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Norway 2007: The North |
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Monday 4th June: Alteidet - Birtavarre (149 km) |
Fridtjof Nansen, one of the great Polar explorers, came from Norway.
So did Roald Amundsen, leader of the first expedition to the South Pole.
With so much snow at home it is hardly surprising that Norwegians excel at activities that involve the cold.
In Norway there is plenty of scope for adventure sports such as skiing, climbing, kayaking, paragliding and base jumping.
Nowadays some of the youths are more interested in skidoos than skis, but Norway still manages to do well at the Winter Olympics, having won more Winter Olympic gold medals than any other country.
If we ever overtook a young local cyclist it was like throwing down a gauntlet.
They (girls included) would speed up to prove that they could keep up or even go faster.
Looking across Kvænangen to Kvænangsfjellet
At the start of the climb of Kvænangsfjellet
Nearing the top of Kvænangsfjellet
Near Rotsund, looking across Lyngenfjorden to the Lyngen Alps
We stayed in a warm, cosy cabin at Birtavarre
Karen's diary:
At 5.30am the beautiful mountain views were gone, obscured by low, grey clouds. The air was still and mild and despite our many aches and pains we made good progress south along the inlet to Burfjord, up and over a small pass and soon we were peeling off clothes - it was warm! Over the pass was another arm of Kvænangen. The sky was clearing and we had lovely mountain views again. The sky, the snow and the sea were like a painting, all in shades of mauve and blue.
Next was a bigger climb (about 450m) over Kvænangsfjellet. It was steep and exciting with marvellous views of snow, rock and water. There was plenty of snow on the top of the pass. A fast descent took us down to Lyngenfjord, flanked along the western shore by the famous Lyngen Alps. These mountains rise almost vertically from the sea, the highest over 1800m and are a playground for mountaineers. As we rode down the east side of the fjord we could count dozens of peaks.
Our intended destination was Olderdalen but when we got there we could not find a camping place. Now what to do? After stocking up on food we continued down a side-arm of the fjord to the tiny hamlet of Birtavarre, an extra 19km, to find a quiet campground with modest, cheap cabins. Good enough! Our cabin is right by a river, towering cliffs opposite and tall waterfalls all along. One can't complain.