Soup fit for a King!

Riding a motorbike without all the gear on is both liberating and slightly unnerving. Sautso Gorge is my first destination of the day and, in the name of efficiency, I ride my motorbike in my walking gear along a narrow graveled track to a small marked plot where vehicles are to be left.

I feel quite cool in front of the small crowd of hikers as I ride into the parking area, hop off my motorbike and, without any faffing, head off to the canyon. The impact of this is somewhat lessened when moments later I return to my motorbike to fetch the keys out of the ignition! What a muppet :)

Sautso Gorge is Northern Europe’s deepest canyon. The Altaelva cuts the canyon into the Bæskades mountain plateau. At a maximum of four hundred metres deep and six kilometers long, it is well worth the hike.

Ascending up from the edge of the canyon, I meet a couple and we begin to chat… Like me they are heading to a wedding in the UK. Like me they have decided to drive. Like me they have decided to take a scenic route. Unlike me they started in Australia!! We stand and chat for almost an hour, swapping funny stories of our travels. Check out their story here. 

Our only pause comes when we hear a large boom! Moments later two fighter jets sweep around the tight bend in the canyon and blast along underneath us. They must only be a maximum three hundred metres away from us. As they reach the end of the canyon, the two jets climb steeply out of the canyon. As if this task is not difficult enough at such speeds, they begin to barrel roll and crisscross their paths as they climb. Our own private air display from the Norwegian Air Force!

Somewhat shell shocked from the remarkable sight that we have just witnessed, we say our farewells and head off in opposite directions. I make my way back to the Gargia Fjellstue to clean up and fill my belly. Whilst devouring some of the tastiest salmon soup I have ever eaten, I tell the owners the story of the fighter jets. They in turn inform me of a possible reason for such an event. The King of Norway is in Alta and, at 6pm, will be salmon fishing on the Altaelva. I have never met a King before… Should I? ;-)

Time is pressing on and so must I. I retrace my route back to the Arctic Highway and continue my journey southwards to the mountains…

At Inestoften, the excellent views are worth a quick stop. The road along Langfjord rises and falls with the topography of the land. Across the waters, the opposite coastline looks sinister as the dark cliffs plunge into the deep waters of the fjord. I leave the Arctic Highway once more for a brief excursion to Saltnes.

I park up by a small yellow farmhouse and walk along the fjord edge. All the way along the track I can see my goal, Øksfjordjøkelbreen. This glacier is the only one in Norway to dip down to sea-level and calve into the fjord.

Back to the Arctic Highway and a fuel stop at Sørstraumen.  As I leave the petrol station, I notice a wall of mountains in front of me. In my exhausted mind I wonder if I have to go over them. Three miles later I get my answer: I do. I wind my way up the mountainside and just below the summit of Kvænangsfjell is Gildetun Mountain Motell, where I will be laying my head this evening.

I am so tired that I do not take my camera out of its case to record the stunning views out across Kvænangsfjord. A job for tomorrow…

Distance: 115.7 miles (Motorbike) and 14.4 miles (Hike)