Ski and Paddle Norway 2009

Distance 18km | Time 5.5hrs | Ascent 320m | Descent 490m

I woke when the first people came through to the living room where I was sleeping at 0700. They were the 3 ice fisherman. A very friendly bunch as indeed everybody seemed to be. It was another fine morning outside but the temperature was minus 15.

I had decided to have a short day to Dividalshytta cabin instead of the tiny cabin at Havga which only has two beds. In fact either cabin would mean an easy day. I therefore decided to take up the outgoing and amusing ice fisherman’s offer to come down and fish for a couple of hours. I was curious to find out why so many macho men were obsessed with sitting beside a hole with a small fishing rod.

Before I went down I chatted with the two ladies who looked after Dividalshytta and the easy going couple from Harstad. Then around 0930 I skied down to the lake. The outgoing friendly sportsman was delighted to explain everything and lent me a hole in the ice, a reindeer skin to lie on and a fishing and tackle which he baited with about 5 maggots.

This lake and the surrounding lakes were renowned for big Arctic char, up to five kilos sometimes. The lakes were reasonably shallow and were rich in nutrients. These nutrients supported a high density of mosquito larvae. It was these the fish lived off and grew large and fat.

The method to fish for them was in theory quite simple. Firstly find a spot where you knew or guessed the water depth was about 2 or 3 metres. Then bore a hole with a 20 cm auger through the metre thick ice. This could take a good quarter of an hour. Then build a snow wall shelter round the hole to keep the wind off. Cover the bottom of the sheltered area with a foam mat and reindeer skins to lie on. Then bait a hook with 5 maggots and a shiny reflecting device. Many people threw egg shells into the hole and these lay on the bottom so you could see the fish swimming over them. Finally lower the shiny weight and maggots into hole so the maggots were suspended just off the bottom.

I did just this and then put my head over the hole to peer down to the bottom of the lake. I blocked any light with my head so there was no reflection and my breath stopped the water in the hole freezing over. I saw a couple of 20 cm fish come over and sniff the bait and then head off.

Suddenly a 40 cm fish appeared. I had been told the really big ones have white edges to the fins. This one certainly did. It swam off without showing much interest but then reappeared a few minutes later. I was getting excited hoping it would bite. It just sniffed again and swam off. However it showed up after another couple of minutes and gracefully swam over to the baited hook. I stopped moving it hoping it would bite. Alas it again merely sniffed the bait and headed off. Obviously they were just not feeding.

I waited another half hour and despite the sun and reindeer skin was getting cold. I never saw the white tipped monster again but a few small ones came by. I can see some of the excitement in it now having seen the big one.

I handed over again to the sporty guy and said my goodbyes. They had been exceptionally friendly and good company.

I headed back up to the cabin, said goodbye to the couple relaxing there and set off at 1200 for Dividalshytta. The weather was still glorious. It was a reasonably easy 15 km gentle descent, a steep km descent and then a steep two km of ascent. 18 km in all.

As soon I was away from the cabin I had a nice down hill run for a good half km. I went bombing down it on firm snow with a soft covering across a virgin slope. I suddenly got a premonition that I might sink in deeper if the snow surfaced softened. Two seconds later at about 20 km per hour I sudden broke through the surface up to my knees. The result was spectacular. From the waist up I kept moving at 20 km per hour while from the waist down I stopped. I pivoted up on my ski tips and was airborne for a good second before crashing chest and head first into the soft snow. Snow went everywhere. Behind my sunglass lenses, up my nostrils, into my ears and down the opening in my jacket.

I was lucky I had a soft landing. On looking back at my tracks I saw I was airborne for almost two metres. I was also lucky nobody saw it as it was a classic head plant and probably my most spectacular crash on the whole tour.

After dusting myself down I continued much more carefully down the slope to the floor of Anjavassdalen valley. To the west of me further up the valley were spectacular mountains and corries. I could not see it but there was also another famed Arctic char lake up there.

Despite the sun being out there was a bitterly cold wind coming up the valley against me. I had to stop to put on my mitts as the gloves were too cold. The route was a metre wide trail of ski tracks which was generally quite firm. These tracks eventually ended up on the frozen river under the steep cliffs of Blafjellet.

There was now a magical 10 km where the tracks continued to follow the river. Occasionally it was open in places but they were very limited and there was little water flowing in the crystal clear creek. The sun was beating down and the wind had abated a lot now I was among the birch trees. A dipper, Norways national bird, flew from river opening to opening in search of larvae.

