A Night On A Mountain in Jotunheimen
I recently did a hike and wild camp that I had on my mind for some time. The hike wasn`t planned in detail and some very late route changes and a bit unclear and unknown location for the wild camp added to the thrill. I set off in the afternoon and hoped to reach the destination area well before sunset. Well, the hike itself was way longer and harder than I first expected. I almost gave in a few times and thought seriously about settling for a camp site along the route without the spectacular views I knew from photos and a hike back in 2006. But I carried on for 10 km. It seemed really far and hard and it was elevation all the way. On the way I realised that the sun was going to drop behind the surrounding mountains well before sunset. I finally reached the area I had in mind for the wild camp just in time to get a few shots of the last light that lit up the low clouds and the nearest peak to the west.
The next thing was to try and find a decent spot for the tent. Easier said than done as the ground were all big rocks and stones. Out of nowhere I found a tiny and quite suitable spot right at the edge of the mountain overlooking the lake. I was a bit unsure at the location at first but then decided to go for it. I didn`t really had a choice or time to go searching for better places as the darkness and cold was already present. So I managed to pitch the tent quite fast by using big stones to secure the pegs. The ground was either rock solid or sandy. Then I had a few fast night shots of the tent and headed to the sleeping bag. I was now feeling quite cold due to the hike and lack of water and food.
After some food I tried to have some sleep. I just slept for short intervalls due to wind, noise and some excitement for what to expect the next morning. The weather forecast said clear skies unfortantly but I still hoped for some mood like clouds or fog
I had a few peeks outside before sunrise and it looked quite flat and boring at first sight. Nothing to get out and cold for was my initial thoughts. But the last time I checked the conditions and colours suddenly began to get better. When I got dressed and out it was even better. I could even see some cloud inversion developing in the south. I`ll let the photos speek for themselves but the next 45 minutes or so were fantastic. It was really amazing to stand on a mountain at sunrise surrounded by other mountains and lakes and shoot at anything that looked good.
I didnt expect to shoot autumn leaves from the mountain but when the light reached the trees by the lake and next mountain I got this special angle from above
So after letting it all in, eat, rest in the sun and say hello to the first hikers of the morning, it was time to head back to the car. It was a long hike and I finally realised how far I managed to hike the day before…
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Until the next photo blog!