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Friday Photo #553 – Last Days Of Summer

Photo: Evening light shines over the mountains of Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. August, 6, 2023. 21:52

It is that time of year when I begin to remind myself to put a headlamp in my backpack – which of course will take me several weeks and multiple evenings wandering dawn from mountains in an ever darkening sky to actually do so. And despite a late summer heat wave this week, the signs are already here that the best of summer is over for this year. I’m looking forward to autumn, and have some big hiking plans, but I still wish summer would last a little longer here in the north. Despite the return of the northern lights in a couple weeks, I’m not ready for the long, cold nights yet.

Lofoten had a fantastic summer this year. Warm, dry, and calm, it was the best summer for a while. Even so, I found myself lacking motivation for much hiking and generally only visited my local ‘exercise’ mountains of Haugheia or Smordalskammen just to keep up a bit of fitness. This was also the first summer where I’ve felt a bit overcrowded. It was as busy with tourism as ever. But more so, local changes like new, expensive parking fees, and the closing of previously existing parking areas, have made it more difficult to visit my favorite areas. For example, it is cheaper for me to take my van to Værøy for a weekend than it now is to camp at Bunes or Horseid beach due the near extortion level of the parking cost in Reine – which is even more expensive than parking at the airport or in Tromsø or Bodø. If one enjoys hiking, it is getting expensive to visit many areas of Lofoten these days.

I also find myself looking beyond Lofoten much more these days, to other areas of Norway and beyond. I’m 3/4th through my biggest ebook project yet – more info once things come closer to completion early next year hopefully, as well as a new 200km hike which I’ll hopefully complete this autumn. So I’ve actually been taking a lot of photos, just not that much of Lofoten, and even less so of Lofoten’s mountains. Maybe once these two big projects (hopefully) are completed next year, I’ll feel a bit less pressure and will be out and about around Lofoten again. There are still plenty of new mountains for me to hike, even on nearby Vestvågøy, such as this image from Blåtind from last Sunday.

Head over to my Instagram account for (almost) daily postings of the local conditions here on Lofoten: @distant.north

Camera Info:
Nikon Z8
Nikon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6
125mm
ISO 200
f 7.1
1/500 Second
WB Daylight

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Friday Photo #552 – Lofoten Moose

Photo: Bull moose standing among summer birch trees, Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. July 14, 2023. 19:35

I’m too lazy to be a proper wildlife photographer, but when to situation presents itself, I’ll at least make an attempt. Even if just running errands or shopping in Leknes I’ll take my camera with me, as there’s always a small chance that something interesting might occur. There are a few moose in the area that I need to pass through and a few times a year I’ll see them, though usually too far for any photography.

Driving home on this rainy evening the other week I got lucky to spot a bull moose just on the side of the road and, more importantly, near to an area where I could park and not cause a traffic jam! Careful not to keep my distance, he sat there casually grazing while I shot through the rain until I decided I was wet enough. Not the most interesting photo in the world, but it is not often I photograph the local moose on Vestvågøy.

Head over to my Instagram account for (almost) daily postings of the local conditions here on Lofoten: @distant.north

Camera Info:
Nikon Z8
Nikon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6
230mm
ISO 1000
f 5
1/250 Second
WB Daylight

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Friday Photo #551- New Flakstad Parking Enforcement

Photo: View over Yttersand beach from Yttersandheia, Flakstadøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. July 19, 2022. 17:06

With the summer tourist season well under way on Lofoten the local newspapers have been filled with the yearly articles about the ‘tourist chaos’ and local Facebook groups are full of grumpy ramblings and pictures of motorhomes parked in poorly thought of locations – some of which were quickly closed off. And while this happens every year on Lofoten, one new thing is both Flakstad and Moskenes municipalities now have parking enforcement agents driving around and ticketing illegally parked cars. And from the looks of it, they are collecting quite a lot of money these last weeks!

Anyone who has been to Lofoten during the summer, particularly the popular hiking trails in western Lofoten, has likely seen that is no where near adequate parking to handle the summer tourism bubble. Up to this point, the chaos was generally allowed to take over, and while there were local complaints, there had been little to no actual enforcement of illegal parking. So one could park directly in front of a ‘no parking’ sign or block the road to where an ambulance could not pass through with basically no risk of getting fined.

That has now changed. All the cars marked ‘x’ in this photo from July of last year would now receive 900 NOK parking tickets if having done so this year. And it seems plenty are still doing so, as this parking lot at Yttersand beach has been a good earner for Flakstad recently as people often still ignore the clear ‘no parking’ signs and park in the turning area which is needed for larger vehicles like the trash truck to turn around. A closer illustration from above shows that actual parking area is only a small section beyond the turning area, in which 14 vehicles are parked and would now be ticketed.