After a fast ski for almost 2 hours the ski tracks split. I took the ones to the right as the one to the left descended to Frihetsli and the parking area way down the valley. The tracks to the right headed across easy birch forest and then descended steeply down to the depths of Dividalen.

There was a fine view down this beautiful forested valley which was green with pine trees on the valley floor. Dividalen valley was the heart of the national park I had been in for a day now and would remain in for the next couple. This whole area for me was a very pleasant surprise as it was much more beautiful and rugged than I expected.

After a difficult steep descent in deep snow with plenty of zig-zagging as I could not really turn I at last reached the river Divielva on the valley floor. I skied up the river for a km until I reached the ski tracks which went up the west side of the valley to the cabin.

I was worried about this ascent. The snow in the forest was terrible. It was 50 cm of sugar snow and completely uncompacted. The temperatures here were so cold over winter the snow remained very light. To go up through it without tracks would have been very very slow hard work. Luckily there were good ski tracks.

These tracks had been made by some 50 odd skiers over the last month. They were firm and followed a gentle gradient up through the magnificent grand old pine trees. A eagle perched in a tree took of as I neared. It was very close. Rather than fumble for my camera and lose the moment I just watched it.

It took nearly an hour to climb up the gentle tracks to the cabin. It was a pleasant climb in the evening sun. Soon the pines vanished and I was in the birch forest again which accompanied me all the way to the cabin.

There were already two other people here. A father and son team who had been fishing in a lake to the east. They had got quite a few trout. As most people I have met lately they were extremely nice. They were on their way home now after a few days camping by the lake.

We chatted a lot and I got some good tips from these two knowledgeable people. It was still almost still light enough to ski when I started the blog at 2130. Every day now is 12 minutes longer than the previous one.

It had been a good day. Very interesting with the ice fishing and then a very scenic and mostly easy ski all in good weather. This cabin was again as nice as the others and I was blessed with good company again. There was little more I needed. I did see some worrying first signs of spring through, like the odd blueberry bush poking its head through the snow.

Distance 17km | Time 5hrs | Ascent 490m | Descent 280m

I slept well in the cabin and woke at 0700. The stove was out so I relit it and had breakfast. The girls were up soon after. Breakfast was a chatty, good-humoured hour. After breakfast there was a small photo session and goodbyes before I set off at 0930.

It was a glorious day again with the temperature around minus 8. My route was initially up through the thin birch wood and then soon onto the bare hillside in Gaskasvaggi valley. It looked quite rugged up the valley. The birch trees stood out sharply against the brilliant white background of this bright Arctic light.

The route went up the valley for a good 3 km. There were a few ski tracks but it was not necessary to follow them as the snow was hard. There was some sastrugi formations which made skiing more difficult. After 3 km the route veered east and continued up. It was warm enough to pack the hat, gloves and jacket and just go in a vest.

All around me were impressive mountains. Although not that high at around 1500 metres they were very rugged. A few of the glaciers which had been shaping this landscape remained. The majority had gone leaving steep corries with small lakes.

As I climbed up the valley the gradient eased but a bitter breeze forced me to put my jacket and gloves back on.

The next 10 km to Vuomahytta cabin were quite unexpected and very scenic. I had assumed the landscape here was quite ordinary. Quite the opposite. The mountains on each side especially to the north were very impressive indeed As impressive as Rondane in southern Norway.

In addition to impressive mountain scenery the valley gently descended to give me a fast ski with the odd freewheeling section. It was still nice weather but there were some herring bone cloud forming above me and it was clouding over to the west. This spell of good weather seemed to be coming to an end.

I soon saw the cabins on the edge of the Vuomajarvi lake. This lake and many others in the immediate vicinity were famed for the size of the Arctic char. There were a few small fish here but also a few giants. Every year somebody fishing through a hole in the ice caught one which was around 5 kg.

As a result the cabin had a fair share of fishermen. Unlike Sweden however these fishermen had to ski to the cabin as snow scooters are not allowed. Most came with sledges. In the cabin I was in there were 3 more middle aged fisherman and in the other cabin were 3 older teenagers who arrived at the same time as me. They each had a sledge and had come from fishing a neighbouring lake where they had been camping. It was good to see such young people confident in the outdoors rather than sitting in front of a LCD screen.

While I was dithering about going on or not two of the fishermen returned from the lake. We chatted and they were very nice, knowledgeable and interesting. It was only 1430 but rather than ski the remaining 5-6 hours to the next cabin at Havga I decided to stay. As I wrote the blog two lady skiers arrived. They were in charge of the maintenance and running of Dividalshytta cabin. They knew a lot about the area and I picked their brains a bit.

