Friday Photo #189 – Breiflogtind

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