As is the case with most complex endeavors, time continues to reveal how difficult our mission is. In 2022, it was assumed all the glaciers of continental Norway and Sweden could be photographed in one season. That was quickly amended to two seasons, with 2023 scheduled for the second half.
Reality had other intentions.
Like in 2022, housing was rented for 2 months, this time in Tromsø, Norway, well above the Arctic Circle. The plane was flown almost 24 hours each way, taking 3 days each time, coupled with bringing the car from central Europe, as there was no reasonable rental option. All in all, total travel days just to get situated amounted to 14 days roundtrip.
Glacier flying itself initially went well. Weather is, on average, better north of the Arctic Circle than in the west coast of Norway, as precipitation is significantly less. It happened to be exceptionally pleasant for a number of weeks, which allowed for quite a bit to get done at first. Like in prior years, the sheer magnitude of where the glaciers are spread and their size is easy to underestimate, as the flying hours stacked up.
The obstacles began to stack up also. The first came in the form of the inspection timing for the aircraft. There is a rigid combination of hours flown and calendar dates, which meant that some glaciers south of Bodø had to be abandoned to return north to complete the required inspection. Those glaciers would wait another year before they would be photographed as the weather refused to cooperate subsequently.
The next complication arose regarding Sarek National Park in Sweden. It required an approval from the Swedish authorities, which was received, though not quite fast enough. When it did arrive, the Swedish Air Force had to temporarily override the airspace on some good weather days. The weather sadly would remain too foul before departure, so those glaciers also waited another year.
All was not lost. On a bad weather weekend, an exploratory trip to Svalbard was made by airline. It is immensely far from most anywhere on the planet, and we were only a 90-minute flight away, so the opportunity was taken to explore the possibility on the ground of future endeavors there. That remains to be seen.
Saddened and frustrated, the weather turned quite foul in September, as I am told it normally does, and it was time to leave, as the first snows already arrived for the peaks, covering Sarek National Park and ushering an end to glacier season. I will be back another time to finish those missing glaciers, though all is not a failure, as almost everything on the list was completed.
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First snows in the Arctic...
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Image by AP/Bram Janssen A...