Friday Photo #603 – Trashing Lofoten

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Photo: Bags of trash left in open at parking near popular beach area, Flakstadøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. July 20, 2024. 17:15

This is one of those articles which I don’t like to, and shouldn’t have to write. But I unfortunately do.

It is peak tourists season on Lofoten here in late July and the streets are full of traffic and in the evenings it seems every possible roadside pullout is filled with motorhomes and camper vans participating in Norway’s generous camping laws. This summer will likely be the busiest ever on Lofoten, and the pressure among the local community can be felt. While there are always the usual summer ‘tourist chaos’ articles in the local newspapers, the intensity, and frustration among a small, but vocal portion of the local population seems quite high this year.

Much of the frustration stems from the failures of the Norwegian government to adequately deal with the increase in tourism – increases that the government itself has promoted. There is no tourist tax of any sort in Norway. Lofoten was supposed to be a trail program of some sort, but so far nothing has been implemented. This leaves small municipalities of 1000 people to more or less fend for themselves and supply the infrastructure for 1 million visitors. Moskenes municipally is one of the poorest in Norway and has been on a special government oversight list for more than a decade. Norway might be rich, but Lofoten isn’t.

The same applies to the roads and tunnels of Lofoten. The E10 might be an European motorway, but much of it feels like some small country road in the middle of nowhere that receives little traffic. Already this summer there have been multiple car crashes (and fatalities), in which the poor standard of Lofoten’s roads are likely a contributing factor. In the Nappstraumen tunnel which I pass through almost daily, I regularly see glass and plastic in the roadway from vehicles hitting their mirrors together – and last summer I was even directly behind one such incident which sent glass flying all over my van.

I could go on and on with the reasons the local population feels frustrated. But now I will switch to when I get annoyed: laziness and self entitlement.

Road trips in my van or a rented van is my preferred way to travel. I regularly travel around northern Norway and have made several (rental) van trips to Scotland over the last years. I reference Scotland, because it too has similar ‘right to roam’ laws as Norway’s Allemannsretten.

One thing I would never think of doing is just leaving my trash on the side of the road in some isolated area. And as much as possible I attempt to dispose of any garbage in convent area for the local services, and not some hard to reach location where trash collection might be infrequent. If I had enough room to carry the trash to a location, I have enough room to take it back to where it was purchased.

The picture here is what ended up being left in at the parking for Myrland beach over the course of a week or so. Inside was packaging from Germany and Sweden (and Norway). If you can carry a water bottle and tin of beans 3000km from Germany, it can be taken a few more kilometres down the road to the nearest trash bin. This is pure laziness and selfishness. You have camped for free in a beautiful location, and then just leave a bag of trash for someone else to deal with. WTF!

The people who left the trash here will likely never read this or even care. Nothing can get in the way of their convenience and laziness. But many such situations happen daily on Lofoten. And the local population is becoming frustrated. I will not be surprised if there is a total ban on van/motorhome camping implemented within the next few years, ruining the ‘wild’ Lofoten experience for all future people, just because a few inconsiderate people have been too lazy to take away their own trash…

Please enjoy your free camping in beautiful Lofoten. But don’t expect me or my neighbours to clean up after you. Leaving no trace is a key part of the freedom of Allemannsretten. If you are leaving trash, then you are abusing Norway’s generosity.

Camera Info:
Nikon Z8
Nikon 24-120mm f/4
31mm
ISO 100
f 6.3
1/640 Second
WB Daylight

Friday Photo #602 – A Sea Of Fog

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Photo: Looking across a sea of fog concealing the village of Napp, Flakstadøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. July 17, 2024. 00:52

It has been hot the last days here on Lofoten with full days of sunshine and blue skies. The other day on the way to hike Skottind I ended up in a conversation with one of the nearby residents who said this has been the best summer since 1955! I’m not sure how true that is, though it has definitely been above average in my opinion. But…

As I wrote a few weeks back in Friday Photo #599, there is one thing that the weather forecasting doesn’t account well for – the nightly fog monster which envelops the lower elevations on Lofoten’s northern coast. So while the weather forecasts is accurate of Leknes and other areas that avoid the fog – hot sunny days can always be a bit risky on the northern coast.

