Purple sunrise over the Baltic Sea in Skelleftehamn
Home again
This article is part of the series “2017-02: Northern Norway”.
After a fantastic two week journey through the wintry Northern Norway Annika and I have arrived in Skelleftehamn today. But before I could park my car on my property we had a bit work to do: skotta snö – snow shovelling. A lot of snow came the last days and especially the 70 cm high plogkanten – the hard pressed snow of the snowplough – gave a good workout. I guess that 60-70 cm of snow lie on my backyard now, but I didn’t have measured yet.
In Sweden people use to say “borta bra men hemma bäst” which means “being away is good, being home is best”. I however like to be home but I’m fond of travelling at least equally and one of the reasons why I live in Northern Sweden is that it simplifies travelling to all known and unknown places in Northern Scandinavia.
Addendum
We arrived too early. We had an appointment in Skellefteå in the evening and when we came back two hours later, someone has taken away all the snow on and round my garage driveway. I guess, it was a neighbour. I have to find out who it was to thank him or her.
Slippery When Wet
We got roller coaster weather again. Yesterday morning we had -15 °C and in the evening about +3 °C.
Today Annika, two friends and I made an excursion to Kågnäsudden onto the ice. It was even warmer than yesterday (+7°C) and quite windy. The surface of the thick ice was very wet with many puddles of clear ice water and the structure looked like the rippled sand of the tidal flats in Northern Germany. The wind gusts blew tiny ripples over the large meltwater pools and it looked like the ice shield would reach as far as Finland.
But no – it didn’t. The wind and the waves had started to break the ice. We crossed the ice and went to the near island Kågnäshällan. We all were equipped with either spikes or snowshoes to be able to go on the slippery, wet ice.
Right behind the seaside shore of Kågnäshällan we could see the waves lifting and lowering the ice and finally breaking it apart. The rocks round the light tower were bare of ice – too warm was this season’s winter weather.
Along the rocky shore lay large blocks of ice. They glittered in the sun because they were wet and free of snow.
These ice floes were found everywhere. Along the coast but even between the small alder trees further on land. I guess that one of the high water levels this winter had flushed these ice floes ashore where they razored the bark from the thin tree trunks.
And the winter on land? Less and less snow – much too warm – I’m longing for colder weather and snow. Probably it will come in the beginning of May …
Winter Swimming World Cup and Scandinavian Championship 2017
The official photos from yesterdays winter swimming competition in Skellefteå
Light snow fall in the sun
This morning the temperatures were round -12 °C, it was cloudy and snow fell. The snow looked like crystalline down feathers and was so light and fluffy that you could easily blow it away. Around noon the sun came out, but it didn’t snow snowing. This is probably one of my favourite winter weather sensations and I love the look of the sunlit glittering and glistening snow flakes slowly sinking down, covering the ground with a gentle layer of white, fresh snow.
Another wintry sundown
Four images from the coast of Kågnäsudden
When I arrived at the former fishermen’s village at Kågnäsudden I realised that I almost came too late for the beautiful pre-sunrise colours. The sun had already risen above the horizon, only covered by some clouds lingering at the horizon far away. I just managed to take a picture of the big lumps of ice before it rose above the clouds.
The sun illuminated the Baltic Sea which was covered with rough drifting ice floes to a great extend.
While I continued my photographical promenade the sun rose higher – what a difference to six weeks ago, where it more rolled along the horizon and hardly rose at all.
Round some of the small rocky cliffs the sea was still partly open but the first heralds of frost were visible. Finally we got a bit colder weather and the temperatures next night expect to be round -15 °C. This could be enough to make the surface to freeze over.
Perhaps I’ll check the same location again tomorrow, but then I’ll have to leave earlier because sunrise is already before 8 o’clock.
Winter Paddling
Yesterday I haven’t had the time, but today I finally opened the paddling season 2017. Normally I would expect the Baltic Sea to be completely ice covered at this time of the year, but warm and windy weather has prevented that until now.
First I was unsure whether I should paddle today because of a wind warning (more than 14 m/s), but when I looked at the Baltic Sea this morning the wind already had calmed down. Some hours later my kayak lay on some old ice floes ready to depart.
