Tysfjord and Trollfjord, Arctic Norway
We awoke this morning within the soaring walls of Tysfjord, which is famous for a winter gathering of Norwegian herring—one of the largest biomass accumulations in the world. The vertical walls of granite above us come courtesy of the Caldedonian Orogeny. This is a major mountain building and melting event that happened about 400 million years ago when North America collided with Europe in the process of creating the supercontinent of Pangea. We anchored at the very end of the longest arm, not far away from the border with Sweden. Located here, far from any other outpost of civilization, is a small community named Hellemobotn (Vuodnabahta) populated by Sami families who spend their summers here. It is quite a remarkable place, with homes that have been constructed from lumber that they cut themselves from timber in the surrounding Scotch Pine-Birch forest.
After breakfast we set out to kayak or to hike on shore. One hiking group went for the aerobic burn of a trek into the high country, while others explored the magical moss-covered forest and waterfalls bursting from the granite cliffs. In the forest and adjacent tundra we found the ground covered with masses of crowberries and exquisite flowers still blooming. A remarkable discovery was the presence of enormous lichens covering some of the rocks that must have taken centuries or even millennia to grow.
Taking the scenic route to Trollfjord we saw seemingly endless granite walls and jagged peaks on the horizon. The only sign of humanity were fish farms and crab pots here and there along the way. Carl Erik told us more about the Nature of Norway in a talk that enlightened us about the strategies the country is using to preserve and defend the natural environment.
Our next destination was Trollfjord, a spectacularly narrow and deep fjord that gave the Captain an opportunity to display his considerable navigation skills. As we gathered on the front deck for a traditional serving of glog, the ship was maneuvered so close to the walls of the fjord that we were able to snatch souvenirs of the vegetation growing there.
