A low cloud hangs over the glacier at 8:40am, but it seemed thin on the edges, and I was optimistic it would burn off soon. My last bowl of oats/muesli in Norway for breakfast was delicious as usual...
1:22pm, Svartisen boat harbor, waiting for 2pm boat...
I woke up at 5:30am to tremendous brightness, and thought it was already 8am, but no... Slept more, until it was really 8am. The cafe restrooms would now be open. I cooked the last of my oatmeal blend I had packed from the States. Perfect planning to have finished it off for my last breakfast (tomorrow would be a breakfast buffet at the hostel).
We began our morning hike to the glacier ~9:45am, following a dirt road around the left side of the lake towards the hanging ice where we followed red "T"s marked on the smooth rock.
A low cloud hangs over the glacier at 8:40am, but it seemed thin on the edges, and I was optimistic it would burn off soon. My last bowl of oats/muesli in Norway for breakfast was delicious as usual...
As we walked along the left side of the lake, I noticed some sun shining on the glacier...
The trail passed a towering ~2000' cascading stream, just prior to the broad rocky expanse below the glacier. Some chain railings were installed (probably to help in slick conditions)...
We followed some red marked "T"s on the rocks, which led us up the slightly non-obvious route. The fog continued to thin...
More chain railings guided the way, as the lake grew scenic behind us...
At this point, Karl, Mariann, and Darwin decided to head towards the glacier, while Wendy and I continued to follow the red "T"s further up the rust colored rock...
A wide look at the glacier and lake, and blue sky!
There were some sizable gaps in the rocks, and the trail was not well marked, so it took some effort to find the easiest way forward...
There were some interesting colors out today, with the blue/white ice, red/orange rock, and some yellow flowers. A look back down at K,M,&D, hanging out near the glacier...
We decided to head up just a bit further, and then made our way towards the edge of the glacier...
It was 11am when we decided to stop and rest for an early lunch. The rock became very steep further up...
A look at Wendy (small blue dot) sitting near the glacier. The crevasses in the glacier were quite impressive further up...
A nice spot to rest and have a snack...
We finally opened the salami, and ate it with some yellow cheese on crackers. Quite delish...
I also ate the last of my grandma's nut bread. We made our way back ~noon. Wendy does a technical move to cross an obstacle...
A couple views of the interesting rust/orange colored rock...
A look down, and back up, from the side of the glacier...
Navigating down wasn't too bad, though the trail was poorly marked. The wet spots were slippery, and to be avoided...
Occasional deep gaps in the rock required some scouting for the most accessible way down and across...
We quickly reached the dirt road, and passed the convenient water spot (though didn't need to fill our bottles)...
We arrived back at the cafe at 12:35pm, hit the restrooms, then walked to camp to pack up our belongings. K & M had already returned and departed for the boat. They were hoping to drive all the way back to Trondheim today, and wanted an early start. We packed quickly, and walked down the dirt road towards the boat harbor (~1 mile away). As soon as the harbor came into view, we saw the 1pm boat departing, which meant we'd be hanging out at the harbor for the 2pm boat (and I'd have time to write this journal entry).
Purple flowers line the dirt road leading back to the harbor. I put on some suntan lotion, as we'd be waiting 50 minutes in the sun for the next boat...
The boat returned ~1:30pm, so we boarded, and rested on the engine hood until 2pm. The water is super green in this lake...
3:51pm, Jetvik ferry stop...
Foiled again by the ferries! 2 cars away from making on board! Oh well, gives me time to write this...
We took the 2pm boat back to our car, and booked it to the next ferry stop on rv17, arriving at 2:30pm for the 2:45pm ferry. It was a 10 minute voyage, and soon I was driving the next 23km before reaching another ferry stop. This ferry stop had a LONG line of cars waiting, as a newly arrived ferry began unloading. We paid our 190Nkr ($30), and waited for our turn in line, but the boat filled up with just 2 RVs ahead of us. I thought for sure they'd wave on my tiny car. It was bad luck to have exited last on the previous ferry. Now we have an hour wait for the next one. I called Karl, who said they were on the boat that had just departed, and he could see our car from the deck. They were indeed planning to return to Trondheim late tonight. Wendy and I are going to re-organize our gear, since we have some time to kill...
The boat ride back to the car was quite scenic with the blue skies and water...
A close-up shot pointing out where we stopped for a snack on our hike today. Not a bad place to enjoy some kayaking...
Lots of photo ops from the boat...
A look back at the Svartisen glacier, as we drove to ferry stop #1 today...
The car ferry arrived shortly after we made it to the ferry stop. A look at the Svartisen ice cap from the boat...
11:15pm, Mosjoen Hostell - A bit of luxury for our last night on the road in Norway...
The next ferry from Jetvik came ~1hr later. We were somewhat caught off guard, reorganizing clothes and food when all of a sudden, the RV in front of us started loading into the ferry. We gave a surprised look at each other, and immediately threw everything into the car, hopped in, and were moving in 10 seconds. We got a front row parking spot on board this time.
Given the chilly weather and cloudy views on this 50 minute voyage, it was a dissapointement that the lounge was so drabby. When the time came to unload, I was the first car off the boat, which meant COMPLETELY OPEN ROAD AHEAD! The nearest car should be an hour ahead, so no worries about trailing a slow car. Cool... It's fun driving through the mountains when you have the road to yourself.
Our car sits behind 2 big RVs, as we wait an hour for the next ferry. Once on board, we take a pic...
The lounge on board this 50 minute ferry was the most dull out of any I'd seen so far. But it did have a small playset and horsy. Back on the road, the clouds lingered as we headed south...
Some views from the car. We traveled through several more tunnels today...
The terrain was becoming less rugged, and more country like...
I made great time on the road, with no cars ahead of me coming off the ferry...
Eventually we reached the turn off to Mo I Rana, which marked the spot we had departed from rv17 on our drive up 11 days ago. Don't need to know Norweigen to understand this sign...
When we reached the "major" city of Mo I Rana, we stopped to visit some supermarkets in search of more muesli and other food to bring back as souvenoirs. Our loot: 12 boxes of muesli (several varieties) at $2-$3.50 for a 1.5-2lb box. Great deal! Also picked up some banana and chocolate spreads.
From Mo I Rana, it was a 1 hr drive south to the Mosjoen Hostell (located 20km north of Mosjoen). When we arrived at the complex, which looked like part of a middle school, it seemed empty, like a ghost town. Guess reservations were not a necessity. There was a camping village with tents, huts, and the hostell at this complex. We checked in, and found our dorm room with 2 beds and a sink. We cooked dinner in the kitchen, which featured: salmon salad sandwich, couscus, and choc w/ cherries on tortilla. I used the internet after dinner.
We repeated a 35km stretch of road from last week to bring us to Mo I Rana (as seen across the bay). Wendy found a suitable shopping cart at one of the many supermarkets we stopped at to load up on food to bring back....
A look across the mostly vacant lot, towards the reception area of the hostell. The kitchen had a slightly "prison cell" feel to it (maybe only compared to the recent dinner atmospheres), but yielded a tasty dinner...
A look inside our hostell room. Nice to have a bed, and not set up a tent for our last day on the road...
Breakfast is 8-9:30am tomorrow, and I hope I'm hungry to make good use of it. I just shaved for the 3rd time this trip. Time for a shower. The sun has set, now that we're below the Circle, but despite the clouds, it's still light out.
No more ferries left! It's a 425km drive to Trondheim tomorrow.