A change of climate

After a luxury breakfast consisting of six boiled eggs and two pears I had to hurry to catch the first ferry across the Olderfjord. On the boat I had a great conversation about cheese with a French guy from Clermont-Ferrand and a watery coffee from the minibar. Since it was Sunday it would be the last coffee for a couple hours so I can't complain.

The weather made a complete 180 from yesterday: it remained cloudy all day with not a glimpse of the sun, temperatures hovered around 12 degrees, with strong winds foreshadowing the impending rain. And rain it did. When I was about to leave that one open gas station around noon it started to rain cats and dogs for hours. I felt strongly vindicated for packing my Scotland-grade rain gear which kept me cozy dry all day.

Which was one of the tougher days on paper already -- 157 km with more than 2000 m of elevation gain -- but the lack of shopping opportunities added another dimension to the struggle in that I ran out of food in the afternoon. I did the hardest climb of the day (just 401 m, but in what weather!) basically without eating only to crack on the next ascent. Those 10 % slopes suddenly felt like 15 % or more. Luckily I reached a Circle K gas station where I could not just stock up on some glucose heavy junk food but also refill my Koppen.

The terrain up here is just as hard as it is beautiful. When the mist clears up one finds oneself surrounded by stunning scenery wherever one goes. The calm fjordscape lined by towering mountains is simply spectacular, and wildlife like reindeer hanging out on the slopes make up the true arctic experience.

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