzagging when taking photos.
I want to thank my paddling mates for good company and our tour guides for guiding and guarding. Takk for turen!
The end of high summer in Tromsø
One month ago was the last polar day in Tromsø, where the sun did not set at all. Now it gets dark again in the night. Rain clouds may help as well to make it darker and I got a lot of help from them, when I made an evening stroll through the forests nearby yesterday evening.
It was still light when I set off and it was raining. The big leaves of the wood cranesbill (Geranium sylvaticum) beside the forest paths had started to turn yellow.
The small, grass-covered bogs always look like autumn. The vegetation is just yellower and browner. Because of the recent rain they were pretty wet and partly covered with water.
There were still flowers in bloom, like the pink fireweed and the thistle in the next photo, but more and more it was the leaves bringing the colour—like the wood cranesbill, whose leaves turn a vivid red in autumn.
Most of the forest paths were mostly dry but some of them had turned into deep water puddles. Rubber boots came in handy.
Half past nine – it was getting darker. Now and then I caught a glimpse of city lights through the trees, but most of the time I was away from town—sometimes going cross-country through the forest, sometimes staying on the paths.
Another sign of autumn was starting to show. Various mushrooms have popped up beside the path. I don’t pick them—I haven’t got a clue about mushrooms—but I do enjoy spotting them.
When I came home at 22:20 my rain clothes were so soaking wet, that I hung them into the shower. Today was the first day after months, where I put on the electrical heating in the living room.
Midnight sun on the Stor-Kjølen – part II
I slept better than expected in the shelter on top of the mountain Stor–Kjølen (790 masl) that I hiked up the previous day. At 7 o’clock I get up and enjoy strolling around the plateau under a deep blue sky. Thank you, DNT, for maintaining this shelter.
At half past seven I start my way back. The sun is high in the sky.
The plateau summit resembles a desert of stones with hardly any plant beside of lichens and some tufts of grass. The first plant that catches my eye when descending the summit is a flowering ground cover. If the AI is correct, it is silene acaulis, also known as moss campion or cushion pink.
Again I cross the huge snow field. I see footprints but no ski tracks. Skiing season seams finally to be over.
Navigation is easy. Sometimes I go astray, since there are so many parallel paths – this hike is quite popular. But with the help of the painted red dots it is easy to find back to the main track. The cairns – Scottish Gaelic for a man-made pile of stones – can be used for navigation as well. Great in fog! However, use them with caution. Tourists love to build these all over the mountains on random places.
While coming down the mountain the landscape slowly changes. The ground is more and more overgrown and to the right there are several lakes.
As the day before I pass a small valley. Now it lies in the sun. It looks very idyllic with its lakes, streams and its birch trees. One day I have to check how to go there.
Another stream to cross, another lake to view …
… and I’m on the home stretch. Soon I can see the gravel car park. One of the grey cars is mine. But still the terrain is hilly and in no time the car park disappears from view again.
By 9:45 I am back at the car. I was incredibly slow — a luxury you can afford when you’re hiking alone and stopping to take photos.
Later that day I stand on my balcony. The view is mostly blocked by large trees. Birches, willows, rowans. Through the gaps I can spot the mountains. And if you look carefully on the next photo, you may spot a tiny white dot on the top of a snowy mountain. That’s the radar station of Stor-Kjølen. I’ve been there last night.
Midnight sun on the Stor-Kjølen
Yes, I was tired Saturday evening after travelling back from Obbola to Tromsø. But the weather was so nice and I already had started thinking about going up the mountain Stor-Kjølen for experiencing the midnight sun up there. Finally I made a decision. Let’s go. I packed water, a camping mat, a sleeping back, but most of all my camera equipment and went off. It is only a twenty minute drive to the lake Finnvikvatnet on the island Kvaløya where I parked my car. From there it is round 5½ km to the top and a good 500 metres of elevation gain.
When I start my tour at around 10 o’clock the sun is low. The sun is low, but it won’t set tonight – and not for the next twenty days either. The landscape glows in warm colours. The ground is dry, but soon I cross the first tiny snowfield.
