Friday Photo #229 – Ytresand Midnight Sun

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Ytresand Midnight - Friday Photo #229

Photo: Moltind and Stortind reflect on Ytresand beach under the spring midnight sun, Flakstadøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. May 29, 2016. 23:48

In a few more days the midnight sun will arrive on Lofoten. And by midnight sun, I mean that the sun will not sink below the horizon. Which isn’t really at midnight either, but closer to 01:00, due to daylight savings time. But I guess midnight sun sounds more romantic than one-o’clock-in-the-morning-sun.

I always find spring to be a bit of a strange time of year for the senses. Or more specifically, the days and light are what I associate with summer, but the temperatures, especially this May on Lofoten, are closer to what I think of as winter. So I just need to make sure to brink my big jacket if I plan on sitting around the mountains all night long.

This evening had a layer of light clouds over the northern sky. Something that I normally hate during the day, as it causes a flat, boring light. But with the sun low on the horizon, it was just strong enough to for some nice, warm light to shine across the mountains.

At low tide, Ytresand beach has the potential for some nice reflections, and being just down the road from my house in Skjelfjord at the time, it was an easy location to get to for a quick photo or two. The mountains of Stortind (right) and Moltind (center-ish) form the dramatic ridgeline on central Flakstadøy.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8
50mm
ISO 100
f 11
1/15 second
WB Daylight

Friday Photo #228 – Stornappstind Sunset

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Stornappstind Sunset - Friday Photo #228

Photo: Last light over Stornappstind from Slettind, Flakstadøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. May 13, 2017. 22:24

The midnight sun is little more than a week away now, but I have already begun the transition to ‘night’ hiking. Though on off days, it feels a bit weird to stay up until 03:00 and wake up just before noon or so. Makes me feel like I’ve been out partying all night and then am waisting half the day, but I think I’m adjusting better than last year.

Slettind is now one of my ‘backyard’ mountains. Though there is no trail, a relatively easy grassy slope leads you up to the ridge at around 480 meters. Then some sheep trails and a few rock steps continue the way up to the 569 meter high summit. I have a feeling this will be a place I visit quite frequently, as the views are incredible.

Under the long hours of sunlight the snow is quickly melting out and the islands are beginning to turn green, though this year seems a bit on the late side, as temperatures have remained on the cooler side for much of May. However, in the mountains, it can still be full winter, and if you are planning on hiking anything inland or at elevation during the next few weeks, then you need to be prepared for winter hiking, not casual trail walking.

You can see the coastal side of Stornappstind is mostly melted out, while the high valley on the right side is still carrying a lot of snow. And the remaining snow is likely deeper area, while the shallow stuff covering rocks will be what has melted out first.

And another warning about rockfall. This is a dangerous time of year on Lofoten. Each time I drive the road to Leknes, there are new stones, and some of them quite large, which have fallen from the mountains above.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8
15mm
ISO 100
f 10
1/15 second
WB Daylight

Friday Photo #227 – Spring Snow

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Ryten Spring Snow - Friday Photo #227

Photo: Spring snow flurries over Ramberg from Ryten, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. May 19, 2016. 22:35

While the midnight sun is just around the corner and the nights are no longer dark, the last few days have seen the weather turn cold with snow flurries passing over the islands. Spring on Lofoten has a slightly different meaning than spring further south.

This image from last year in mid May, in similar type weather. These passing snow flurries, with the snow only really sticking on the higher elevations, if at all, combined with the low, late evening sun can provide some wonderful light as the long shadows fall across the mountains.

Though this is also a time of year I consider a little hard to photograph, as for the last weeks the grass is mostly brown and lifeless looking after the long winter. This gives most locations in lower elevations a bit of a ‘dead’ look in my opinion. Thus, even with fantastic light, I haven’t been out shooting much unless I can get to the mountain, which unfortunately, hasn’t been much, with the busyness of life getting in the way. But perhaps I need to head up Hornet soon and watch sunset over my new house.

Soon though, the fields will be green, then the first leaves on the trees, and then the mountains themselves. And then, summer! I’m excited to see where my feet will take me this year.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8
70mm
ISO 250
f 10
1/160 second
WB Daylight

Friday Photo #226 – Østhimmeltind

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Østhimmeltind - Friday Photo #226

Photo: Twilight on the summit ridge of Østhimmeltind (883m), Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. April 26, 2017. 20:49

Last week I headed up Østhimmel wind for an attempted winter/spring ascent. With the long days from late April onwards, it is possible to begin hikes in mid to late afternoon without too much of a worry about darkness – especially if you know where you’re going. And so we hit the trail around 16:00.

