Day 4 - Highway to the Ranger Zone

The Aurora alert never goes off - hopefully as a result of there being no notable Aurora to spot, rather than user error in setting up the alerts. I’m off snowmobiling this morning, but Vicks is having a bit of a lie-in, and staying behind to mooch ahead of our departure. Breakfasted, Jiggs, Tris, Liz and I head up into the mountains, where we’re met by our skidoo rangers. We ride up higher into the mountains, reaching a plateau that feels like the top of the world. The views are simply staggering. I’ve never seen anything quite like it. It’s properly other-worldly… We jump back on the skidoos, and ride down to a frozen lake, our base for the next couple of hours. We head off for a quick snowshoeing hike, then head down onto the lake itself. Thorbjorn is leading our expedition today, and tells us that the lake has over 1m thickness of ice on top of it. For some reason, I’m still a little suspicious that it’ll crack and drown me. Berger (another of the rangers) has drilled some holes in the ice for us to fish through. We’re a little sceptical whether there are actually any fish under the ice, but play along. Whole some fish, others go for a snowmobile ride around the lake.Driving a skidoo is like no other vehicle. Elements of motorbikes, shades of jet skis, but ultimately a unique experience. They’re properly powerful - a supercharged 600cc engine. Opening the throttle has a real kick to it. SO much fun…. We repair back to the wooden tipi, and sit around a campfire having an early lunch of salmon chowder - delicious. It’s time to head back down the mountain. We’ve had an amazing time on the mountain, but we need to meet our bus back to Tromso.

Vicki has done sterling work while I’ve been out having fun. There’s a Witbier waiting for me on arrival, which feels very much deserved. Although it’s felt slightly warmer today, (strictly speaking less bastard cold would be more accurate) my feet are properly cold. My toes are pretty numb, even after we’re back at Lyngen North in the warmth of the bar. I change quickly, grab another beer to steady the nerves, and ask Marianne to settle up my bill. It’s not quite as bad as I’d feared. Hurrah! We’re onto the Arctic Route bus bound for Tromso by 14:10. Three hours of sensational views await. I settle in to gaze out of the window.

We arrive into Tromso at nearly 18:00, and start the walk to our AirBnB for the night. It’s an idiosyncrasy of travelling to new places that aspects of a destination can surprise you on arrival. I did not know, for example, that the 10 minute walk to our apartment involved climbing a small mountain. I make a mental note to include topography in my assessment of accommodation’s suitability in future. At one point, there is a particularly steep climb through a park. Where there would have been stairs in summer time, there are small footholds in the snow. Traversing these whilst carrying luggage is particularly challenging. We finally make it to the building we’re looking for, and are flummoxed by our host’s instructions. Some confusion about what the phrase ‘under the porch’ means. We find an apartment that is indeed ‘under the porch’ and walk through the open door. We’re a little confused to find other people already in what we believe to be our apartment. After a brief conflab with the person that it transpires is the host of this apartment, he points us in the right direction for ours. There are definite pros to using AirBnB, but there are downsides…

Refreshed, we embark out in search of a supermarket, and our colleagues’ apartment. The former proves straightforward, the latter less so. We ultimately discover that they have had similar issues finding the entrance to their apartment, and have ALSO wandered into the wrong apartment. It makes us feel a little better. We have a quick couple of drinks before heading out for dinner. Liz has booked us into what we discover is a pretty fancy place nearby, and she and Tris are treating us as a thank you for joining them on this birthday odyssey. The food looks and sounds amazing. I have a lightly pickled herring dish to start, whilst Vicks has a smoked duck breast terrine. Both are outstanding. Most of the table orders a beef cheek main course, which is sublime. Beautifully cooked, hugely tasty, very satisfying. All is washed down with some some Cremant de Loire, and a couple of bottles of the decent Cotes Du Rhone. It’s 23:30 by the time we’re finished, and I’m flagging. Vicks and I head back to our apartment, and find the uphill battle a somewhat easier proposition this time. It started snowing during dinner, and has grown steadily heavier. We’re expecting 10-15cm overnight. Back at the apartment, I’m quickly curling up for a deep, deep sleep. We don’t need be out of our apartment till midday, and my 10:00 alarm seems a beautifully late one.Les mer