25th Anniversary Appeal Expedition: Day 81

25-anniversary-expedition-day081-02Stohpojohka to Nordkapp tunnel. 🙈 62km 13hrs. What a day. Some days have so many diverse parts to them, so many aspects that’s it’s been almost impossible to describe briefly… I’ll try. The forecast suggested Thursday would be my best window to succeed in getting to Nordkapp. A famously windy place, with a LOT of snow this year. That meant I had to get somewhere close, I hoped HonningsvÃ¥g. I started from the cabin in zero visibility, following the red poles marking the scooter trail north. Great for navigation, an umbilical cord linking me with safety, but the strong winds and snow yesterday and last night mean I’m trail breaking again like in the Settesdal mountains… cold powder snow, tiring but not impossible. I have 30km at least before I can switch to the road if I’m too tired. 8hrs later I emerge as the winds abate and clouds begin to break up, at RepvÃ¥g, the road and the sea! What an amazing sight… but my legs are tired and it’s 4pm. I have to make a decision… no gas, no food, a possible hotel at RepvÃ¥g, but leaving almost 80km to Nordkapp the next day. Too much… and Friday’s weather closes in again. I know what I have to do. I look at the road sign; 48km to HonningsvÃ¥g. I start skiing hard along the road, calculating 6-7hrs. It’s going to be a late one but the fresh snow and sea views are uplifting and I’m determined. A few kilometres down the road I see a convoy of cars parked up. The road is closed and only open when the snowplough goes through at specific times. I chat to some drivers briefly and decide to head off anyway… it means the road is free of traffic at least! An hour in and the convoy passes me… the driver I’d spoken to hands me a bottle of mineral water through his window and cheers me on. On the next sweep through the snowplough driver stops and tells me the road is closed and I must turn around. I smile and try my best to explain, thankfully he has a job to do and drives off followed by a long line of cars and trucks. I ski on. He passed another two times, honking aggressively. I ski on and focus on the amazing views. The day is long… the kilometres slide by and eventually at 8pm I reach the Nordkapp tunnel.