Day 187. Kunna weather and rest day
Posted by: James on July 6, 2009Distance 0km | Time 0hrs | Ascent 0m | Descent 0m
Due to the late finish yesterday I did not get to bed until 0100 and slept through to 0900. When I woke the sun was blazing down onto the tent heating up the inside but I could hear that there was a good wind blowing. I looked outside and could see it was a force seven.
I had the writing to do from yesterday and with this wind the morning was the perfect opportunity. It took three hours. I had to do it in the tent to get some darkness as it was too bright outside. The weather continued to blow but the sun shone brightly. It was a classic high pressure wind. The same high pressure that enabled Patrick Winterton and Mike Berwick to paddle from Scotland to the Faroe Islands a couple of days ago. Well done lads on the 74 hour crossing!
After the writing the wind was still strong at around a force seven. There was plenty of shelter around the birch woods to lie in the sun and relax. I had not had the time or the weather to do this yet on the trip and this was a great opportunity.
The grasses were now getting high and in this wind you could see swaths of them rippling as the gusts hit them. Where I was in a glade between the trees was almost still. Blackbirds and thrushes flew around in the birch and warblers darted from willow to willow. They were all spoilt now with the explosion of insects on these bushes and trees which was easily enough to rear a family of chicks.
After a few hours I got bored and went for a walk. Firstly a few hundred metres to the west to the headland to see Kunna in the north west and what the sea looked like in that direction. It was now a force six in this open stretch of water and although the waves were small there were plenty of them breaking. I then went eastwards. There were a couple of nice beaches and a few leisure cabins lost in the woods. The sea here was more sheltered and it would have been possible to paddle south if I kept to the inside of the islands of Meloya and Amoya. My arms needed a rest and as I could feel one complaining last night.
I kept on walking east and passed more nice cabins and boat sheds until I came to a lane. The fjord here was very beautiful and the cultural landscape with small farms and newly cut grass lying in the fields really gave me the impression summer was in full swing now.
I met someone and was told there was a shop some 3 km down the road. I set off down the lane to it. It took me through the hamlet of Fore and on to Reipa. There was indeed a shop and I bought some fruit, vegetables and juices and also a cooked chicken. I ate the chicken at the table in the shop while chatting to the shop assistant. Most shops in North and Rural Norway have a couple of tables with coffee and cake for customers to purchase and chat over. It helps fulfill a social need and is often a meeting place in these pub free communities.
After supper I walked the 5 km back to the tent along the lane and then the track through the birch wood. It was tracks through woods like this which I had skied just 4 months previously and it was eye opening to see them in their summer glory now with the forest floor full of wild flowers.
Back at the tent I managed to get an early night after the writing and should be ready for a reasonably early start tomorrow. I have nowhere in particular in mind but spoke with Tom Amundsen on the phone, who is also paddling Norway’s coast a couple of weeks ahead of me and he recommended Rodoy for its beauty.
It had been a good day. It is rare to get a rest day forced by the weather where one can still relax in the sun. My arms appreciated the rest and I was not bored cooped up in the tent sheltering from bad weather but could enjoy the sun and beautiful surroundings.