Unfortunately, there does not seem to be any solutions to the parking issues on Lofoten in the near horizon. The local governments are not well equipped enough or united in cooperation to run tourism economies, while the national government has been terribly slow to implement much needed funding like a tourist tax in the Lofoten region. So productive measures like shuttle busses to popular trail heads or beaches have been attempted, but ultimately failed without proper funding and promotion. With the inadequate public transport across Lofoten if attempting to leave the E10, cars will still dominate tourism on Lofoten and the popular areas will continue to have insufficient parking to fill demand. In a cynical way, this lack of parking will earn a lot of money from unsuspecting tourists returning from their hikes to find a yellow 900 NOK parking ticket on their windshield…

Head over to my Instagram account for (almost) daily postings of the local conditions here on Lofoten: @distant.north

Camera Info:
Nikon Z7 II
Nikon 24-200mm f/4-6.3
24mm
ISO 100
f 8
1/320 Second
WB Daylight

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Friday Photo #550- Cloudberries

Cloudberries - Friday Photo #550

Photo: Arctic Gold – ripening Moltebær – Cloudberry patch patch in mid July, Vestvågøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. July 19, 2023. 18:12

As the long days of summer slowly begin to fade from the north a new season slowly emerges: berry season. Wild berries cover Lofoten, and all of Norway, and their picking is a popular activity among the local population. Blueberries and cranberries both grow in abundance across the wild hillsides of Lofoten. But there is one berry that is the most coveted of all, the cloudberry – Moltebær.

Wild berry picking as allowed under Norwegian Friluftsloven – Outdoor Laws. However, Nordland and Finmark-Troms have a special exception for cloudberries, which allow the owner of private land to prohibit gathering of them – though it is still allowed to pick and consume on the spot. I’ve even heard stories from the old days about fierce neighborhood rivalries around the best collecting areas.

This year, perhaps thanks to a wet and rainy May, followed by a warm and sunny June, they seem to be filling the hillsides in abundance as they ripen the the late summer sun. This large patch was just one of many along a popular hiking route. They are still a week or more away from being ripe, but no doubt a more than a few locals are keeping a close eye on them, waiting for the first signs of ripeness. I wouldn’t be surprised if they literally disappear overnight one day.

I must say that I’m not actually that much of a fan of them. I just find the taste a bit odd, and generally prefer eating my way up the blueberry hillsides when I’m out hiking. But if you find yourself wandering through a patch of bright orange berries in the coming weeks, give one a try – but keep an eye out for the granny peaking through the window curtains to make sure you don’t take too many!

Head over to my Instagram account for (almost) daily postings of the local conditions here on Lofoten: @distant.north

Camera Info:
Nikon Z8
Nikon 24-120mm f/4
46mm
ISO 100
f 5
1/500 Second
WB Daylight

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Friday Photo #549- After Midnight

Photo: Mid July sun hangs low over the northern horizon just after midnight, Flakstad, Lofoten Islands, Norway. July 14, 2023. 00:38

It is now the middle of July and the tourism season is still gaining momentum here on Lofoten. Yet, in another way, it feels like we are midway through summer and the long days of the midnight sun are soon behind us. I’ve been lazy thus far and have not hiked much, although this was also due to other necessary commitments keeping my otherwise occupied. But for some reason, even in the nice evening hours when the world is mostly sleeping, I’m content just observing life from my backyard most days.

Looking out my window after midnight last night, the sun has become noticeably low on the northern horizon. After 7 weeks of 24 hour sunlight, it will only last past this weekend before beginning to set into the sea again. Though, from a photography standpoint, this is good! As it means the twilight nights and multi-hour sunset-sunrises are once again here after, the dare I say, ‘boring,’ light of June with its 24 hour blue sky. The coming month is the one I’m always most excited for photographically.

Head over to my Instagram account for (almost) daily postings of the local conditions here on Lofoten: @distant.north

Camera Info:
Nikon Z8
Nikon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6
100mm
ISO 100
f 6.3
1/250 Second
WB Daylight

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Friday Photo #548- Kvalvika 2006

Photo: Looking out from my old orange MSR hubba tent sheltering me from the rain during my first ever night camping at Kvalvika beach, Lofoten Islands, Norway. July 23, 2006. 15:21

I had to dig deep into the my photo archives for this week’s photo: An image from my first ever night camping at Kvalvika beach way back in the summer of 2006 during my 2nd trip to Lofoten. This was in the old days when I was mostly just backpacking around and staying at the hostel in Stamsund. Every once in a while a group of us would pool together our money and rent one of the old used cars for 300 NOK for the day and tour around the islands. This was on the end of one of those days where instead of heading back to the hostel, and despite the weather forecast, I used the opportunity to get dropped off in Torsfjord for the beginning of the hike to Kvalvika beach.