I was planning on posting a nice image of one of the last nights of midnight sun taken earlier on this evening, but I think this image is a good example to show how much difference just a little bit of elevation can make – the fog here is concealing everything below 150m or so.

This whole evening it had been t-shirt weather as I was photographing up in the mountains of Flakstadøy. Below me though, I could see the fog concealing the landscape and blocking out any views of the midnight sun for the many people camped at Storsandnes beach as I drove by earlier in the evening.

On my way back home, the route descended into the fog you see here. The temperature dropped immediately as I entered into the mist and visibility was limited to 20 meters or so. Quite a contrast from a sunny, perfect summer evening in the mountains.

If I was camping, I would have much rather been up in the mountain sunlight than in the cold fog down on the beach.

Camera Info:
Nikon Z8
Nikon 24-120mm f/4
44mm
ISO 100
f 8
1/8 Second
WB Daylight

Friday Photo #601 – Sunset Season

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Photo: Midnight sun illuminates the sky over the northern horizon, Flakstadøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. July 11, 2024. 01:00

The midnight sun is getting noticeably lower on the northern horizon and by next week it will once again touch the sea for the first time since May. And while the atmosphere of the seemly endless days will soon be gone, that is a good thing, as the next ‘season’ arrives on Lofoten: Sunset season.

Late July and into early August is when the sun just below the northern horizon during the midnight hours. If the weather cooperates, this is then the time of hours long, all night sunsets. Light for photographers which is far better than the midnight sun itself – which is more similar to a several hour long golden hour light. But it late July, the fiery sunsets arrive, where the sky glows for hours and hours while most of the world is sleeping.

One of the unique things about Lofoten, and the arctic in general, is that the sun is above the horizon all 360˚ of the compass. This also means that the sun rises and sets on all 360˚ of the compass. In other words, depending on the time of year, you can have the sun rising or setting in any location you want in the landscape. For a landscape and mountain photographer, this is useful for having nice light on certain mountains, no matter their orientation – you just need to calculate and plan ahead for where you wan the sun to set. So for many locations on the northern side of Lofoten, the coming weeks will be some of the best time for photography before the sun then travels too far south in the sky.

Camera Info:
Nikon Z8
Nikon 24-120mm f/4
59mm
ISO 100
f 8
1/250 Second
WB Daylight

Friday Photo #600 – Simply Summer

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Photo: Summer wildflowers glow in the endless light of the midnight sun, Myrland, Flakstadøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. July 2, 2023. 02:13

Friday Photo #600. That is a lot of articles about a small set of islands on the edge of the world. I’m not even sure myself how I have managed so many words about Lofoten. At times I have thought about slowing down or even giving up, but I know once I do, then life will bring too many other distractions. And missing one week will become two, then a month, then six months… So forcing myself to post once a week still seems like the best option at the moment. So next week will be Friday Photo #601.

July means summer season is in high gear here on Lofoten and the rest of Norway. The nights are still endless as the midnight sun remains in the sky for another few weeks, with then leads into one of my favourite times of the year – the twilight nights.

Again this week is photo from last year, on a nice July evening. I’ve, fortunately or unfortunately, continued my absence from home during the last week as I was guiding a midnight sun photo workshop exploring the Helgeland coast and Islands south of Bodø. After that, I’ve mostly been stuck in front of the computer, despite some nice light and weather outside the windows.

Looking for which image to post this week, I was looking for something from the first week of July anytime in the last couple years. And for whatever reason, I seem to take more or less a similar image to this every year in early July. I guess it’s just the way the light and the flowers happen to be at this time of year as I wander around the neighbourhood in the early morning hours. Or maybe I’m always looking to show how nice summer is at this time of year. I don’t know, but I found it sort of interesting.

