Flexibility and improvisation are the defining qualities of expedition travel. While it is important to have a plan, it is also important to know when to abandon it. On viewing the weather forecast for our intended destination in the outer islands of the Lofoten region, it became clear that wind conditions wouldn’t allow for an enjoyable morning there. While we could still have gone there, an alternative option was now more appealing, in the form of an area that Captain Martin had visited on previous trips. We arrived to a forested fjord with minimal human presence. A handful of cabins with smoke drifting straight up from there chimneys in the still air were dotted in amongst the green close to the water. Some of us remained in the valley, but others climbed the steep, rocky sides under the leadership of the captain himself in what was one of the more challenging but rewarding hikes of the trip. While resting for a moment at the top, on a large boulder, the hikers were able to survey the great distance down into the vastness of the valley floor, and out to where the ship was at anchor.
We continued to make our way through the Lofoten area for the afternoon. At the suggestion of one of our local pilots, we stopped off at a small, quiet village nestled amongst the bare rock of one of the islands. Here we were welcomed warmly by the local residents, and we took the time to quietly wander amongst the picturesque fishing town.
After returning to the ship for dinner, we proceeded onwards to Trollfjord. Here the bridge team demonstrated the ship’s capabilities for delicate maneuvering, as well as their own, in edging the bow right up to the cliff wall to allow a branch to be plucked from a tree.
