mitchellmullins contributor

Land of the Midnight Sun

Lofoten Islands, Norway [Part II]

In March of 2018, I got the chance to experience the Lofoten Islands for a week. During the last bits of winter, the ground was covered in snow and although it was one of my favorite trips it left me hungry for more. Fast forward to June 2019 I decided to get some of my close friends together and planned a trip to Norway for my 21st birthday.

With no snow on the ground, the landscape of Lofoten felt completely different. New landscapes, new hikes open, and another destination to experience for the first time.

Heres the catch, during the summer months in Lofoten the sun never sets! As the sun creeps down toward the horizon in the afternoon it slows and gives away a sunset lasting for 8 hours! Never dipping below the horizon the phenomenon is known as the midnight sun. Hence the nickname of the Lofoten Islands "Land of the Midnight Sun"

Flying into Lofoten from Oslo landing at a small town by the name of Narvik. We drove 4 hours to our stay in Ballstad, Lofoten, Norway. Ballstad has to be one of my favorite places to stay due to its prime location between all the major spots in Lofoten.

During the day we would lay low and often get our sleep. Heading out around 8pm and staying out till 4am to get every second of that golden light us as photographers crave.

In the photo above we pulled over and watch the sun hit its lowest position just before bouncing above the horizon before going back into the sky. One of the most unique sunsets I've ever seen.

Another reason to visit Norway in the Summer is the hikes. During the winter most of them are closed and you're unable to get that birds-eye view of Lofoten. Hitting up many of the hikes we got amazing weather being partly cloudy as it can get quite hot during the middle of the day.

Spending another week in Lofoten confirmed it was my favorite place on earth. Dying to go back and experience it all over again.

#norway, #hiking, #adventure, #sun, #midnight, #mitchellmullins