Camera Info:
Nikon Z8
Nikon 24-120mm f/4
46mm
ISO 100
f 5.6
1/200 Second
WB Daylight

Friday Photo #599 – Summer Grey

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Photo: Misty grey summer weather over flowery meadow on Yttersia – northern coast of Flakstadøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. June 16, 2024. 18:24

This week it is another photo of less than ideal summer weather – a misty grey, light fog, cloaking the landscape and hiding the mountains and sun. However, more important to the story here is location. Just 2km down the road and further from there was a fantastically sunny summer day. Two completely different experiences just a couple km apart from each other.

This particular day was one of the more common types of weather conditions to be experienced on Lofoten during the summer – sea fog. Typically, the fog blows in from the north on otherwise completely clear sunny days. So the northern side of Lofoten can be rather grim and dark, while just heading over to the inner side of Lofoten will often be full of sunshine.

The weather forecasts don’t account well for the summer fog, especially a light version like this, and especially for the high amounts of local variation possible. But one sign of possible northern fog or mist risk is a fully sunny and cloudless forecast for a location like Leknes or Svolvær, in combination with a light northern wind of 4-7 m/s or so. Any other wind direction will typically keep the fog out to sea. So If I’m looking at the weather forecast and see full sun but a north wind, I’ll probably be cautious about making any plans for the yttersia – north side of Lofoten, which, unfortunately, is where most of the nicest beaches and many of my favourite hikes are.

Camera Info:
Nikon Z8
Nikon 24-120mm f/4
24mm
ISO 100
f 5.6
1/320 Second
WB Daylight

Friday Photo #598 – Midsummer midnight

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Photo: Midsummer midnight sun over the sea, Lofoten Islands, Norway. June 20, 2024. 00:00

Yesterday was the summer solstice and the sun’s highest low point over the northern horizon for the year. From now on the days get shorter – although that won’t really be noticeable until the sun finally sets into the sea in mid July. The transition from the end of winter to the arrival of the summer green is so long up here in the north, by midsummer, the actual start of summer, it already feels like autumn is not too far away.

But while the sun may have begun its journey south, thousands of tourists are speeding north in what is already looking like will be the busiest summer ever on Lofoten. In locations where they measure hiking traffic, like Reinebringen, there has already been over 40,000 hikers on the mountain so far this year. And with the tourism season not even in full swing yet, it will probably well surpass last year’s numbers of 215,000 visits, and 160,000 in 2022. It’s a good thing they finally finished the stairs!

But even among the busy roads and thousands of daily hikers on the popular handful of mountains, there still remains the quiet and hidden peaks. Trail-less mountains where one can sit in silence and enjoy the sun floating over the northern sea as if you are the only person in the world. This is where I will mostly be this summer – or BBQing in my backyard.

You may have noticed that I’ve been posting mostly older photos recently, while in general I try to keep these ‘Friday Photo’ posts more of a running journal of recent happenings or info. Most of the reason for this is that I’ve only actually been in my own house about 3 weeks total this year. After a long winter workshop season, I immediately departed for and overdue visit back to California, which then was immediately followed by a trip to Scotland – mostly chasing puffins on Orkney and Shettland – but more on that later. So, now I’m finally looking forward to a bit more time and home and hopefully I don’t have to go near an airport until sometime in the autumn.

Camera Info:
Nikon Z8
Nikon 24-120 f/4
24mm
ISO 100
f 8
1/640 Second
WB Daylight

Friday Photo #597 – Dark Summer Skies

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Photo: Rain heavy clouds fill the midnight sky over mountains of west Lofoten. June 7, 2021. 0042

Last week (Friday Photo #596) I wrote about the endless light of summer’s midnight sun. But that was only part of the story. The endless light is the dream, but not always the reality. And while yes, the sun will be above the horizon the entire month on June, it is not always present in the landscape.

