High Pressure - No Pressure

After the wild spell of weather at the top things settled down - good news for the various cyclists and others battling their way to the top including two lads pushing a wheelbarrow with all their kit. 

Round at Hammerefest I took a pitch for the night on a quiet site at the edge of town and enjoyed a walk round the bustling harbour and the following day visited the museum of freedom and liberation that detailed the horrors of Nazi occupation and the rebuilding of the town following implementation of Hitler's scorched earth policy during withdrawal. Much of the Norwegian housing up here is post war and during the occupation many survived great hardship living in caves in the mountains and using traditional survival skills.
Down at Allta the UNESCO listed rock art was very impressive and carefully explained and with clear skies I enjoyed the coastal road dominated by impressive mountains before settling for the night on the shore of Langfjorden. 
Round at Storslett the helpful information centre had a leaflet listing a number of walks in the area so I headed up the valley and found a place to spend the night alongside a hydro power scheme's dam. Rain had returned overnight but the next morning dawned bright and clear for the three hour each way walk to the 3000'summit of Favrresvarri. A footpath of sorts followed the lake shore past two bivouac shelters to a simple hut which reminded me of the DOC huts in NZ with fire wood laid on and a stove waiting to be lit - our bothies in the UK tend to be existing buildings but these are purpose built.
A couple of stream crossings en route had been hairy due to the overnight downpour but fortunately the major river had a substantial footbridge although after that there was no path - marked or otherwise so I took off across the open country leaving the birch and willow behind and below as I climbed towards the snow patches below the summit. A ptarmigan took off to reveal a lovely nest of eggs and I was soon on the summit with panoramic views in to even wilder scenery and higher tops. Norway's access rights mean you can walk freely just about anywhere but at these latitudes the season is short and even in mid July conditions can get quite demanding - indeed on the higher ridges last night's rain had fallen as snow. A different route down took me past reindeer herds one of which crossed the fast flowing river without a second thought and I returned to the van after an exhilarating day for another night of solitude.
Today has seen me travel through some superb coastal and mountain scenery and take the first of what will be many ferries over the next few weeks as I follow a somewhat mercurial route along the coast to include the Vesteralen and Lofoten islands to reach Trondheim which will be about half way down Norway. With so much free camping available sites like this one here in Tromso will act as service stops enabling me to get my laundry done, spend some time online and fill up with water but otherwise generally compared to such gems as last night they hold little appeal. With the high pressure that has brought the UK such good weather now seeming to have arrived here daytime highs of 28 - 30C and lows of around 15C when the sun is lower (it still never actually sets) will be very welcome.

The usual selection of pics are here and big brother is here. 

A good friend retires (at last ) on Friday so I will take the opportunity to wish her well but suggest that here at £9.90 a can for Guinness I will be toasting the news with a decent brew of tea!