I had never been there before and am not even sure if I had seen any photos at that point. I had just heard by word of mouth that it is a beautiful place. And so I found myself camping alone on the beach for two (mostly rainy) nights before hiking out and hitch hiking back to the hostel in Stamsund.

In the years since my first night at Kvalvika in 2006, the beach (and Ryten) have grown somewhat in popularity. In the summer of 2022 alone, Kvalvika and Ryten received 50,000 visitors. And with the people has come a concerning amount of human poop. Enough so that in a survey carried out by the national park, E. Coli bacteria (amongst other things) was found in numerous locations throughout the area. It used to be that I always believed the water on Lofoten safe for drinking, but in high use areas like Kvalvika, I always carry a water filter now after having gotten sick from likely bad water near Munkebu hut a few years ago. Drinking bad water will quickly put an end to your holiday hiking and camping plans!

Starting today, July 7, 2023, Kvalvika will become the first location on Lofoten (and I think all of Norway) to test out the use of Wag bags – poop bags for campers and hikers to help reduce the impact of human pollution on the landscape. [ NRK article here ]

Beginning my hiking career in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains, wag bags are already a familiar item to me, as they have long been required for high use, sensitive alpine environments like around Mt. Whitney – California’s highest mountain. So whenever picking up your hiuking/camping permit for that region, the ranger would also give you a wag bag and a brief overview.

Will this work for Lofoten? I hope so!

But I am also somewhat skeptical, as there are already too many signs of poor hygienic behavior across Lofoten – i.e. open poop and toilet paper should never be left out anyhow, that some people might feel pooping in a bag and carrying it back out to the parking lot is too much effort. Perhaps its just the easy access to Norwegian nature, or that in my early years I would mostly spend time in high alpine environments which require thought and effort to reach, but it seems LNT (leave no trace) culture is not as prevalent among hikers and campers in Norway. And with little to no regulation, education, or instruction on LNT principles, the idea that you can’t just poop next to a rock and leave it seems not be understood by enough users on Norway’s nature that it is causing issues.

On the other hand, if it reduces waste even by 20-30%, that is probably still a step in the right direction. I guess only time will tell.

The new wag bags will be available for free during the summer of 2023 and can be picked up from national park visitor center in Reine, and also available at the trailhead to Kvalvika beach – along with the large contain to return your used bag to after your night of camping.

Head over to my Instagram account for (almost) daily postings of the local conditions here on Lofoten: @distant.north

Camera Info:
Nikon D200
Nikon 10.5mm f/2.8 fisheye
10.5mm
ISO 100
f 6.3
1/125 Second
WB Daylight

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Friday Photo #547 – The Flow Of Fog

Photo: Sea fog over Bunes beach swirls around mountain peaks from Helvetestind, Lofotodden national park, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. June 13, 2017. 22:59

A northern wind on a hot summer day is always something that I’m weary of in weather forecasts, as this is the bringer of the fog monster to the yttersia – outer coast of Lofoten. Several times each summer I have to alter my planned hiking or camping locations due to the fog as it is better to stay on the sunny southern side of the islands than sitting in the cold, dark for cloaking the northern side.

However, if you can get above the fog, which usually rises no higher than 400-500m, then you will be standing above a sea of clouds and with mountain peaks rising like islands in the sky. On this particular night during a photo workshop several years ago we had simply planned for an evening at Bunes beach and to return sometime after midnight. However, before even leaving Reine, I could see fog flowing over the pass and down into Vindstad, so i knew a change of plans would be likely.

Though the fog was still initially somewhat light and the sun appeared from time to time, it was evident that it would mostly be a waste of time hanging around Bunes beach all evening, so I decided for plan b, and took the group up Helvetestind – hiking guide here, which I was confident would remain above the fog.

In my opinion, the view from Helvetestind over Bunes beach is one of the best to be found in Lofoten. Arriving at the summit this evening, there was no beach to be seen, only an ocean of fog. I’ve already posted a couple other images from this evening serval years ago: Friday Photo #233, and Friday Photo #245, but never this version of the scene.

The below image is just a normal shutter speed photo. I’n my opinion it’s just a bit ‘ehhh…’ and I would have rather had a view of the beach below in this case. In the above image though, using a 10 stop neutral density filter for a 60 second exposure, you can see how the movement of the fog completely transforms the image into something much more dynamic and interesting. Here, With the peaks rising over the flowing fog, I’m okay without being able to see the beach below. Which also reminds me that I haven’t been to Helvetestind in a couple years, so probably time to head out there soon!

