Travel Updated | Lofoten Islands - Kungsleden Trail - TBEX Dublin - Wales

Photo: Moonlight bivy on the summit of Hermannsdalstinden, Lofoten Islands, Norway. August 2013

Well, it’s been a while since my last post. Mostly this is due to my working in the chronological order of my travels during the last few months, and as my trip began with two+ weeks on Lofoten, I’ve mainly been adding content over at 68North.com as I get through the images and write a few mountain hiking guides.

There were also some major setbacks to my travel plans in which I’ve been waiting to write about. The most affected was my planned hike along the Kungsleden trail and into Sarek national park, Sweden. I only managed one day – 20 km of hiking before disaster stuck, and I was forced/reluctantly chose, to cancel that part of the trip and return to Lofoten. And it was such fantastic weather! There was more sun in those two days than my previous two trips combined. I’ll write more on this later.

Anyhow, here is a short overview of the last few months. More extensive write-ups will come soon as I get ready to head home to California next week where I’ll hopefully be a bit more productive.

Lofoten – Part 1: I sometimes wonder why I don’t run into many fellow Americans on Lofoten. That is until I walkout the door in California and don’t see a stop in motion for the next 40, where I can finally setup my tent and close my eyes in someplace more comfortable than an airport, airplane, ferry station, or bus stop.

With an overall trend of rain lasting from Monday to Friday, I did manage to photograph what will probably be my best single set of images from Lofoten to date. And then, after two weeks on the islands, with one more still to go, I decided to sprain my ankle while coming down from Ryten in the evening while camping at Kvalvika, which effectively took me out of business for the next days.

Germany – Festival Mediaval in Selb: Like last year, I headed down to Germany for a weekend of music and food. And fortunately, I managed to keep onto my wallet, unlike last year. And even more fortunately, I got to see one of my favourite bands, Garmarna, play live, which they haven’t done in around a decade or so. A night in Berlin and then I was on my back back north of the Arctic Circle in Sweden.

Sweden – Kungsleden: After sitting around all afternoon in Stockholm’s Arlanda airport, I caught the night train north to Gällivare where I then caught a bus to the beginning of my hike at the Saltoluokta hut. Arriving in the late morning as the rain cleared to a brilliant blue sky I bought a few supplies and then was on my way for the 20km hike south to the next hut on the shores of Lake Sitojaure.

I was a bit worried about my ankle, but was happy see that it managed the trail with only a little pain towards the end, though still quite sensitive of any ‘wrong’ steps. I inquired about taking the water taxi across the lake in the morning, but learned the boat driver would be away reindeer hunting for the day so I would have to row across the lake myself. No problem I though as I headed to bed, at least two boats are on my side, so I won’t have to row the lake three times!

Getting into the boat the following morning, my camera decided to go for a swim. It died.

I sat around for another hour of so, doing my best to dry it out and see if I could salvage anything, but it was gone for good. And so, I emptied out a bit of the heavier food and the hut and made my way the 20km back north from where I had come the day before.

Lofoten – Part 2: It took me two days of travel before I was back in Stamsund, where I quickly put a new camera on order and began the wait. Days of brilliant weather and nights of Northern Lights passed, yet I remained camera-less. Finally, after 12 days, I got the news that it had been delivered around the corner and was waiting for me at the post office inside the Joker market.

with six full days now left on the islands combined with the thankful cooperation of the weather I hit the hills with a furious pace. Day after day I found myself high in the mountains under a bright shining sun until finally the rain returned on the 5th day.

Dublin – TBEX conference: Leaving Norway on the 1st of October I next traveled to Dublin (my first visit to Ireland!) where I would attend the TBEX – Travel Blogger Exchange conference over the following days. I had a really good time, learned so useful info and met some nice people. I will definitely do my best to attend the next one as well. Although I did feel out of place at times and sometimes received something of a blank look when I said I was a photographer and that my website is codyduncan.com and not some fancy-sounding-world-traveler-wandering-adventure-blog.com. Something to work on for next time I guess. And it was nice to learn that I looked as if I had ‘just come from the mountains,’ being slightly under dressed to the more upscale looking and successful attendees of the conference. Though in my defence, I had just come from the mountains…

Scotland – Orkney: I made the somewhat unwise decision of leaving Dublin at 6:00am on a Saturday. But I had places to go, namely, Scotland! Even as we were heading north from Manchester airport, the exact destination for the next week was still unknown. Scotland, yes, but where in Scotland had yet to be decided. The weather forecast was somewhat bleak, so instead of heading somewhere to the mountains, it was decided Orkney would be the destination; it was the top of the list anyhow, so not a hard choice.

As I won’t be around for the New Year this year, I was provided with my mandatory dose of gale force winds to hold me over for the next few months. Nearly lost a second camera over the cliffs at the Old Man of Hoy as a sudden, severe gust of wind nearly took my whole backpack over the edge! But over all, I was glad to be back in Orkney again after 4 years and the week passed all too quickly.

Wales: I’m now counting down my last days here in Wales. The weather has been somewhat dismal and I haven’t even made it out to the hills at all, but that’s how it goes.

Inspired by TBEX in Dublin, I’m heading to London on Wednesday for the World Travel Market. Followed by a concert up north on Saturday for my final weekend here before flying home next week.

Until next time…