NORWAY

So I was going to post about a third of the pictures, but after talking to Jill, I decided to show a little more.  Thanks Jill, it's nice to know you like looking at the pictures.   

Norway is definitely one of the most beautiful countries I've ever visited.  It was hard to choose pictures, there is so much I'd love to share and show.  

We flew into Stavanger (the beautiful city where Jamie and Jeannie live) spent several days then got on a coastal ferry for 4 days and traveled North, past the Artic circle to the Lafoten Islands where we met up with Jeff and Casey and spent the remained of our trip.  The best part of the trip was learning that Jeff proposed to Casey!!!!!!!!!!  Yea, I have another awesome sister!!!!

The pictures are in no particular order, and although, it's supposed to be Nora's blog, there are some shots that she's missing from (like the one below, a climb we did after she went to bed one night).   

We did alot of what Ralph termed "extreme baby hiking"  Nora had the pleasure of seeing alot of the country.  She was a willing passenger, riding on someone's back to several places off the beaten path.  She got her named signed in 3 summit log books, not bad for 9 months.    

I love this shot.  I got this of Ralph while he was showing Nora where he would take her.  We did an amazing ridge hike a few days later up where he's pointing

The water is the same blues and greens of the tropics.  On a warm day you might make the mistake of thinking it looked nice to swim in.  Dipping your big toe in would very quickly bring you back to the reality that you are in the Artic.  Ralph however, did swim.  It was so cold he almost couldn't climb the ladder back up to the dock to get out.  He said his muscles seized up instantly.  

The water is so clean that the Norweigns call all fresh water "drinking water"  If you ask if a lake is fresh water or salt water they'll look at you funny and say "yes, thats a drinking lake."  Jamie told us that alot of Norweigns just carry a wooden ladle- like thing when they hike so they can scoop water to drink.  They thought is was funny that he carried his water, "why would you carry water?"  Good question, I suppose.  

We found whale bones (vertebrae) on a beach hike

This is at about 1 am, we're about two thirds of the way up a multi pitch route.  It had a sweet little space in the rock that made a great seat that you could belay from

I love this picture, Nora looks like a little nome.Nora sporting her new shades Grandma Lynnda gave her

The fjords are so breathtaking, un-real really.  You can see our ferry below us.  You can see how big the boat is and how close it is to the shore, this gives you an idea of how deep this fjords are. 

  

Being as far north as we were, it was light 24 hours a day.  We took advantage of this.   Ralph and I left to do a 7 pitch climb after Nora went to bed at 9:30.