Ski and Paddle Norway 2009

Distance 42km | Time 3.5hrs | Ascent 440m | Descent 450m

Again I had difficulty writing the blog last night and only managed half of it before my eyes felt too heavy to continue. As a result I had to do it this morning after the huge breakfast of bacon and eggs. I eventually left the hotel at 1030. It was a beautiful warm day with the sun out and no wind.

The first challenge was the hill out of Nieden. It was only a 150 metre climb but it took a good half hour and I had to take my hat and jacket off half way up. The descent down the other side took me into Munkelvdalen, at the head of Munkfjorden.

This fjord was very shallow at its head where the river Munkelv flowed in. A bit further north the river Neidenelv flowed into the fjord also in a vast shallow delta which just about stretched across the fjord. These two areas are shallow enough to be covered and uncovered by the tides. So the whole area is brackish. This together with the nutrient rich deposits carried down into the deltas by the rivers it meant the area is excellent for silt dwelling organisms.

These organisms provide a rich feeding ground for waders, ducks, geese, and many other different species observed here. Some species are able to spend the entire winter here without migrating. Of particular interest are the 400 or so black throated divers and the 100 red throated divers which gather here in the spring.

Coastal scenery approaching Kirkenes with NeidenfjordOnce the road passed the delta it continued north up the fjord. There was remarkably little snow now and it really felt like spring but I could not see any buds on the birch trees yet. There was a nice view out to the large Skogeroya island, which split the fjord into two. Along the coast here were huge rafts of eider ducks.

Then there was the second climb of the day up to about 100 metres. This climb was quite dull compared to the fjord and went past Kirkenes Airport before the descent to Langfjorden. This fjord was topped up by the sea at high tide and emptied over some considerable rapids at low tide. It was low tide when I passed and there was quite a flow of water gushing out into the bay.

From this spectacular rapid there was the final climb up to the satellite town of Hasseng and then the descent down to Kirkenes. Kirkenes was much bigger than I expected, it was perhaps the biggest town I had been in all year. I sped down the hill to the centre where the hotel and Kimek shipyard was.

I saw the shipyard from a distance. It was difficult to miss it. It was by far the biggest building in Kirkenes and the only landmark needed. The hotel was also easy to find. I had been warned about the Barents Frokost Hotel wherever I went in the last week and was expecting the worst. It was by far the cheapest in Kirkenes. However I was pleasantly surprised and it had obviously cleaned up its act which earnt it a reputation as a dive for Russian sailors. It suited my purposes perfectly to prepare for the kayaking trip.

I then went over to Kimek to meet Stein. Stein has been absolutely invaluable to this whole operation. Kimik is a huge concern repairing large Russian trawlers and it was recommended as a delivery address for the kayak by the Kirkenes tourist office months ago. Stein was the contact there and he would accept the kayak when it came off the lorry and store it until I arrived all on a voluntary basis. He put the kayak in a perfect location where I had full access to it all weekend in a locked shed for which he gave me the key. It could not have been better. However it did get better because he also gave me a very generous donation to the cause from some people at Kimek.

With the key and access over the weekend I went back to the hotel to sort out my stuff there before unwrapping and unpacking the boat. I received my laptop and a GPS at the hotel which had been posted to me from different places. I had hoped to paddle the coast with a 1:400,000 road map for general orientation, and a GPS to give detail when I needed for a landing or camping spot. Otherwise I would have to spend well over £1000 on 1:50,000 maps.

After checking out the hotel, which had the possibility to make food in a simple kitchen, and sorting out and putting away all my skiing and cycling gear I was ready to fill the place up with kayaking gear.

I went over to the Kimek shed and unwrapped the very well wrapped kayak. She looked superb. The finish was tremendous, the extras all looked well fitted and the shape and size were all I had hoped for. The moulds for the kayak were not even made when I ordered it so I went on what Tiderace promised the finished article would be. It was better than promised at first sight. All my equipment was inside the kayak having been shipped to Finland and then put in the finished boat to be transported up to Kirkenes.

I unpacked all the equipment and look it back to the hotel. I had the whole weekend to sort out all the pieces I wanted for kayaking and sort out and pack the pieces to get shipped to Oslo, like my skiboots, which were the only shoes I had worn all year. It would be wetsuit booties from now on exclusively.

After a pizza in the town I returned to the hotel to write the blog. This time I tried to do it on my laptop and publish it directly from there as I hoped to do on the kayak journey whenever I am camped with mobile phone cover.

It had been a great day. I was in Kirkenes united with all the equipment I needed. This had all gone very smoothly and it was a huge relief, as the scope to be waiting while something was stuck in customs was very real. The cycling had not been bad and the weather was at last pleasant.

This entry was posted on Friday, May 8th, 2009 at 11:28 pm and is filed under Update. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.