The path winds its way through grassy terrain scattered with stones and rocks. Stray snowfields lie on both sides of the path and the radar station on top of Stor-Kjølen has come into view.
The first lake flanks the trail. Slowly, the terrain is becoming rockier.
I look back and already now the hiking tour was a success. Lakes, hills – some grassy, some rocky – and at the horizon a mountain range. So beautiful in the warm light of the low sun.
For a while, grassy patches and rocky ground alternate …
… then the altitude takes command. Only snow and rocks are present and the vegetation is reduced mostly to mosses and lichens. I have to cross a large snow field but the ground is not slippery.
But then I arrive on the stone-covered plateau of Stor-Kjølen, where I can see a small cairn in front of me, a tall cairn marking the summit and the radar station. And if you look closely you can see a small cabin in front of the station. It’s a shelter for hikers. I’m alone, so I can use it for the night.
I want to take photos of the midnight sun, so I start experimenting with some sun-facing shots. These photos are much darker than reality. While the light is warm, it is still bright daylight.
The mountains and the sea all glow in hazy orange hues when I look against the sun.
But I have a mission – taking a photo of the midnight sun. Here it is. Unfortunately there is a small, transparent cloud in front of the sun that makes it look like a white splotch instead of a circle. Bad luck!
Bad luck? Not really. We have summer time, so the lowest position of the sun is one hour later – or a bit more accurate 0:48 due to local solar time. So I had some spare time to take more photo from the stone-covered flat top.
Then it was time: The sun as its lowest position. Ok – I was three minutes late, but the solar path is so flat that it doesn’t matter when taking photos. The light is the same. And eventually the little cloud was vanished.
Just a selfie with my mobile phone, then it is time for bed, at last. (A down hoodie? Yes – it is windy and only +5 °C.)
I enter the shelter, roll out my sleeping mat on the floor and lie down, using my sleeping bag as a blanket. Cluck-cluck, cackle-cackle! What’s that? I peek out of the door and see that the hour of the ptarmigans has started. All around, these galliforms dart about, filling the air with their typical clucking. I am too tired to start another photo hunt so I just take some snapshots. (These photos are heavily cropped.)
But then it is finally time to sleep. The shelter is filled with light, the camping mats (I found another one in the shelter) are thin and the ground is hard. But then I doze off and …
… sleep. At least for a couple of hours.
Dundret
It rained a lot in Gällivare when Annika and I were there some days ago. On Wednesday however the weather forecast said there’d be a bit of sun in the afternoon, so we planned to hike on the Dundret. Dundret is just around the corner and a solitary mountain, a so-called inselberg. I skied up there in Winter 2012. In summer you can take your car and drive up almost all the way.
Indeed it had stopped raining and we had some sun and blue sky when we started our hike.
As in many Scandinavian hiking areas there are summer and winter trails. The winter trails are marked with red crosses that lead over the “kalfjäll”.
Kalfjäll is the Swedish word for the alpine tundra above the tree line. The dwarf birch growing here is technically a tree, but you wouldn’t think so at first glance. It has no visible trunk, and its branches sprawl low across the ground.
We splotted some flowers in bloom such as the mountain-Heath, the alpine azalea or the lapland lousewort.
It got cloudy on our hike, but at least it didn’t rain.
After some hours of hiking (and some mosquito contacts) we arrived at the car and drove down again. On some of the slopes there was still a bit of snow.
For me Dundret is a mountain for hiking and back-country skiing, but it is also a ski resort.
Near the station at the bottom we were sitting for a while enjoying our waffle with jam and cream before we drove back to the Gällivare camping ground. When we arrived there it started to rain heavily. Good timing I would say.
And here two winter photos from Dundret when I was there in February 2012. Seems like ages ago.
A stroll through the bog Torsmyran
Yesterday I visited the bog Torsmyran again. It has been almost five years since I was there. Torsmyran is a nature reserve that lies by the road E4. You can park there and easily walk on the wooden planks to the observation platform.
I have my long walking stick with me, both mobile phone and camera are waterproof and spare clothes are in the car. I am ready to leave the wooden walkway and take some photos. There are some heather-covered ridges that lead through the labyrinth of peat moss and ponds. Here it is easy to walk. Sometimes there are wet, mossy passages. And there is an old boardwalk crossing the bog, but would you trust it?
