Look who came back in Tromsø today!
Today is January 21st. And do you know who is back in Tromsø on January 21st? :-)
So we decided to gain altitude to try to meet Him. We take place in the usual cable car. Once up there, we face those always surprising and somptuous polarlights. Today, no clouds on the horizon but it’s really cold, an icy wind is blowing and freezing us. It might sound amazing but we are not yet used to the cold temperatures. Last few days, temperatures rose above 0° C. We even had rain! O_o
We hope to meet Him once at the top. Then we begin the ascent. The ground is covered with frosted snow. Each step is difficult: we never know if the ground will be hard and slippery or if our foot will sink in it. The constant sound of the wind-driven snow gives us the impression of being in an hostile place where nature is omnipotent. Walking is hard enough, and we slip frequently. Crest after crest, we still do not see Him. We should hurry, It does not stay long today! We begin to get tired and discouraged. We decide to walk down a bit, where the ground is covered by frozen heathens and grass. It’s less tricky.
When suddenly, on the way down, something draws our attention. The rocks to which we are heading have a red color. Bright red. We start to walk faster and surprise! While we were completely discouraged and about to go back, there He shows, powerful, warm and bright. You guessed it, it is the sun!
We barely have time to take some pictures that it goes away … This short time (about 1 minute) however was intense, and I can assure you that it’s really weird to see our friend the sun back in Tromsø after two months of total absence!
It is January 21st, the polar night just ended.
-julien
Hiking to Breivikeidet
This morning, the awakening is rough. Get up on a Saturday morning, it is not human! :)
Up at 6:30 am, we eat a consistent english breakfast (bacon, eggs, etc.). It is going to turn out necessary for our first Norwegian hike. My colleagues announced me an easy hike: “The hardest part will be the awakening! “. OK, why not… We thus drive at 9:00 am to Breivikeidet, right by the ferry in the direction of Lyngenalp — a place very appreciated by hikers and outdoor sports amateurs.
The road lasts around 50 minutes, with a clear sky although covered and strewed with orange-red lights. The sun is already present but will soon go away. Indeed, this weekend is probably the last bright weekend for a diurnal hike before the Arctic winter. We thus drive between valleys, lakes and rivers and we park finally on the edge of a road. The hike begins.
The first steps are made on water-soaked ground. Our steps create a ” splotch, splotch” sound, but our shoes are not muddy. Probably thanks to the omnipresent moss. The first part of the hike turns out quite simple: flat and small ascent through a forest of birches.
After some kilometers, no more trees on the horizon. The ascent becomes more complicated. We walk between lichens and rocks, dogs are running and having fun and humans are discussing. Among us, various nationalities: Norway, Sweden, but also Australia, Italy and Eastern Europe. Suddenly we can hear some “squeak! “. One of the dogs has just caught a lemming which was passing. The poor creature did not have time to see the winter coming. The dog owner removes it quickly from his mouth. Lemmings are toxic (but not mortal).
It is almost noon when the sunlight begins again to become warm and to color clouds and summits. A small break allows us to capture these magic instants. The ascent becomes then more difficult and patches of scattered and frowen snow appear. At this moment of the year, we are fortunate not to have had more snow.
(Un)fortunately we are not able to ascent up to the summit as it is covered with snow. It is too late, the sun is almost set and we would not have enough light to go back to the cars; it is 1:30 pm. After a quick but appreciated snack, we start the way back.
The speed increases, but knees begin to suffer! We take a bit of our time to leave a message in the guestbook of the mountain. It’s a common practice in Norway.
The light falls quietly and the twilight lasts hours before the black night comes. But we are already by car on the way back.
-Ju
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