Snowshoeing in Tromsø, Norway

Geesh. I’ve literally started and re-started and then re-started again on this post. Actually, you could probably double that sentence and that’s how blocked I am on how to write an introduction to one of the most epic experiences of my life so far. I’m at a complete and total loss. Just how do you put into words something this magnificent. You can’t, not really. That’s honestly the issue I’ve had with so many of the places we’ve visited recently because they are too beautiful for words. Too moving for any of the adjectives I know to properly describe them to you. And no matter the extravagance of the words I do put down here, it’ll never convey like it does in real life. The raw emotion of places this beautiful can’t be described.

We woke up on February 13th, 2018 in Tromsø, Norway. And for those of you (if you’re like me before this trip) who have no idea how far north Tromsø, Norway even is, (let’s face it, most of us – again, including me – haven’t really even heard of Tromsø, Norway) here’s a map.

Yeah, ummm, it’s UP THERE!! They weren’t joking when they called it the Gateway to the Arctic. It is in the Arctic circle and often a stopping point for those making the journey to the North Pole. Being that far North means in the Winter they have Polar night, all day long… no sun. But they do get a wonderful Sunrise and Sunset type glow to the sky. Polar night starts to disappear though at the end of January and by the time we arrived in mid-February, they receive 3-4 hours of solid daylight plus an additional 2-3 hours of sunrise and sunset. It’s really, really beautiful to see – just this wonderful pink glow for hours on end is what we experienced.

Anyway. We had a nice day planned on the 13th. We toured a reindeer sanctuary and learned about Sami culture. Then we grocery shopped and cooked a nice dinner in our cottage. Our reindeer experience was just so epic that we decided we needed to book something for during the day on Valentine’s. Our original plan was to just sightsee or walk around the town but we felt we needed more experience than that! So we booked a last-minute snowshoe hike up a mountain for the 14th.

We arrived at Pukka Travels late morning on Valentine’s Day and were introduced to our guide, Nora. She was born and raised in Tromsø, and was therefore an expert tour guide. She packed us each a backpack with lunch, hot cocoa & coffee, and a snack. We were then fitted for the snowshoes and gear and headed out the door – and that’s where we were in for our first surprise!

A Tesla model X was our ride for the day! Complete with bat wings. Nora was a great driver and I didn’t feel any of the usual motion sickness I get on car rides. She gave us a short little tour of the city and then drove us across the bridge and into the wilderness. I probably can’t say it enough, there is not a drive in Norway that is NOT scenic. Everywhere you look there is something beautiful to see in this country. We arrived at what is somewhat similar to a national park in the USA. There was a little parking area where we put on our snowshoes and had a very quick little lesson in maneuvering then we were off up a fairly steep little mountainside.

We hiked approximately 7 miles roundtrip. Up one part of the mountain and down another. The enter hike was full of sunshine and Nora was an absolute gem to spend the day getting to know. She even packed us each a sack lunch of sandwich, Norwegian candy bar and a thermos of coffee/hot chocolate. We took about a 45 minute lunch break and she laid out some waterproof little skins to sit on.

Lunch was delicious. The conversation was a delight and the view. Well, check it out.

It’s hard to tell how high we really were because the mountain has such a gentle slope to it. But what an enjoyable way to spend a Valentine’s Day with your love. It was so special and something we won’t ever forget. As a matter of fact, we are hoping to “recreate” it again this V-Day with a little snowshoe trip into Michigan for the day.

I just had to share this day with you all. And guess what, this is only the daytime part of the most epic Valentine’s Day ever – there’s another post coming soon with details on the evening part. As if this wasn’t enough. I’m so grateful I had the chance to meet Nora, try out a new Winter sport and take in this beautiful vista!

Have you had any epic Winter sporting adventures? I’d love to hear about them in the comment section below!

Cheers!

Stacey

P.S.

Here’s a few more pics for you to browse through. 🙂