True North

You can lose your life in Norway — the life you might decide to leave behind for a new one here in true north.

In Norway Ruth and I drink straight from the rivers and lakes. Above treeline, as we hike endless slopes of heather, lichen and rock, Willow Ptarmigans dance at our feet and issue the craziest song north of the Equator. Meadow Pipits flutter at our heads like daydreams. And the plaintive calls of Golden Plovers soften the crusty slopes.

Here there is no night — only a red glow in the sky and a gentle orange bathing the big land, a sunset that lingers a few hours until it becomes sunrise. And now, after nearly a week in central Norway hiking with our dear friends Pelle and Lina, Ruth and I are on a 12-hour train trip even farther toward the light — and life above the Arctic Circle.

The scale and beauty here I cannot describe — at least not yet, not in any quick blog post. But here are a few photos. As you’ll see, I’m still largely in “critter mode.” Below you’ll find Siberian Jay, what is probably Scarce Copper (Lycaena vigaureae), Sedge Darner (Aeshna juncea), Chaffinch, and some of the landscape. (I do like this new Panasonic DMC-ZS40 point-and-shoot as a travel camera.)

More landscape is coming, including the drama of the Norwegian coast, but perhaps not until we get back online at the end of the month.