So it is not easy to reach some of the motives and for each photo I take there are five others I didn’t because there was no way to get there.
Taking photos takes some time, not only because of the terrain but also because I sometimes wait for a cloud to pass. The intense bog colours in sunshine are incredible.
After some hours of taking photos and finding routes through the maze I go back to the platform and then the car. I gladly change into clean and dry clothes and I think, I should pay Torsmyran a visit more often than every five years.
It’s June in Tromsø
After a week in my hometown Bremen in Germany I returned to Tromsø yesterday. This morning I took a tour through the nature of the northern island. The landscape is mostly wooded hills, with a few bogs and lakes dotted around. I was curious about two things: how much snow is left and have the birch trees got their leaves?
More and more snow is gone. However some of the forest floor is still covered with dirty snow, sometimes up to half a metre and more.
You can still see last winter’s cross-country ski trails. The pressure of many thousand skiers has squeezed the snow making it more compact. Like white ribbons, these paths wind their way through the forest.
Other paths give no hint that winter ever touched that place.
The moorland with its spongy ground is completely clear of snow. And so are the lakes.
However, although it is already 1st of June the colours look more like late October. But if you look a bit closer you see the signs of springs such as the blooming marsh-marigold and the birch leaves that finally start to grow and unfold on some of the trees.
Fremdriftstak
Monday 19 May
On Monday I joined a kayak training on fremdriftstak. That’s Norwegian for forward stroke, the most basic kayak stroke. We had two experienced trainers, one for the euro paddle, one for the Greenland paddle. I joined the euro paddle group and learned some new details that hopefully will help me kayaking a bit more effortlessly in the future. The weather was a mixture of sun and clouds and the last hour it rained. Doesn’t matter, we are fully waterproofed when on the sea anyhow.
Thursday 22 May
Yesterday was the regular Thursday paddling with eighteen eager kayakers and fantastic spring weather. I joined the group kayaking to the island Grindøya as the week before. While the tour leaders told us about their plans and checked, that we all know the basic communication signs, the colourful kayaks had already been brought to the shore.
My own kayak is in Sweden so I always rent a kayak from the kayak club. A good opportunity to finally test another model. I had used the same on Monday, now I checked it a bit again while waiting for the others to join.
We paddled to “Monsterbygget” – a large cuboid building that is one of the favourite orientation marks for kayakers. There we split and our group of eleven headed west to the island Grindøya.
It is round 2.5 kilometres to the southern tip of the island. A good opportunity to recap my learning from the Monday training. It went well but it will take time until it is in the muscle memory. At the small bay with the sandy beach we parked our kayaks. This is one of the two locations where you may enter the island during the bird breeding season. Time for a break, enjoying the sun, drinking water and eating chocolate.
On our way back we paddled along the western shore of the island. We saw a lot of eider ducks and other sea birds that I cannot name. After two kilometres we had passed the northern tip and were heading back to Tromsøya crossing the strait Sandnessundet.
This is a great season for paddling, especially on such a sunny day. The coast is green, the sea is blue (and very cold) and the mountains are still covered with snow.
In the south we could spot a ship. Where will it go? We decided to wait. The ship was sailing along the strait and since ships are not only much bigger than us but also much faster we decided to paddle back a bit and then to a sea mark north to wait for the ship to pass.
First the ship’s movements were hardly visible but when it approached it seemed to become faster and faster. While it was passing we spotted another ship in the distance, this time in the south and decided to cross the strait instantly. I took two photos, then I had to keep up and since we wanted to cross the strait quickly I didn’t make any further photos.
At half past nine we were back at the boat houses. Takk for turen – thanks for the tour!
Today
I’m proud. I paddled 11.3 km yesterday and I don’t have any pain in my right arm as occasionally after other tours. Just for that the training on fremdriftstak this Monday was a full success. Thanks, B. for your tipps and advice.
These are the two recorded tracks from kayaking to Grindøya. The first one from last week, the second one from yesterday.