Leaving the road and entering deeper into Mørkdalen the snow got deep and progress became slow as I regularly sank up to my thighs. Though we were in the shadow by now, it was still a relatively warm day. Out route took us up a safe passage, away from any high cliffs over us, as on a regular basis, moderate sized avalanches would come flowing down the steep faces of Himmeltind or Ristind.

Spring is the time of rock and snow fall on Lofoten, so be careful in which routes you choose in the next weeks.

Finally reaching the summit ridge, where the fun part begins, we traded trekking poles for ice axes and crampons. Progress was initially good, almost easier than hiking the route in Autumn, as I had done previously. That is until we ran into a steep section of rotten snow and ice. We searched for a way around, which led to a steep snow gully exiting with a couple of moves on icy rocks. It would have been possible to get up, but getting down could be problematic. And so after hours of effort, we turned around about 30 meters below the summit – where there was absolutely fantastic evening light.

To this point on the hike, I hadn’t even taken a single photo, as we had been in the shade the entire time, too much contrast to the bright blue sky. But as we descended back down to the ridge, the sun low and casting golden light across Ristind and the higher peaks of Lofoten, I saw an interesting composition: A lone figure against the sky.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8
14mm
ISO 250
f 8
1/400 second
WB Daylight

Friday Photo #225 – Mannen

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Mannen Sunset - Friday Photo #225

Photo: Summit of Mannen (791m) at sunset, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. April 16, 2017. 20:04

My body still recovering after only half a day of rest from the first 4 days of my Easter adventures in west Lofoten, I found myself back in the parking lot at Å once again, with a new mountain in sight, and luckily, a light backpack this time! We were just going for a day trip…

Leaving around noon, we made good time to the end of Ågvatnet before putting on crampons and pulling out the ice tools for the 500 meter ascent of the couloir to the east of Mannen. Unlike the previous days, the snow was now firm and settled. Front pointing our way up, we made quick progress the the pass. I was confident that we’d be back to the car and I would be home in time for dinner – I was home for dinner, but not at a time I would have imagined!

One on the upper, north side of the mountain, there were many icy passages. We could have traversed out to the right and climbed up a gully towards a lower part of the ridge. But I, in my great wisdom, thought it would be funner just to go up the northern side of the ridge. So out came the ropes and we began to ascend.

Route finding was difficult, and progress was slow. 8 hours after leaving the parking lot I arrived at the summit cairn; the sun glowing orange just above the sea and a cold wind blowing across the high peak.

The sun had set by the time we began our descent, down the steep, sometimes icy gullies that we had originally though about ascending – it sure would have been quicker! There was some amazing light at times, but I was more focused on getting down safely, so my camera was stored in my backpack, out of reach.

It was almost midnight by the time we returned to my van. Utterly excused, but still exhilarated from an amazing day in the mountains. I could hardly get out of bed Monday morning, my body absolutely crushed.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8
15mm
ISO 160
f 7.1
1/500 second
WB Daylight

Friday Photo #224 – Easter Camping

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Easter Camping - Friday Photo #225

Photo: Room with a view, Ågskaret, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. April 12, 2017. 20:16

Last week was the Easter holidays here in Norway – and in Norway, that means going outside and doing stuff, or sitting in your mountain cabin. Since I don’t yet own a cabin, my tent would have to do. Luckily, the holiday also coincided with near perfect weather on Lofoten – at least sun, the wind would become a menace a few days later.

Wednesday afternoon, we headed around lake Ågvatnet and up the pass towards Stokkvika. Our plans were ambitious, a high mountain on the western edge of Lofoten that would take us 2 1/2 days to reach; all while carrying heavy packs of climbing gear through the deep snow. Trusting the forecast, we didn’t push the pace to fast.

As we arrived at the pass at Ågskaret, we weren’t quite ready to stop, but it was evident that the next place to camp would probably be further than we wanted to go. Luckily, there was a wide enough area on the ridge, that after a bit of digging and levelling, became the perfect spot for a tent.

The weather was fantastic and we got to melt snow and cook dinner in the sun until it finally sank into a layer of clouds. The mountains full of snow but the days are so long. I really love this time of year here in the north – perfect for cold adventures…

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8
14mm
ISO 2100
f 8
1/125 second
WB Daylight

Friday Photo #223 – Night Hiking

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NIght Hiking - Friday Photo #223

Photo: Almost midnight hiking above Vindstad, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. April 7, 2017. 23:41

The Friday evening ferry doesn’t leave Reine until 21:30. And even though it feels like spring and the midnight sun is just around the corner, winter and darkness are still fighting to keep hold over Lofoten. So when you don’t start hiking until nearly 22:00 at night, it is best to bring a headlamp along, even with a mostly full moon!

