Nordfjord, Melfjord, Norway
It was a quiet morning in the end of Nordfjorden, and after having rubbed the sleep from our eyes the first thought was one of absolute awe. A brilliant sun slowly crept over the fjord peak, illuminating the granite wall on the other side of the valley. Pure blue and white glacial ice clung to the rocks from the top of the fjord walls. And although it may rest there, it is far from idle. Upon closer inspection, we could see cascading waterfalls carving their own tracks through the rock, born from hidden chasms under the glaciers. And after watching large chunks of ice calve off of these glaciers and slam against walls of solid granite, taking pieces of rock with it to the valley below, it reminded us of the immense power this frozen water contains. Widening our scope and panning across the landscape gave us an idea of the grand scheme of things in a place that is far from insignificant. These rock walls still bear the scars of a battle with ice that lasted for thousands of years. They have been shaped smooth by it, defined by it, given purpose by it. For every ledge that bore any amount of an outcropping was housing birches, willows or moss. And with the vast spectrum of blacks, whites and grays that made up these rock walls, there was just as much forest painted across the faces.
So we explored today, and became intimate with effects of a battle such as this. We paddled our kayaks through emerald green water and let the mist of waterfalls spray across our faces. We climbed (sometimes crawling) up rocky slopes to patches of ice and snow and discovered the origin of a waterfall. We waded through streams cutting their way through a dense birch forest, only to find ourselves on the side of a valley that had been scoured by ice thousands of years before us. We listened to arctic terns and oystercatchers calling from above us while the sun warmed our faces from inside the Zodiacs. We strained our necks while looking up to the sheer cliffs that were so tall they almost wanted to tear a hole through a nearly cloudless blue sky. And some of us were even daring enough to cool off with a quick dip in this enormous natural pool.
We ate lunch out on deck and most of us were quite pleased to feel the sun warming our faces. As we navigated out of the fjord and across the Arctic Circle, it was almost impossible to pull ourselves away from such beauty that continued all the way into the evening.
It was a quiet morning in the end of Nordfjorden, and after having rubbed the sleep from our eyes the first thought was one of absolute awe. A brilliant sun slowly crept over the fjord peak, illuminating the granite wall on the other side of the valley. Pure blue and white glacial ice clung to the rocks from the top of the fjord walls. And although it may rest there, it is far from idle. Upon closer inspection, we could see cascading waterfalls carving their own tracks through the rock, born from hidden chasms under the glaciers. And after watching large chunks of ice calve off of these glaciers and slam against walls of solid granite, taking pieces of rock with it to the valley below, it reminded us of the immense power this frozen water contains. Widening our scope and panning across the landscape gave us an idea of the grand scheme of things in a place that is far from insignificant. These rock walls still bear the scars of a battle with ice that lasted for thousands of years. They have been shaped smooth by it, defined by it, given purpose by it. For every ledge that bore any amount of an outcropping was housing birches, willows or moss. And with the vast spectrum of blacks, whites and grays that made up these rock walls, there was just as much forest painted across the faces.
So we explored today, and became intimate with effects of a battle such as this. We paddled our kayaks through emerald green water and let the mist of waterfalls spray across our faces. We climbed (sometimes crawling) up rocky slopes to patches of ice and snow and discovered the origin of a waterfall. We waded through streams cutting their way through a dense birch forest, only to find ourselves on the side of a valley that had been scoured by ice thousands of years before us. We listened to arctic terns and oystercatchers calling from above us while the sun warmed our faces from inside the Zodiacs. We strained our necks while looking up to the sheer cliffs that were so tall they almost wanted to tear a hole through a nearly cloudless blue sky. And some of us were even daring enough to cool off with a quick dip in this enormous natural pool.
We ate lunch out on deck and most of us were quite pleased to feel the sun warming our faces. As we navigated out of the fjord and across the Arctic Circle, it was almost impossible to pull ourselves away from such beauty that continued all the way into the evening.
