Saksun to Lonna, Jun 10th

After having that glimpse of Saksun from the trail, I drove around and headed there to check it out. At the very least, I wanted to see that shallow lagoon that opens to the sea and maybe hike out to the Lonna Bay. When I got there, I parked at the end of the road and started hiking down with the lake in front of me

After passing a short canyon, where the road and a small creek is, you can see the little village of Saksun to the right on the other side of the lakelet up in a hill.

I passed a sign that said to be careful with the tide as you could get trapped on the other side. As I walked on sand, I could envision how that would happen. Even though the path was wide, it was very flat, and nothing could contain the water if it started coming up. A smaller section up ahead was a bit trickier as the water was closer to the rocks. Looking at distance, I figured I had enough tine to go out and come back before the water got too high

That path eventually took me all the way to the outer bay where I walked across the beach. It was kind of surreal to be walking on a beach this far north

I stayed thee for a bit and then retraced my steps back to the car. One section got a bit trickier and I had to scramble over slippery rocks, but it was no big deal. I managed to keep my shoes dry

You can see the rest of the pictures here

Midvagur to Traelanipa, Jun 9th

There are two or three hikes in the Faroe Islands that ended up being epic mostly for scenery. This is one of them, and in fact, this hike is one of the things that drove to me go all the way to Faroe Islands and explore. The hike itself is not too long and doesn’t have a lot of elevation gain as compared with other routes in the islands, yet it has, in my opinion, one of the most incredible and mind-boggling views. The hike starts from the village of Midvagur that is close to the airport. The trail takes you around Leitisvatn lake that looks like something gigantic stepped in leaving a footprint impression while displacing the ground to the sides.

Far in the distance, a change in color tell you you’re looking at the ocean. It doesn’t necessarily make you think you’re in some sort of plateau, but you get that as you get close to Traelanipa. For the most part, the trail is gentle and goes fast up until you get closer to cliff. Then you get to a four-way junction that sits at the very edge of a cliff down to the see. In front of you are vertical walls that almost make the terrain look like someone just cut a piece of it. At this pint you can get as close as you want or as brave as you are, to the edge. Views certainly don’t disappoint.

There is a user path on the left side that gives you better views of the right side, but it gets windy as you get higher. I took a couple of pictures from the point I got to and the retraced my steps back to the edge and continued on the trail towards the top of Traelanipa.

I circled around for a bit until I found a couple of spots with the view I was familiar with and was able to sit next to the edge with my feet dangling on the edge. From this angle is hard to understand you are looking at a lake that sits on a plateau and below is the sea. It almost looks like the lake should be the sea. Even without the angle covered with the camera lens it was hard to get that in your brain.

While exploring the top of Traelanipa, I saw a waterfall from the lake into the sea. The wind was blowing steadily, and clouds were rolling in. In the distance, a big chunk of earth is detached from the mainland and sits there in the ocean.

I managed to find my way to the waterfall which ended not being as dramatic as I saw it from above. I still explored a bit around the mouth of the lake and then headed back on the lower trail with the intention of taking the shortcut to the parking area. AS I did that, I walked right into a nesting area and was chased down by angry birds that dive millimeters from your head. Without an option, I had to stay on the lower trail all the way to the main road and then hike the road back to the trailhead to get to my car.

You can see the rest of the pictures here

Svelgabreen, Jun 6th

This last hike in Norway was a bit of gamble for a couple of reasons. It was way out there in a very remote location I was not even sure I would be able to get to and there was not a lot of information about the hike it either. Still, there was the promise of being up close and personal with the glacier which is always attractive so off I went. The drive there was long and tedious at first as I got off the main road and started driving on a winding road deep into the mountains. At first it was hard to make sense of where I was going but then I got to some spectacular lakes with the most amazing colors. I made several stops on the way, so it took a bit longer than expected to get to the trailhead.

Along the way I started realizing (and would corroborate later) that the lakes were man-made. It so happens that his area is peppered with dams and small electric generation stations tucked in the mountains. There are power lines everywhere and the roads were built to give access to all these plants. In fact, the trailhead is right before the road ends at the gate of the last power plant.

The hike started with a steep incline that was half covered in snow. Right there I knew there was a chance I would not get too far. It was probably to early in the season for this hike. What I could see as a trail was muddy and slippery and then there were sections I couldn’t see. It was hard to follow the track, but the views were making up for that. Looking back, I had little ponds and light blue lakes showing a very low water level.

