The Beach
An Afternoon well spent
I finished work for the day and wanted to get outside. So I packed up a little lunch and found a kind soul to drive me to the mainland. From the docks I headed down the now very familiar path through the village of Nordskot.
A few sweet homes and cabins situated at the base of this mountain. I’m partial to the dark one on the very right.
some intensely yellow lichen
A beach surrounded by snow covered mountains is really something special
Off To Find The Cave
Along with my visit to the beach, I was hoping to find “the cave” tucked halfway up this mountain.
Apparently the cave is 100 meters deep and you can touch the back wall of the cave. I had heard from some of the guys that inside the cave were some alien-looking stalagmite type structures made of ice. They also reported back that a path of candles light the way.
It all sounded very Indiana Jones.
The path towards the cave offers some insane views of the beach below. Though icy cold, the water almost looks like that of a Bahamian beach. I stopped to eat my packed lunch, the best part of any hike, and take in all the colors of this epic place. Much less Caribbean-looking were the homes at the foot of the mountain. Though far above them I could still see their furry roofs. Less Caribbean-like and more hobbit-like.
“Torvtak” or turf roofs are a part of traditional Norwegian wooden houses. Crafted from layers of birch bark and sod, these roofs provide insulation in several ways. Not only do they trap heat but the load of the sod roof compresses the wooden logs of the home. This helps to keep the wood from warming with moisture and minimizes the possibility of drafts between the logs.
I never ended up finding the cave. The trail is marked by orange tags, but they are few and far between. I lost the trail and lost my nerve as the terrain got very steep and very snowy. Instead I enjoyed the views and eventually headed back to my island home.