Photo: Summit camp on Helvetestind, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. June 4, 2017. 00:42

Continuing from last weeks photo over Bunes beach, here is my camping spot on the summit of Helvetestind. Truthfully, I thought about just sleeping out in the open for the night, though it had been a bit on the windy side. But I didn’t carry my tent all the way up mountain for northing, so I might as well set it up for some photos!

My main goal for a night on the summit was the last light over Bunes beach and Storskiva. But as the night grows late, the sun passes too far north and Bunes loses any direct light. However, high in the mountains, the sun still shines as it travels from peak to peak. It is sort of a guessing game as to what light you will get, where. Experience in the mountains here helps, but I’m still always surprised by something new. Which unfortunately makes it difficult to sleep sometimes, because as soon as you thing the light might be gone, something new happens!

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8
24mm
ISO 100
f 9
1/15 second
WB Daylight

Photo: July sunset over Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. July 30, 2016. 23:19

I think the color on this evening will take some time for me to beat! I’ve already posted an image from the same location for Friday Photo 188, but that was taken from my tent, and almost an hour before this image. One of those Lofoten sunsets where the light just keeps on getting better and better as the hours pass; my tired body from a long day in the mountains struggling with my mind which wants to keep shooting. Luckily the photographer in me won on this evening!

The previous evening, while hiking into our mountain camp I had seen the promise of what the light could be from this location. However, having not reached Vindstad until 22:00 on the Friday evening ferry, and a little bit of wandering around trying to find which way to go, meant I missed most compositions before the light had gone, and it wasn’t nearly as colorful as this anyhow. But wanting to hike a bit out of the mountains from our high camp, this location seemed like a good spot.

And it was! From late afternoon till midnight, I hardly had time to put down the camera as the light was constantly changing and there were a million scenes to shoot all within a few minutes of my tent. My total photo count for the day was 1,888 images, which for me is a 4-5 times what I would normally shoot, even on a day that I consider good!

I think I will try and get back here in winter, and see what this location has to offer then.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8
19mm
ISO 100
f 11
1/13 second
WB Daylight

Photo: Sunset camp near the summit of Moldtind, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. August 19, 2016. 21:22

The weekend saw me making a second, and this time successful, attempt on the rarely visited peak of Støvla, near Sørvågen in the west of Moskenesøy. Not leaving until mid afternoon for the like hike in via Munkebu hut and then off trail with difficult route finding to Moldtind, we arrived after 19:30 and set up camp on the flattest rocks which could be found on the entirely rocky mountain. And of course, nice views were a priority as well, with our tents looking directly over Hermannsdalstind, rising across the valley to the north.

As the sun grew low on the horizon, the late season snow glowed pink, creating a scene that looks more like winter as opposed to the last days of summer. The sky overhead was brilliant, in color that lasted long into the night and provided may more images. I kept high hopes for the possibility of northern lights, but as the midnight darkness arrived, so did the rain, which was my companion until morning. Maybe next time as there are still plenty of tent nights to be had before the winter takes its hold over the islands.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8
19mm
ISO 250
f 10
1/60 second
WB Daylight

Photo: In the clouds above Kirkefjord from the summit of Breiflogtind, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. August 12, 2016. 21:12

A friend of mine invited me along to join a hiking group she was guiding to Breiflogtind Saturday. The forecast looked somewhat okay, so I thought it would be a fun trip. However, as the weekend approached, the photographer in me decided that perhaps I should go up the mountain alone on Friday evening, camp on the summit, and then head down with the group once they arrived mid morning on Saturday. I have had a couple mid-day mountain trips this summer, where I wished I could have been around for sunrise or sunset, so it sounded like a good plan to camp on top.

Friday morning was wet and rainy at home, yet the forecast kept showing for clearing skies by mid afternoon and remain so for the rest of the weekend. So with hopeful optimism, I caught the 15:00 ferry to Kirkefjord and began my journey.

Breiflogtind is a rarely climbed peak in west Lofoten. It is actually more impressive looking at the massive 700 meter vertical granite wall of the east face when on the hike to Horseid beach. If you have gone this way, then you know what I am talking about. The hike to the top is not technically difficult, other than the fact that there is no trail, it’s often rocky and slippery and there is often exposure to serious falls. But the psychologically demanding part of the hike is staring up at the overhanging cliffs rising hundreds up meters above you during the initial half of the climb.