Soon a very easy going friendly couple arrived from Dividalshytta cabin. Then the 3 ice fisherman returned from the lake with the days catch of a few half kilo Arctic char each. They ate some of the fish and let the others freeze outside.

I tried to keep up with the conversation in the evening but the soft melodic north Norwegian dialect was difficult for me. I felt myself getting more are more tired and eventually crashed quite early at 2130. I fell asleep immediately.

It was a another good day. I had been very lucky with the weather and have almost enjoyed 3 weeks of blue skies and sunny days now. The ski was very good and the company I had in the morning and evening was excellent.

Distance 14km | Time 3.5hrs | Ascent 300m | Descent 40m

I had yet another lie-in. This time to 0830 when it was time to phone the post office in Setermoen. Yes the skis had arrived from Tromso that morning and yes they were already in the small postal van for delivery later today at around 1300. Great my frustration would soon be over. There was nothing to do all morning except pack my rucksack and the stuff to be posted back to Oslo which was just old maps and a thermarest mattress.

I went through to Bjorn’s restored farmhouse to settle things for the guest house and various food and postage items. He said as I was doing Norge Paa Langs I could stay for free. He had also done Norge Paa Langs over a year some 20 years ago and felt we belonged to an loose brotherhood. Indeed we chatted for a good hour about many outdoor things.

Our conservation was interrupted by the arrival of the postal van. They had the skis and they were exactly as I wanted. No mistakes which was a relief. I finished the chat with Bjorn and then went and picked up my ready packed rucksack. After saying goodbye to a few of the new arrivals and sledging clients who were friendly I set off. It was a beautiful day and it was 1400. I should easily make a start by doing the 14 km to Gaskashytta cabin.

The first 4 km were up the gravel road to Altevatnet dam. It looked much nicer in the sun than when I walked down it in the snow a couple of days previously. Indeed the valley I came over from Lappjordhytta, called Salvasvaggi, looked absolutely wonderful and brilliant in the sunlight.

I soon reached the dam after passing a massive parking place full of snow scooter trailers and another unsightly area full of caravans. There were also a lot of leisure cabins in the area but they were not such an eyesore. At the dam there was an official marked scooter track which went over the lake to many cabins on the south side of the lake.

I christened my skis by waxing them and then set off down the scooter track descending some 20 metres to the water level. This reservoir was now emptied and the ice which had formed earlier in the winter was lying in metre thick sheets around the side of the reservoir.

The ski over the lake was busy. It was I suppose the first day of the Easter holidays. There were people of every age skiing, quite a few being pulled by dogs. There was also a lot of scooters, indeed a greater density than I had seen at any time in Sweden. Most of them seem to be going backwards and forwards to the cabins beside the lake but a few were picnickers and ice fishermen.

It was a relatively easy ski for a good 6 km along the south side of the lake past many cabins. I then saw someone crossing the lake about a km ahead in the direction I wanted to go. So I made for his tracks and followed him over to a large flat delta on the north side where the stream flowed in.

The man went into a gorgeous old fashioned timber log cabin. He came out and we chatted a bit. He looked quite a character with rustic cloths and a large white beard.

The cabin I was going was just another two km up the alluvial delta. It was a very easy ski across firm snow in an open birch forest. The cabin when I reached it was very nice indeed with a sofa and two nice tables and 10 beds in two small rooms.

There were another two people already here. They were girls from a small town in north Norway. And they headed off for a small evenings ski when I arrived. It gave me plenty of time to write the blog and melt more water.

Before the girls, Inger and Mona, returned I heard them laughing. They cooked a delicious mince dish and invited me to join them. Then out came some cinzano, red wine and even more jokes. It was a very easy fun evening with plenty of good humour. Eventually everybody crashed out around midnight.

It was a good day. One of my most sociable. First with the others staying at the guest house, then with Bjorn Klauer and finally with the happy ladies from Soerreisa. I was also delighted to get the ski situation sorted out and post another kilo from my rucksack. Altevatnet was a bit of a blot on the landscape but the very nice cabin and location of Gaskashytta easily made up for it. In addition as I reached the cabin I clocked the 2000 km mark.

Distance 0km | Time 0hrs | Ascent 0m | Descent 0m

It was nice to have a lie-in knowing there was nothing better I could be doing to further my tour to Nordkinn. Consequently I did not get up until I was hungry at 0900. It was a beautiful day outside and it was a shame to waste it but I had to.