This evening I was looking at a mixed forecast with an eventually passing couple hours of rain. I took a gamble with the forecast and headed up to an isolated mountain ridge to camp for the night. While I got some decent photos, the weather ended up a bit heavier than expected, so I never got much light. If I would have sat the evening in my garden, it probably would have been one of those sky on fire sunsets. The weather forecast for either event basically looks the same, but you never know what will actually happen until it does. In which case, hopefully you have chosen the mountains over a bbq.

Camera Info:
Nikon Z7 II
Nikon 14-30mm f/4
18mm
ISO 100
f 8
1/10 Second
WB Daylight

Friday Photo #596 – Neverending Light

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Photo: Mountains of Vestvågøy rise from a shimmering night sea, Lofoten Islands, Norway. June 4, 2021. 01:57

Two weeks into the midnight sun season and Lofoten is bathed in 24 hour sunlight. And the days only get bright over the following two weeks until the summer solstice on June 20th. By now I will be almost completely ‘nocturnal’ as I stay up late into the morning hours with the sun drifting over the sea to the north. This view is from my house on one of those late mornings. How can I ever sleep?

I like the northern lights well enough, but rarely will I stay up past midnight exclusively for them. And the same goes for any other light on Lofoten – except for the midnight sun season. For me, the midnight sun is the highlight of the year living on Lofoten. Without it, I couldn’t live here.

Photographically, the midnight sun is rarely the best light. But it is the best time simply to be here and experience the slowness, if not stopping, of time for a few short, but precious weeks.

Camera Info:
Nikon Z7 II
Nikon 24-200mm f/4-6.3
200mm
ISO 320
f 6.3
1/640 Second
WB Daylight

Friday Photo #595 – Two Seasons

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Photo: Mid May snowfall over mountains of Flakstadøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. May 16, 2020. 22:45

This week’s photo is a nice example of the duality of May – Endless days and and snowy mountains. There have been many weeks of winter in the last few years in which the mountains don’t have such a nice fresh layer of snow. So for it to happen in May is a bit more unusual, but not too out of the ordinary.

If I didn’t know the location of this photo, and that the light is coming out of the north at 22:45 in the evening, I could think this was more of an autumn image, judging by the defined snow line half way down the mountains to about 300m. Although fro the closer observer, the snow filled gullies running down to lower elevations give way that this photo must at least have been taken after a significant snowfall and colder period. And then knowing the sun is towards the north means spring is the likely timing.

Camera Info:
Nikon D850
Sigma 14mm f/1.8
14mm
ISO 100
f 10
1/15 Second
WB Daylight

Friday Photo #594 – Still Snow

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Photo: May sunset over Skrådalstinden, Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. May 20, 2021. 23:33

With June and the summer hiking season just around the corner, the early season can still present significant amounts of snow in the inland mountain areas. So if you are looking for snow free routes, it is important to choose more coastal facing mountains early in the season.

Also note: Late spring and early summer is a time of increased rockfall. It is best to avoid hikes below steep terrain and stick to ridges and other open areas.

In this photo, on what turned out to be a fantastic sunset which I kind of wasted up on a mountain without any ability to change location, you can see the snowfields on the southeast face of Skrådalsdinen (770m), taken from Eltoftuva (361m). Most of the other inland mountains across Lofoten will look similar as well, especially the further east you go.

While there are still dozens and dozens of mountains accessible for snow-free hiking across Lofoten in the early season, you should be prepared for snow and ice across any inland or higher terrain. Which, if you are not planning or equipped for snow, will likely make many of Lofoten’s higher elevation peaks inaccessible until later in the year.

And watch out for falling rocks!

Camera Info:
Nikon D850
Nikon 70-200mm f/4
200mm
ISO 100
f 6.3
1/80 Second
WB Daylight