I have very fond feelings of Tromsø. This Norse city, situated honderds of kilometers above the polar cirle, is located beautifully on the narrow island Tromsøya, surrounded on all sides by fjords and islands and mountains. It feels remote and yet has every comfort you could wish for. A few years ago, I travelled to Tromsø in March, still full winter time so far up north - a very memorable trip, as it was my first try at winter camping, the first time I witnessed the northern lights, and also I got absolutely blasted by a blizzard of epic proportions. The city of Tromsø, with its restaurants, hotels, museums, cosy lights and supermarkets, was a most welcome refuge. During July 2022, I again travelled far up north by bus and train to explore the area around Tromsø in summertime: I went hiking and wild camping for two weeks on the beautiful yet quiet islands of Kvaløya and Senja.
Setting out entirely on foot is always a bit of a challenge if you're not on a established long distance trail or within the borders of nature area criss-crossed with hiking paths. I found the number of hiking trails on both Senja and Kvaløya a little lacking: there are quite a few stretches on these islands where there isn't any trail present. With the help of a good hiking map, I still managed to patch together a nice hiking tour, crossing both Kvaløya and Senja roughly from east to west - combining on- and off-trail walking with the occasional road stretch and bus or ferry ride, but still very much enjoying beautiful views, quiet seaside villages and remote tent pitches during a time of year during which it never gets dark. A collection of some of my most memorable experiences from this trip.
A small off-trail adventure in the rain
I strarted my trip with a short bus ride out of Tromsø onto Kvaløya, a mountainous island right before the coast of Tromsø, connected to it by bridge. I walked down the road for a while, decided to divert into a narrow valley and pitched my little green tent there amidst deep grass in the pouring rain. All the while, I did not have the slightest idea if I would be able to hike the off-trail route over the mountain ridge I had in mind next day. Would the route not be too steep? Too heavily vegetated? To slippery in the rain? It is one of those moments of doubt every hiker experiences from time to time: you just can't help thinking, what exactly have I gotten myself into? Yet the soft sound of rain of my rainfly was a familiar and soothing sound. I slept well and just carefully went on my way the following morning. Soon I was completely at peace, immersed in the wide views and fresh air and the joy of just wandering about in nature. In a way hiking, despite of challenges like challenging weather or tough terrain, is so very easy.
Climbing to the most perfect wild camping place amidst stony peaks
How often do you remember a specific night spent in a hotel, no matter how luxurious and comfortable? I will however forever remember the night I spent wild camping in this special place. I followed a tiny, very tricky trail that literally ended in boulder fields, a sharp peak looming high above me in the clouds, but then was rewarded by the most perfect place to pitch my tent. I slept that night on a grassy patch beside an icy little stream, in a valley surrounded by the most impressive rocky mountain peaks. There was no one else there. What a beautiful experience.
Animal encounters high above the fjords
A lemmet loudly whistled at me when I crawled out of my tent very early in the morning. I also often found myself surrounded by reindeer, amphibians and all kinds of birds while cross-crossing through scenic, green central Kvaløya. Animal meetings like that are always wonderful.
Above the treeline in west Kvaløya
Above the arctic circle, you don't have climb that high to reach a high alpine environment: bare, stony, and with open views to all side (if the weather permits it, of course). I just love these barren tundra places that feel so rugged and remote yet open to exporation. In more southern mountain areas, you'd have to climb up to to 3000+ meters to reach similar terrain - if you even can get there without having to resort to technical climbing.
A most memorable sunset on Senja
The sharp peaks of Senja at midsummer midnight. No further words needed, I think.
A quaint harbour
I ended up in this small harbour simply because the bus I hopped on to skip a stretch of road walking had this seaside village as its final destination and I simply decided to remain seated. I pitched my tent at a campervan parking by the sea and enjoyed exploring this quiet place with its flowers, café, mountain views, sea birds, boats and lighthouse. It made for a welcome change to my earlier remote camping spots.
On the Senja på langs trail
Once I had reached the west of Senja, I was able to follow a part of the official trail Senja på langs through the Anderdalen national park. Trail is a bit of an overstatement: this is barely more than a track, barely visible, narrow and muddy. It was here I most missed the beloved Swedish boardwalks. The nature in this national park, however, was rugged and lush and I was witness to some spectacular light during the evenings.
Exploring Senja's most western fjords
The weather wasn't favourable until right before I left on this rugged corner of Senja, battering me with rain, wind and mist. Sometimes, however, it isn't so bad to spend some time in your tent, just relaxing and writing and reading.
Visiting Polarmuseet in Tromso
It was raining rather terribly by the time I took the ferry back to Tromso, so instead of climbing one of its surrounding peaks, like I had originally in mind, I spent my last day there visiting the polar museum. And I was glad I did, for they have quite an extensive collection of arctic and polar-related items in this small museum and I learnt a lot. I had to stretch my knowledge of Norse, though - as nothing was translated into English. Camping one last night in Narvik before catching the night train back home
On my journey back home, instead of booking a hotel room, after eating a pizza I wandered around the industrial city of Narvik to look for a possible camping place. I found a nice park right by the fjord where several other people had already had pitched their tents. Everyone stayed up very late, enjoying a drink or even a swim while watching the sunset across the fjord. There were public toilets, fireplaces and picnic tables, and everyone was considerate of each other and kept the place clean. You have to love Norway (and other countries with established public access rights) for being able to do this. So many opportunities for connection with nature and other people have vanished with the privatisation of land, and we barely even know how much we have lost. It really is quite sad.
And that was another hiking trip completed! I quite enjoyed exploring these two islands on foot, yet I found the quality and quantity of the hiking trails somewhat disappointing, so I don't know if I'll return soon. I have a feeling I missed some of the most scenic spots because they required walking on a road for a long time, or climbing steep, exposed, non-maintained trails with a heavy backpack, which just isn't much fun. I wonder if the hiking possibilities on the Lofoten are better? I guess that more popular travel destinations do have their advantages!
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