I made a few phone calls in the morning to try and track down the skis. Apparently they had just arrived in Tromso and would be sent to Setermoen very early tomorrow morning. Once in Setermoen the postal van would bring them up as long as they would fit in the small van. Otherwise they would be delivered on Monday.

Monday was not good enough so I rang a sports shop in Setermoen. They had what I wanted. If the skis don’t arrive tomorrow then I will abandon them in the postal system and get skis from the shop delivered. As the ones in the post are not paid for returning them will ruffle many feathers but I cannot afford to wait until Monday for skis which might not even arrive until Tuesday at this rate.

Once I had this clarified to myself I asked Bjorn for something to do. They were collecting all the frozen dog dirt and shovelling them into a bucket. The buckets were them emptied into a growing pile. This job was done twice a day and I joined in.

In the afternoon I had a long siesta. It was quite easy to sleep long with the sun streaming into the room. A bit of a luxury. Indeed being a tad bored and restless was a bit of a luxury.

Later in the afternoon I poured over the maps I had to try and work out a route to Masi. It would probably take two weeks to get there. It was roughly halfway between Innset and Nordkinn.

Just before 1800 the barking and howling of 60 excited dogs started. It was soon feeding time and their Pavlovian jucies were starting to flow. I went down to help Bjorn with this feeding by pulling the sledge with the large tub of meaty mush. It was facinating to watch the dogs being fed.

Soon after feeding there was the second round of collecting the dog dirt. 60 dogs produce a lot of it and there was a huge pile of it. This would all melt into the pit under it in spring and be covered over.

In the evening I read a little, wrote the blog, showered and waited for 9 guests to arrive in the guest house for the next sledging trip Bjorn was arranging. It seemed he was barely back from the previous one.

It had been a rather boring day. Another one like this would frustrate me. Hopefully tomorrow the postal service will deliver the overdue skis or I will get some from the shop by lunch time and set off for the next cabin.

Distance 0km | Time 0hrs | Ascent 0m | Descent 0m

Even if the skis had come today there was a small chance I would leave. I had skied over 500 km without a break and I deserved one. I did not crave one though. So I did not get up until 0900. It was a great lie in.

After breakfast Regina Klauer took one of the dog sledging clients to Bardufoss airport. While down the valley in civilization she kindly did some errands for me. She investigated the whereabouts of the skis and found out they would probably get to Tromso tomorrow and Setermoen the day after on Saturday. She got a box so I could post maps and some camping gear back to Oslo. Finally she kindly did some shopping for me.

I spent the morning writing up yesterday’s blog and sending emails. I needed a catch up day for paperwork.

Below me Bjorn and a neighbouring musher were making dog food. This was a serious operation. Bjorn had purchased a second hand industrial mincing machine. It could do a wheelbarrow in one go. Into it went pigs organs, cows intestines and stomachs, fish and fish organs, nutritional pellets and supplements. It all got churned into a vat and was then mixed further. Finally the vat was emptied into 25 kilo trays. They managed to mince and mix enough food to fill 200 trays. The trays were then stacked in a freezer for use.

They whole operation was industrial and efficiently carried out. The premises were built to ensure a smooth operation. Finally when every thing was minced and in the freezer the whole place and the machinery was power washed. This operation produced 5 tonnes of dog food. This was only enough for 2 months as the dogs each ate a kilo a day of this meaty fatty nutritional mix The raw materials came from a fish processing plant and slaughter house.

Regina returned without the skis but with the food. I had then a very lazy afternoon. Occasionally I went out to see the dogs. Towards 1800 the dogs started to perk up and were soon all alert and on their feet looking at the food plant. They were anticipating the arrival of the foods sledge.

When it came out of the building there was a frenzy of excitement and noise It was slowly taken down each line of dogs and they were each served a large scoop of the meaty gruel. It was just placed on the snow. They gulped it down in seconds then licked the snow where it lay. After half an hour all 60 dogs were served and the noise was abating.

Most would get a second meal each morning to build them up again after their recent 1000 km trip. Bjorn and Regin were good to their dogs and fed them carefully and well.

After a pizza for dinner in their guest house I wrote the blog. I was mentally tired and could not wait to finish and get to bed.

It had been a restful day with enough activity centered around the dogs to satisfy my curiosity. I hoped the skis would arrive tomorrow but am not optimistic. It could be a frustrating wait which I foresaw but the equipment was dispatched from Oslo way too late which displeased me as I could have purchased equipment at Abisko at a cost but without the frustration of being held up.