Once I left behind the views of the lake and creek I hiked up on I got to a view of Mosevatnet, another glacier melt lake. I walked around in the area for a bit until I found a good angle to look deep into the other end where the glacier comes all the way down into the water. From pictures I’ve seen of this hike, I thought that’s were I was going but that was not the case. In hindsight I guess I could’ve just gone off trail to that area. It might have been a better destination for the day.

Around that spot, I found the trail junction separating the upper and lower trails. Both trails join further down but the reason is just to avoid what can be a difficult crossing in the spring. I took the lower route (the more difficult) on the way in and soon I found the area that could be more difficult. As I was coming down from a hill, the trail was taking me to a small dam with a railing as part of the trail. Further down a sign for rafters indicated a big jump ahead as I believe their route takes them over another small dam. That second crossing, since it’s also used by rafters, has no handrails so if there’s water running it could be tricky to pass. Lucky for me and with the lakes being so low, the top of the dam was dry and very easy to pass.

From there I started traversing snow fields as I made my way along an arm of Midbotvatnet, a much larger lake. This lake, in contrast to the ones I had left behind, was grey green and not very pretty. It looked more like a gigantic mud pit. I was also hiking under power lines, so it was not the experience I was hoping for, yet I continued with the hopes of getting to the glacier.

Then I got to the stopping point. I could see a path going over a snow field and another snowfield further ahead that didn’t look very promising. The snow was soft, and it was easy to break thru and going over a rock field covered in soft snow is never fun. I explored around for an alternate path but by then the hike wasn’t doing it for me, so I took a short break and started heading back.

On the way I took the high route which didn’t prove to be more interesting until it got me to the view point where I took a couple more shoots and then headed back to the car.
You can see the rest of the pictures here

Rotekot from Fossasete, Jun 4th

I met my AirB&B host in the morning as I was heading out to hike Buer Valley. In a short conversation, she recommended me driving further down the road until I found another parking area and hike up next to a wonderful waterfall. Being a local advice, I took note and placed it in my to-do list. After the hike to Buer Valley I drove and found the waterfall not to far from where I was and the parking area. Before heading up, I grabbed my packed lunch and found a nice spot on the other side of the road where I sat under a tree with ample views of the fjord and another gigantic waterfall on the other side. After that and under a very bright day, I grabbed my gear and headed up the trail and right there I found an old storage hut that was very interesting. The bottom was big rocks piled into the mountainside with the door below ground. Above ground, the hut was wood with the customary grass roof. What I found interesting where the two rock slabs on the front. Not sure if they were just placed there without a specific purpose or not.

Then I turned back and got on the trail and started climbing quick. After doing three hikes, I started to realize that trails in Norway are designed with a different goal than here in the US. While here we tend to have graded trails that are designed with horses in mind, in Norway, it seems they design them just to last and be functional. This trail, as the others, follows a chute straight up. Using stepping stones. Is pretty much a big ladder that will get your heart pumping pretty quick

As you gain elevation, you get better views of of the fjord and the waterfall on the other side. Eventually you pass a couple of spots where the waterfall nest to the trail almost splashes at you. In one particular spot, I found a side path to the edge of the waterfall. Mossy and wet rocks stopped me from getting closer which I wouldn’t have done anyway after seeing the force and amount of water coming down.

At the top of the waterfall lies Fossasetevatnet, the lake that feed the waterfall. Next to it I found a couple of farm houses and a cable car that descends thru the trees all the way down to the road. I didn’t see that when I started but it made sense to have some sort of help to bring materials up for those houses and farms up in the valley.

I left those structures behind and continued the rocky trail gaining more elevation. As I did, the sliver of white from the glacier popped in the horizon and I knew I was closer to Lisatevatnet, the next lake. Roughly at that moment, the trail changed into a foot path which seemed weird at first. Later, looking at the map, I realized I had missed a turn somewhere and got off trail. Either way, I made it to the end of the lake and, surprisingly, more farm land.

As I hiked on the lake shore, I saw sheep, a horse but no people. There were at least 4 or 5 houses in the area sharing the mountainside and the lake in an almost idyllic place. As I was looking at that, I was wondering how they get materials and anything else up there. The only thing I saw was the cable car but that was away down the hill. I’m still puzzled as to how they make this work. Towards the western edge of the lake I found the little stream that feeds the lake and took some pictures there.

I noticed the footpath continuing up, so I decided to follow it and explore a bit. For a while I snaked thru the bushes and got glimpses of another lake and the glacier in the distance, but t didn’t seem I was going anywhere. At some point the path got thick and more difficult to navigate so I decided to turn around and head back down the way I had come. Even though this hike was not the most memorable I did in Norway, it was very educational given all the things I discovered or realized.

You can see the rest of the pictures here