Tysfjord & Stetind
There’s no denying that the Norwegian fjords are beautiful, but today we visited two places that raised the standard of landscape-pulchritude to new heights. The first was our morning stop at Hellemobotn, where we hiked through a forest of pines and birches to reach a wide, sprawling waterfall. The cascade clung to the broad granite slabs like a silk sheet, making a pleasant change from the endless supply of normal, tumbling waterfalls in the valley. Many of us climbed further until we broke free of the forest and emerged on the vertiginously tilted slopes that overlooked the forest and fjord below. It was an excellent view, well earned.
In contrast, the afternoon found us heading northeast where, from the comfort of the ship, we had wonderful views of Stetind, one of the most spectacular peaks in Norway. Rising like a skinny anvil to a height of 1392 m (4567 feet), Stetind presents an imposing face to the world below. The bare rock faces are dramatically vertical on most sides, but it is the summit that really sets it apart from other mountains. Flat as a table and square on the edges, Stetind’s summit is an anomaly in a world of pointy, ice-carved peaks. Whether hiking through rugged forests or cruising through tranquil fjords, northern Norway continues to delight our senses.