The snow was deep and route finding difficult, especially as waves of snow passed over us, reducing the already limited visibility. We only had 500 meters to ascend to where we would make camp on the pass, but this took over 2 hours of effort. I don’t think I finally zipped up my sleeping bag until just before 01:00.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8
14mm
ISO 2000
f 3.2
.3 second
WB Daylight

Friday Photo #222 – Matmora Winter

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Matmora Winter - Friday Photo #222

Photo: Winter on Matmora, Austvågøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. March 19, 2017. 10:33

Friday took me east to Solvær, first for a presentation by Tormod Granheim on climbing on 4000m peaks in the Alps, and then, on Saturday, an avalanche course up on Vesterålen. After the course ended in mid afternoon, we caught the ferry back to Lofoten with more adventures in mind: Matmora.

The sun was setting as we left the parking lot and headed up through the deep snow. Eventually, after some hours we cleared the trees and arrived on the flat northern ridge with leads to Matmora. In the darkness we setup camp and waited for what the morning would bring.

I was hoping for some nice pink light, but dawn broke flat and grey. Tired, I didn’t crawl out of my sleeping bag until after 8:00. Soon, we were under way through the deep snow to Delpheia and then up the ever steepening and narrowing ridge.

The weather continued to mostly deteriorate, and whatever clear moments became shorter and shorter before the passing slow flurries and sinking clouds. Had the weather been better, I might have had more motivation to reach the summit. But on this day, it was just step by step, continuing on and on. It wasn’t until the summit cairn appeared like a ghost in the fog that I was confident that we would reach the summit, and even then, I though, ‘what’s the point, I can’t see anything…’

This image is on the descent from Delpheia just before the route begins to climb again. The summit is visible in the distance, hidden in the clouds and still a couple hours away.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8
14mm
ISO 160
f 8
1/500 seconds
WB Daylight

Friday Photo #221 – Skjelfjord Aurora

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Skjelfjord Aurora - Friday Photo #221

Photo: Northern Lights over Skjelfjord, Flakstadøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. January 31, 2017. 22:56

Today is the last day of March, and with that, soon it will be the end of the aurora season here on Lofoten. Though there are still a couple weeks left, so don’t fear, if you just arrived!

Each day, the sun continues its journey to the north, the days growing by around 1 hour per week. And with the clocks having changed last weekend, I found myself driving home at dusk last night, only to look at my watch as see that it was almost 9:00 pm! And I hadn’t had dinner yet…

For photography, the days are getting long if you want sunrise, sunset, and northern lights all in the same day. However for life here in the north, it is perfect! The mountains are covered in snow and there is enough time to get up some pretty decent peaks during the week for those with normal working hours.

Back to the photo. I saw the aurora out my window, which from my house in Skjelfjord, doesn’t happen all that often due to the high mountains surrounding me. I headed out to drive around a little, but the aurora was glowing in a way that it filled almost the entire sky, and almost looked fake really – like I had just turned some clouds green in Photoshop! So I wasn’t really happy with anything I captured, until I drove home and parked in my driveway.

The aurora was beginning to increase a bit again, and with the fjord perfectly calm, the reflections were nice. So I walked over to a small jetty near my house and shot for a while. The lack of moonlight meant light pollution was something of an issue. But luckily the aurora was strong enough to overpower most of it, keeping the mountains greenish instead of mercury-lamp orange.

And the same as the aurora season is soon ending, so will my view of these mountains. I have exciting news that I will write about late.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8
14mm
ISO 1600
f 3.2
8 seconds
WB Daylight

Friday Photo #220 – Unstad Twilight

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Kleivheia - Friday Photo #220

Photo: Twilight view over Unstad beach, Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. March 3, 2017. 17:45

The original plan had been to head to another mountain on skis, but as we approached the route, there was far to little snow, so we headed for plan b, Kleivheia. The sun was already sinking into the horizon as we were halfway up the steep couloir, slowed by deep snow and some issues with my knee, which I injured skiing a couple weeks earlier. But the weather was too good to stay out of the mountains and rest, as I probably should have!

Arriving at the summit plateau, a fresh breeze was blowing and the sky was now filled with a beautiful winter twilight. Perfect! I stayed around and shot some images as the sky darkened and the village lights below became more prominent.

Then it was off to find a flat place for camp, not that easy of a task! And begin the wait for aurora, which would be filling the sky a few hours later.

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8
19mm
ISO 100
f 10
.5 second
WB Daylight