Climate change has caused crazy weather all over the world, and Europe is in the middle of a heatwave crisis. However, there is a place where the heatwave has not managed to get its scorching claws on. Here in Nordland county, it is, with some exemptions, 12°C and rain most of the days. So, what do you do when it is raining every day? Get out there and get wet of course.
After having been inside my flat the whole weekend, trying to tidy my storage room, I just had to get out of my flat. I decided to download the app “Ti på topp”, an app with ten peaks that you can climb. You pay 250 NOK and get to compete with other people in your community to reach as many peaks as possible and as many times as possible. Though my goal is just to see if I can reach all the ten peaks. I was supposed to pay for the one in my own municipality, Bodø, but accidentally downloaded the one for my neighbouring municipality, Fauske, instead. My first thought was to contact the organizers and asked them to change the location, but after I had looked at the locations, I decided to give Fauske a go.
So, I picked the Molly cottage, situated in Sjunkhatten National Park, as my first destination.
To get to this starting point, I first drove to the gas station just before the centre of Fauske, for a short gas fill and a long wait in the toilet queue (there are lots of tourists on the roads, and very few toilets). I have a small hybrid car, so at least I am not one of the worst polluters. And i didn’t have a ferry to catch, as other people in the queue had.
Then I followed the E6 road and after a while turned left towards Røsvik. The instructions in the app were a bit unclear as it only said that I should drive about 21 km from this exit until I got to the Røsvik hills and that there would be a parking lot with an information board . I had no idea where the Røsvik hills were located, and I couldn’t see any hills, but I found the information board just before the sign that said “Røsvik”. Then I stepped out of the car and walked along the main road until I saw the signs on the picture above.
It was so nice and quiet in the forest. The only sound I heard came from birds singing , occasionally fluttering their wings when they heard me coming, which also made me jump. It started to rain softly, so I put my rain trousers on just in case. It was convenient that i found this bench that i could put my stuff on, and sit down on for a little break.
After about 30 minutes, I was met by this view:
It is always really exciting to try out new tracks, because I like the feeling of not knowing what the view is like at my destination and how the view is on my way there. The landscape were, surprisingly, changing many times during my hike.
Some parts of it felt like more like a rainforest, with elements of Norwegian summer flowers.
I was really glad that the app I was using has a a gps function where you can see whether you actually are on the right track. There were multiple tracks crossing the my track, and it was not always obvious where the track to my destination was.
After some height meters I suddenly entering moorland or “Mudland”. As the track became muddier and muddier, the view got better and better. I loved the planks that had been put on the moor to keep hikers feet dry.
Though it didn’t really stop me feet from getting wet. Though I must admit that I sometimes went off track to take some pictures of the view.
And then I was finally at my destination, the Molly cottage:
Such a nice place! It was also possible to get to other destinations inside the national park from here.
After taking some more photos and another selfie I was looking forward to eat my lunch while enjoying the view. However, the rain clouds became heavier and heavier, and just about the time I sat down to have my lunch, it started raining more heavily. I tried to see if the cottage were open, but the door was locked. So I ate my lunch as quick as I could before I started on my return.
Luckily my clothes kept me pretty dry, so I did not end up like this cotton grass:
After a while, the rain stopped. Sometimes i think that I have this rain cloud following me to make sure it is only raining when I just want to sit down and enjoy a great view. Though this time I didn’t really mind too much, as I knew that it was supposed to be a rainy day. The fog and the clouds made the mountains more mysterious.
Yes, it is possible to enjoy a hike in the rain. And the heatwave makes me extra grateful for the cool, rainy, weather here in the north.
Do you enjoy a hike in the rain?
Ina N. Moe 