It took me 2.5 hours to reach the summit from the ferry in Kirkefjord. It was early evening and the sun was shining brightly. Life was good! Luckily I found a decently flat place for my tent and pitched it, mostly for sun protection, as I was still thinking I might just bivy in the open. But as the hours passed I began to see the ominous whispy clouds swirling in the valley below me. Soon, as layer of heavy cloud was swirling around the summit and my views were quickly fading into a world of grey.

And then came the rain. I had been hoping for a sunset or sunrise from the summit, or both! I got neither. I spent the night tent bound, as it shook in the wind and rain.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8
32mm
ISO 160
f 11
1/5 second
WB Daylight

Photo: Overflowing parking at Kvalvika beach – police have been writing tickets to cars illegally parked along road, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. July 22, 2016. 14:50

I have a lot of nice images from the last weeks to post. However, today I’m going to make a brief mention of the busy tourist season Lofoten is having this summer.

The pages of the local newspaper, Lofotposten, have been full of stories about badly behaving tourists over the last weeks. From people camping in cemeteries, literally peeing and pooping everywhere, and out of control parking situations at some of the more popular locations, such as Kvalvika beach in this photo. While summer on Lofoten has always been busy, things seem to have reached a critical mass this summer, and now changes are occurring – often meaning new fees for parking and the police out writing tickets, as they have started to do at Kvalvika in recent weeks.

A particularly acute example is Reinebringen. A while back I wrote a note about it being too busy and maybe looking for other hiking options. Nobody listened to me and the mountain quite literally fell apart to the point that a massive trail reconstruction is taking place now. The trail is effectively closed and the local council asks people not to hike the mountain at the moment while helicopters are flying around and hauling equipment. But again, nobody listens and I could see dozens of people on the mountain Thursday evening as I was alone with just a couple friends on a nearby peak (with better views). But in defense of the people on the mountain, there is little information provided, and even less in English or other languages, that the work is going on! So if the council only shares info in Norwegian, they are missing 90% of their target, something which seems to be an issue on Lofoten in more cases than just this.

And while the islands seem more popular than ever (Matt Damon even has been here filming the last week – they complain about tourists on one page, and celebrate Hollywood celebrities being here on the next. Go figure.), I sense that the local community has suddenly woken from a coma and realized that there are people here, and are now shocked, which is resulting in poorly thought out ideas to compensate: such as 150 NOK (50 NOK 8:00-15:00, 100 NOK 15:00-8:00) daily parking fee for parking in a parking lot outside of central Reine. No offense to the mayor of Moskenes, but when I saw the parking lot had been built outside of the village, and which was free for parking until the fees came into effect in mid July, I thought it was a good idea. Free parking just a minute walk away from the center of Reine will keep the tourists from parking everywhere in the village. But no, now that they are charging for parking, more people than ever are going to park on the lawn in front of the Bringen cafe and elsewhere in the village to avoid the fees. The opposite of the intended effect. And let’s face it, Reine is full of Air BnB rentals and the nearest police station is in Leknes. So it’s not like any of the local residents can recognize whose car belongs where nor will the police be around very often to look for illegal parking. But park in the fee lot now, and you can be sure someone will be around to enforce that.

The friends I was sitting on the mountain with Thursday night shared a story from the other week about some campers asking if they could camp on the lawn outside their house. When this was declined, as it was basically a few meters from their kitchen window, the would-be campers protests, saying that since they asked, then it was allowed! That is not how the allemansretten works, and it took my friend some period of discussion to make this clear.

So to come to something of a conclusion of this post, there needs to be a two way street of understanding between both the locals and the tourists. Again, Lofoten has always been a popular destination in summer, so for the local councils to act like this in an unexpected surprise and come up with short sighted plans is not an ideal solution. There are many creative and productive ways for the Islands to provide solutions to the tourism demands here – mainly parking, toilets and trash.

Yet on the other hand, it is up to the tourists to behave responsibly as well. Just because you can do such and such at home doesn’t mean you can come up to arctic Norway and do the same. If your impact is more than footprints or matted grass where you set up your tent, then it is too much. If I can see your pile of shit and toilet paper next to a rock, then you are not acting responsibly. And don’t complain that someone says you can’t camp on their lawn or in the cemetery! Be respectful and a balance can be found. Act like idiots, and you will be the cause of new rules and regulations, thus resulting in less enjoyment of this arctic paradise for those in the future.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8
29mm
ISO 100
f 10
1/640second
WB Daylight