I put on my waterproof neoprene suit, entered the kayak and started to paddle along the icy coast. It felt a bit like late April – open water, hardly any snow left on land, just -2 °C and only the coast was covered by a thick layer of old ice. That impression changed when I came to the Bredskärsviken between the mainland and the islands Klubben, Bredskär and Norrskär. Here the water surface was covered with ice. Not with large ice floes as in springtime, but with crushed ice of all thicknesses between 1 mm and 15 cm. I entered the zone of crushed ice which made my kayak bumping against some thick underwater ice floes I didn’t see in time but soon I was amidst the drifting crushed ice.
It took me some minutes to leave that ice zone, even if it was only some meters to the open sea. I continued paddling southeastward along the rim of the drifting ice. I could see two people crossing the solid ice between the island Bredskär and the mainland. The ice on that part of the Bredskärsviken had been solid for weeks since it is sheltered by the wind.
… in contrast to myself. I felt the wind freshen more and more and the waves got more and more vivid when I paddled along Klubben heading for the island Flottgrundet. Here I decided to cancel the tour and to turn back. Probably a good idea, because now I really had to work against the high wind. You could see the wind blowing tiny ripples onto the already wavy water and more than once I got my face sprayed by water and wind. I couldn’t rest longer than for four seconds without floating back and the thick neoprene of my drysuit may be great for staying safe but not for a workout like this. Soon I was quite exhausted.
Finally when I was almost back ashore I “parked” my kayak in the drifting ice to make some more photos. The ice stopped me from drifting back. Next time when I’m in the need of a rest period I shall remember that.
In this segment the crushed ice was some centimetres thick. Because of the waves had been constantly pushing and pressing the ice together parts of it stood upright. An odd view.
The last stage of my short kayak trip was less exhausting since so near ashore the wind was less strong and soon I was on land again. A nice first kayak trip 2017.
What happened next?
- I undressed the neoprene suit, put on pants, boots and a softshell jacket
- I put on the belt with an attached rope and carabiner
- I pulled the kayak over the ice and up the embankment to the street where I put it on the cart
- I fixed the carabiner to the kayak and went home pulling the cart with the hip like a five meter long red dog
- Home again I hung up the neoprene suit for drying, changed clothes and had a meal
Longing for snow and wintriness
The winter has been quite inconstant and too warm. When snow had fallen it melted away soon. Every other day in January the temperature has been above zero. According to the forecast it will stay like this the next ten days: A bit above zero, a bit below zero, a bit of snow, a bit of rain.
That’s not what I expect when living in Norra Norrland – the “northern northland” of Sweden. I’m longing for constant coldness, at least enough to prevent snow melting away. I’m longing for more snow than just some old hard patches remained from early November snow.
I guess, these ice fellows are longing for snow and wintriness, too. They look a bit sad:
The winter seems to be everywhere:
- Record snow fall in California (460 cm the first weeks of 2017)
- Record snow fall in Moscow (217 cm since late October 2017)
- Record snow fall in the Sahara (up to a meter!)
And here? New snow? No, нет, لا! That’s hard to bear when you’re a photographer that tries to specialise in winter.
Maybe a seal?
There are seals in the Baltic Sea, even in Skelleftehamn. I’ve been living here for six and a half years but never ever saw a single seal, neither from the coast nor from the kayak. Today this may have changed.
Annika, I and two German guests were in Bjuröklubb today and had a look at the wintery sea. The coast of the peninsula Fäbodarna on the other side of the bay Bjuröfjärden was hardly visible in the chilly, foggy air. The sea was partly open, partly covered with a thin layer of grey ice and some ice floes. On one of the ice floes there was something dark.
A rock? Probably not, since the depth of sea is at least 25 meter at this place.
A tree trunk? Maybe, but why should it lie on the ice floe?
Could it be a seal? I took my tele lens and made a photo. Here it is (which strongly increased contrast):
It really could be a seal, but I’m not sure at all. While I considered if it was one or not the fog came closer. And closer. And even closer. I took this photo before the fog curtained even these ice floes:
Home again I posted the first photo on Facebook to get help in the seal-question. These are the answers so far:
- A UFO landed on the ice?
- Nessie?
- Toyota Camry?
- Russian submarine?
- Elvis Presley bathing?
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle?
Well, the answers were probably more entertaining than helpful so I’m still unsure.
Any thoughts?