Senja - Norway, Part 2 - It’s got to be a’000s.
March 7,2024
First of all where are we? As a lot of you have asked. We are on the north east side of the island of Senja in a village called Mefjordvaer, about a mile from Senjahopen, the major village/town in Senja.
Although the holiday is about to finish, we have settled into our routine of sleeping, climbing, eating and repeat. Skiing down is part of it but occupies a mere 10% of our day.
A typical day goes like this. Farmer Mark is up before 6am (5.30am yesterday) to unload the dishwasher (very noisy) and make sandwiches.
Breakfast is anytime between 7am and 07:30 and by 08:30 we are in the car driving to or in search of our next “objective” (translation: peak or summit) or some good “aspects”(translation: runs).
Every summit or excursion needs to cover 1000 metres. If we have not climbed 1000 metres “up” in a day, we are not fulfilling the basic goal.
So out we go after breakfast for a few minutes or tops one hour by car to take a few photos and reach the base of our objective from which we start climbing.
The events on the way up are the classic: shuffle, shuffle, shuffle over ice and shuffle over snow with the occasional entertainment of a lost cap, lost sunglasses, the occasional slide or fall, Sarah’s kick turns on steep inclines, stops for 11s - and up to the summit. Rarely we meet other climbers or skiers. Except two Slovenians on Kaipen who were too hot and fast for us to consider.
Our heroes are experiencing every aspect of mountaineering including boot crampons and the ice axe!! But not harnesses and ropes as we are not crossing any glacier. Every peak has its own challenges but the common trait is the spectacular views at the top. And “spectacular” is an understatement. The combination of ragged peaks, snow capped mountains, snowy islands immersed in the sea (while eating farmer Mark’s sandwiches) is truly magnificent. And let’s say it: we have been very lucky with the weather: 5 days of “bluebirds” (blue sky) out of 6.
The snow skiing down is a mixture of ice, wind shaped humps, frozen “crème brûlée” and some softer spring snow when the sun is strong enough to melt the surface a bit; but, credit to Mark, the guide, he always manages to find a good “aspect” for us to ski down. There’s been not one day which didn’t please everyone in the group.
The rest of the entertainment after skiing was eating satsumas on the way back in the car; trying to buy fish from the local industrial fishery in Senjahopen - Mark succeeded in getting a massive cod after our third attempt, and “for free”; multiple stops at the pub (favoured by Mark the farmer and Andy the builder, with the excuse of buying wine for all of us); a culinary experience of Master Chef graded suppers cooked by our esteemed selves; and the evening spectacle of the Northern Lights which entertained us for two consecutive nights. And I am forgetting the hot tub!
So whilst we are driving on our way back to Tromso with the provisional “objective” thrown in the mix, and the hope of a glimpse of good weather (because, alas, the weather has turned very Scottish…), it is time to reflect on this latest adventure.
Did it qualify for a mountaineering expedition or not? Well, the daily grinding of 6 hours uphill and looking at your companion’s bum up front certainly had that feeling, and some of the crampons inclines too.
But, in the end, who cares? We had a hell of a time!! The word “epic” comes to mind. See you soon Senja!
