Skamtinden - July 2010

We are still in the middle of the winter and the sun won't come up for another week, but sorting through my photos from last year I came across these ones from a beautiful trip up Skamtinden on one of the few warm sunny days we had last summer. So a brief green break from all the snow and ice photos....

Skamtinden is ca 1 hour drive west of Tromsø on Kvaløya. Start of the hike.

The view from Skamtinden is just stunning. Here looking east along Ersforden with Tromsø in the far distance.

Looking west towards Håja and the open ocean.

And looking north.

Mørketid

During the mørketid we basically have 3-4 hour long 'sunsets' and we can therefore get some very colourful skies during mørketid. Here some photos from a very cold day when strong winds at high altitudes resulted in lenticular cloud patterns.

Lenticular clouds formed by strong winds at high altitude

You can see the snow blowing of the tops of the mountains

Altocumulus lenticularis

Christmas in Heiahytte

The geology department and the former biology department own a hut together. This hut, Heiahytte, is located next to Takvatnet, a large lake about 1.5 hours drive south from Tromsø. We had a short 3-day Christmas break here, a break from moving house, cleaning, and painting. We spent Christmas here a few years ago as well, that time with rain and little snow. This year it was beautiful, nice cold weather, some 40 cm snow, and clear enough to watch the northern lights one evening. 

Heiahytte

We brought only snowshoes this year. I find snowshoes easier for trips in the dark and in this time of the year you inevitably end up being outside in the dark, watching northern lights for example.

Tony snowshoeing up the hill across the lake from the hut

One evening we walked out on the lake to watch for northern lights and we noticed all these fantastic ice formations along the rocky coast. The next day we went for a walk along the coast in daylight to have a better look at the ice structures. There must have been strong winds blowing up water from the lake before it got frozen, or maybe rain on already frozen ground/rocks.

Takvatnet, with mountains in Inner Troms in the distance

Tony inspecting some of the ice formations

Colourful lichen on frozen rock

Massive icicles, about 2 m tall, underneath an overhanging cliff

Close up of the frozen roof from the overhanging cliff above