Wednesday 30/7

I woke with a start when my alarm went off at 06:30. I was the only one in my room with such an early departure time, but out in the corridors more people were packing as I shoved all my stuff out the door to be of as little nuisance as possible. The forecast had promised rain in the morning and this was delivered upon, so I put on the rain cover and took out the rain jacket. After retrieving my fresh food from the fridge I turned in the key and walked out into the wetness at 7.

It was actually more of a drizzle as I descended towards the city center, taking a slightly different route than on the way up, but then the rain increased. I had plenty of time and so walked leisurely, and once at the station I found the train already at the platform, so I boarded it without further ado. It also departed right on time, and appeared to be mostly full. The first bit was rainy, foggy and hilly, and some fjords were visible, but the further north we got the more the rain and hills petered out, eventually giving way to flat valleys and finally sunlight.

Old and new

Canal

Rainy...

...and hilly...

...and cloudy

At Mo i Rana the weather was entirely fair, and soon thereafter we passed the Arctic Circle, which was a bit of an event with a speaker-announced view of a monument and all. The outside temperature had quickly risen to a sweltering 26°C, and it was indeed quite warm when I got off in Fauske on schedule.

Fair

Monumental passage

Fjelds in view

I walked a planned route westwards through the town, and while it was very warm and the pack at its heaviest it was manageable, and from time to time there was even a slight wind. I continued out onto the peninsula southwest of town, upon which lay something which looked very much like an observatory. I didn't walk that far, however, and reached Lundhøgda Camping somewhat quicker than anticipated, even though it had been a bit of a slog that ended with an uphill stretch – and I was sweating profusely.

Fauske center

Fauske outskirts

I checked into my very simple cabin and then went to prepare dinner in the common kitchen, which proved a slight challenge as the place was not very well equipped. I mean, not at all, which a Finnish family who came in just after me also discovered. Outside a cooling wind had picked up and the views were wide indeed, although towards the west the fjord was blocked by trees. Clouds were in the process of covering most of the sky as I strolled around the immediate area and the wind was quite appreciable. After an evening snack I prepared as much as I could for an early start on the morrow, and by the time I turned in at 21:45 the wind had abated again.