Following my post detailing the adventures at Andøya, I began writing a story of our next hikes in Lofoten, also part of my Peaks of 2021. However, I quickly realized that there were far too many great pictures and adventures there to cover in one post, so I will have to do a few for the different hikes and locations.
First up, is perhaps the gem itself: The hike(s) to Kvalvika beach and Ryten mountain! While we were quite lucky with the weather at Andøya, Lofoten proved more harsh and difficult. That said, there was also something magical about walking through fog so thick that you could hardly see the trail in front of you, only to arrive at a hidden gem of one of the world's most beautiful beaches out of nowhere.
Kvalvika beach and Ryten mountain top are two hikes in Lofoten that are often visited together. From the road, there are two trails heading to either location allowing visitors to choose which one they would like to go to, or in what order.
Lofoten is famous for quite a lot of things, but close to the top of the list are the spiky mountains that are as steep and pointy as that one tends to find in the Alps, only that they stick up from sea level. Thus, you get these unique fjords with mountains that look much harsher and majestic. Combine that with pearl-white beaches with crystal clear water hidden in the bays, and you have Lofoten right there and Kvalvika beach in particular.
For our hike, we decided to go to Kvalvika beach first. Again, the fog was very thick, so we could hardly see a thing for the first few kilometers. It was really cool to hear the sound of the sea and the waves coming and going for close to an hour before being able to see the sea at all.
But then, slowly but surely, the beach came into view:
While I would have loved to see it also on a sunny day, with the spiky and tall mountains surrounding it, it was also really cool to be there with the fog making up a ceiling above our heads.
As seen in the picture below, after we walked over to the other side, the fog was hanging no more than 50 or so meters above the ground. Making it a hidden gem indeed!
From the beach is a new hike trail heading up towards one of the mountain tops right next to it called Ryten. From the beach, we could hardly see a thing looking up, but we figured it could only be one way to go and thus started climbing despite hardly being able to see the trail.
The fog was still really thick, so we just had to trust our own sense of direction and altitude maps that we could use to avoid going where it was too steep. Thankfully, the terrain is not at all bad, and the location is popular enough at this time of the year (early August) that you will run into other hikers eventually.
Having only been able to see what was 10 meters in front of us, it was clear that we were close to the top when we started to run into more and more people. The weather forecasts had been rather teasing, suggesting that the weather would be better eventually. So having packed sufficiently well, we figured we would stay at the top and wait for it to clear.
What makes Ryten such a popular hike is basically two things: The view of Lofoten and Kvalvika beach below it, and the "hanging" peak that allows for some cool pictures. Of course, being a sucker for the dare-devil stuff myself, I had to go and perform "the hang":
Of course, it's not as dangerous as it looks. A quick google search of "Ryten" here will give you plenty of cool and fun pictures of people hanging the way I do. But don't be fooled, the footing that I have below me is pretty shit, and if you do fall, then you're still likely to get severly injured unless you're lucky. So don't do it unless you're confident in your grip and balance.
Eventually, on the way down, the fog did decide to clear up just a little bit. So at least we got a better view of Kvalvika than we had earlier. At this point, I suddenly felt determined to have a swim in the ocean, as I felt it was the only thing missing from the trip!
So rather than completing the hike by going in a "full circle" (as we could have made it shorter by heading back to our car from Ryten), we decided to go the same way that we came from back to Kvalvika.
Just so you know, despite it being summer, Lofoten is so far up in northern Norway that it's rarely much warmer than 13 degrees Celcius in the water. At the day of the hike, I believe the air temperature was no more than 7 degrees. So the ocean can't have been much more than that either. However, being warm and sweaty from hiking up and down Ryten, the idea seemed more refreshing than frightening!
Having carried a swimming shorts and a small hand towel with me all the way, I quickly changed and ran out as fast as I could into the water. The trick is to never give yourself time to realize how cold it is, and just be determined. Of course, your body will receive a bit of a shock when you finally dip under, but at that point, it is also a bit of a relief.
Plus you get to feel that you're tougher than everyone else around you, which is always a nice bonus!
Because I'm such a sucker for the gram, my friend helped me get a few nice shots of me walking back up Daniel Craig-style afterward too, making it even more worth it 😎.
But in the end, the hike was so nice that I would love to do it again on a sunny day sometime. It really is a unique place and should be on every traveler's list of places they must see.
Perhaps those of you who will consider it could join me for a trip in late June or early July when there's the best chance of having good weather, and when there's also midnight sun every day of the week!
I'll surely be up for it!
Fredrik.
Awesome trip dude. This is on my bucket list. I wasn't far off when I was in Bardufoss for military service but we never took the trip out there. Only went to Tromsø to party.
That sounds more like the military 🤣.
You should definitely go! Lofoten deserves a full week in order to see the many nice places, and also allow for some range of weather so that you don't get unlucky.
Nice trip again @fredrikaa! Although no such weather with stunning sunrises as at Andøya but think I like the beach here way more. Putting this one for sure on my list!
Glad you liked it! And you should for sure go!
Every hike is unique in the combination of the location and the weather that you get. I don't mind a good variety :)
The moment I'm able to surf again I'll go there for sure!
What an amazing place to be there.
And that hanging, man, for a moment I thought this guy is crazy but then checking your link I was like, mannn hahaha.
Hahahaha! Well to be fair, it was scary. Because the footing isn't flat, but has an angle towards the drop. And from there, you would fall down 10-15 meters.
:o
The photo you're hanging on scared me a lot. I still think it's scary when I see it on google search. I have both height and hill phobia. Photographs like these really make me nervous. 😟
Apart from all that, your trip and your writing were amazing. I love mountain hikes. I once attended a few mountain hiking events with a club. It was tiring cold but fun.
Funny thing is that I used to be terrified of heights when I was a kid. But today, I run around at the tops, sit on the edges to hangle my feet, and do all the things that make my Mother nervous 😅. It takes some time to get used to, that's for sure!
Hiking is wonderful. I like to say it's 1/3rd exercise, 1/3rd pleasure and 1/3rd mental therapy.
Mr. Viking!😎
That's me! 😎
Cracking walk thanks for sharing need some more beach time in my life. Brave hang not sure I'd do it these days then again maybe looks fun 😂
Haha! It was scary in the start, then I got more confident after a while.
Don't want to get too confident and let go, that is what I would do accidentally.
Stunning images, captivating the eye
The natural beauties of your friendly country never cease to amaze me, I see that you enjoy them a lot and best of all, it allows us to see the photographs and share them with the #Hive family.
Wuauuu, man how beautiful that place, I would love to know it. And the photos are spectacular. Greetings.
Greetings friend, what a beautiful natural landscape it is a great adventure to hike in this luhar and swim quickly on the beach, it would be interesting to travel and get to know that natural beauty, thanks for sharing your hiking experience.
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