Head over to my Instagram account for (almost) daily postings of the local conditions here on Lofoten: @distant.north

Camera Info:
Nikon D800
Nikon 24-70 f/2.8
24mm
ISO 50
f 13
60 Seconds
WB Daylight
10 Stop ND filter

Hiker on summit of Helvetestind mountain peak takes in view over coastal fog, Moskenesøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway
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Friday Photo #546 – June Wildflowers

Photo: June wildflowers overlooking Nappstraumen at midnight, Flakstadøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. June 22,2020. 23:53

I often see searches for the best time to visit Lofoten, which, in my opinion, is an almost impossible question to answer in that it entirely personal and there are so many variables. Even beyond the unpredictable and ever changing weather, there are a myriad of other micro elements that may make one person prefer one time and year while the next is looking for something else entirely. So there is not a one size fits all answer to when is ‘best’ to visit Lofoten.

The above being said, if there is a mood or feeling I look forwards to every year, it is walking around the lush, flower filed meadows of early summer sometime late in the evening after I’ve lost track of time, as time no longer matters. Perhaps it is merely because the long and cold winter is still a recent memory, or the fresh green has only been around a couple weeks. Or maybe it is because I know the midnight sun will shine in the sky for another month, so I know I still have many days of summer ahead to enjoy.

A nice and warm summer evening in June is one of my favorite times just the be here and and enjoy the timelessness of it all. Photographically, it is almost impossible to capture essence of it all as it is much more than a frozen moment in time. Much like I don’t think an image of the northern lights can fully capture the experience of seeing them dance overhead. A nice summer evening in the north is something that must be experienced.

So is it the best time of year? I don’t know. But for living on Lofoten, it is a necessary part of the circle of seasons and something I look forward to.

Head over to my Instagram account for (almost) daily postings of the local conditions here on Lofoten: @distant.north

Camera Info:
Nikon D850
Nikon 24-70 f/2.8
45mm
ISO 100
f 5
1125 Second
WB Daylight

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Friday Photo #545 – Twilight Ferry

Photo: MF Landegode ferry sailing into midnight twilight crossing from Moskenesøy to Bodø, Lofoten Islands, Norway. June 27, 2022. 23:54

The beginning of June sees the ferries switch from their winter timetable of 2 crossings per day to the summer schedule, of 8 crossings per day and ferries running round the clock between Bodø and Moskenes. If you are driving to Lofoten from further south, it is likely that you’ll arrive on one of these ferries. And if you’re lucky, it will be a calm sailing like this. If you’re unlucky, well…

You can find more info about the ferries at: Getting to Lofoten

Here I was actually returning to Moskenes after a few days out of Værøy, a wonderful small island itself. I would like to travel out there more often, but unfortunately, the winter ferry schedule does not have good connections between Moskenes and Værøy, so its really only possible in the summer.

I always enjoy the challenge of trying to identify the peaks from sea, as it’s not a direction I see them from very often. Here, the highest peak is Skottind, decending to Nonstind/Ballstadheia, the high point at the front of the boat. While the area further in the distance are the mountains around Justadtind.

Head over to my Instagram account for (almost) daily postings of the local conditions here on Lofoten: @distant.north

Camera Info:
Nikon Z7 II
Nikon 24-200mm f/4-6.3
200mm
ISO 250
f 6.3
1/500 Second
WB Daylight

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Friday Photo #544 – Måstad Shadows

Photo: Mountain shadows surround the village of Måstad, Værøy, Lofoten Islands, Norway. June 26, 2022. 16:28

Formerly home to up to 150 people at the beginning of the 1900’s, the isolated village of Måstad slowly became depopulated after WW2 as the located proved to be too isolated for the upcoming modern world. Now, only a few houses remain, mostly used as summer holiday homes, in the roadless village, reached only by foot or boat.

In the old days, Puffins were a source of food, and the villagers would hike over the steep mountains to the nesting cliffs of the far side. This picture is taken from one of those old trails, as I was on the way to Måhornet – hiking guide here, the southern most peak on Værøy.

Normally, I would like a little more dramatic weather, as mid-day blue sky is pretty boring and harsh. In this case though, I like the jagged shadows of the mountain ridge as it almost frames the village. On my way back down from the mountain the sun had already fallen too low and the entire area was now in the shadow, and the scene had lost all impact.

Head over to my Instagram account for (almost) daily postings of the local conditions here on Lofoten: @distant.north

Camera Info:
Nikon Z7 II
Nikon 14-30mm f/4
19mm
ISO 100
f 8
1/320 Second
WB Daylight

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