Snow in June!?!

June 20, 2010
Our Sunday in Bardu was unfortunately another rainy, cold day but after sleeping in, we decided to venture outdoors for an afternoon drive into the nearby mountains. Our first stop along the way was the largest military base in Northern Norway, located in our hometown of Setermoen. Our host, Liev Bjørn, spent some time with the army so was able to get us special clearance to drive through the base. This base is mostly geared toward education and training and neighbors the largest practice shooting area cordoned off for the military. About 2,000 military personnel are on the base at any given time and generally stay in the area for about two years before moving on to different parts of the country. Bardu itself is home to 4,000 residents, with about 2,000 living in Setermoen. Steingrim, our hosts' son, said he too wants to join the army when he has completed his three years of high school but rather than staying in the area, he wants to be based in Finnmark to work the Russian border.

Bardu is a municipality in the Troms County, with the administrative center being in the most urban of villages in Setermoen. Driving through downtown is literally four blocks which include the grocery store, a sports store and a couple odds and ends stores. Right after the "downtown" is a medical complex that houses the town doctors, nurse and emergency room. While we have been in small towns since we've started our stay here in Norway, this community of 2,000 was by far the smallest and most rural of the areas we've been. Bardu is a Norwegian name from the Sami word of Beardu, which means long and steep mountain side. This name is fitting since Bardu is the first of our towns that is entirely inland and surrounded by mountains with the occasional river or lake. It is actually not too far from the coast but because the mountains block the coastline and the warmer Gulf Stream, Bardu is known for colder winters. Our visit to Bardu, in winter, certainly lives up to the reputation with temperatures as low as -2 degrees Celcius and snow! Our hosts did say that once every 10 years, they see snow in June and we just happen to be here to experience the "green winter." One person joked that Norway is always an average 24 degrees Celcius, 20 degrees indoors and 4 degrees outdoors. Sounds about right!

Our next stop along the way to the mountains was a replica of the original power station in Bardu. The hydroelectric plant was essentially a series of wood tunnels used to harbor the power of the water streams coming down the mountain to then generate a saw to cut tree trunks into smaller pieces of wood. While this particular mill was a replica and not in use, the original is still functional but used more to prove its effectiveness rather than as the primary source of energy.

Although wet and overcast, we were able to take in some of the beauty of the surrounding mountains. Our host Heidi comes into the mountains every other day with her two English Setter hunting dogs to keep them active and in shape for grouse hunting season. In the winter, the entire Walle family skis and uses their cabin near Lake Altevatn as their base. Today, Lake Altevatn only has pockets of frozen ice but in the winter, the entire lake is frozen and a popular location for ice fishing. The Norwegian sport of ice fishing actually means riding snowmobiles on the water. Steingrim, who is 15, has already started studying for his snowmobile license which he can test for as soon as he turns 16. During the summer, Lake Altevatn, which is 50-60 km long, feeds the power plants in the area to create hydropower electricity.

From Lake Altevatn, we made a detour to the local Huskyfarm owned by Björn and Regina Klauer. This farm is home to 70 huskies, including six 10 week old puppies. These are all sled dogs, enjoying the summer but anxious to start the winter where they can lead groups for 5-14 day treks into the mountains. A group of five people, plus guide, can book a 5 day trek into the mountains including stays at cabins, weather-permitting depending on whether the dogs can make it to the next cabin, for about 2,100 euros or $3,000. Each person rides his own sled, led by six dogs, and each sled is mostly filled with a homemade dog food blend. The Huskyfarm started when Björn spent 12-months trekking from Oslo through Northern Norway with his husky as a companion. He fell in love with the country and wanted to stay, so found his niche leading mostly German tour groups into the mountains to experience the country the way he saw it and has since written a book, Mystic North, documenting the husky experience.

Our final stop for the day was a picnic lunch at Strømsør at the cabin of Liev Bjørn's great great grandfather, Erik-Bjønn. Erik-Bjønn was one of the first settlers in the region, building his house by the river initially but then moving the house up the mountain after realizing that the rising tides were dangerous. He and his wife lived in almost complete isolation with the nearest family about six km away. Erik-Bjønn started a business with two cows, one that he owned and one that he rented. One day, a bear came into his barn and killed the cow he owned. Immediately enranged, he vowed justice against the bear and spent the rest of his life and livelihood hunting bears in the mountains. Erik-Bjønn and his wife had a large family and there are photos of his daughter standing beside him in the mountains, with the sole purpose of holding rifles and reloading them while he was shooting at the bears. While Erik-Bjønn might have been a tough mountaineer man, his wife was perhaps stronger and more resilient. His wife would be home alone, pregnant, and would keep the neighbors' dog with her. When she was going into labor, she would release the dog who would run home and then the neighbors would know she was in labor and needed help. By the time the neighbors arrived, his wife had already delivered the baby and was busy washing her clothes!

Our picnic was at least dry, though the house was freezing cold! We had a typical Norwegian picnic lunch, which includes bread, brown cheese, jam, coffee and tea. After signing the guestbook - a Norwegian custom at every church/museum/historic site we have visited - we packed up our belongings and trekked down the hill back to the car. At Elin's house later that night, we once again had a homemade feast and spent our last night with our Norwegian friends before they headed home to Sortland. We have definitely been the lucky ones, meeting the Norwegian team in the United States first and having made friends before coming here to Northern Norway. In fact, this whole experience is all the greater because of how hard it would have been to navigate and plan such a trip while sitting at home. It is definitely an amazing country and we have made some amazing friends along the way!