FINNMARKSVIDDA 1996

Finnmark 13. june to 13. july 1996 ( springtime in north )

Gold river

Story of a one month stay in a 'lavvu' ( sami tent similar to native american tipi ),
on the plains of the Finnmarksvidda ( top of Norway ).
Sargejokka, where I stayed, is well beyond the polar circle,
so there was midnight sun the whole time.
The spring starts in late june.
Finnmark is famous for having more - and larger mosquitos than the rest of the country.

This is the english, html version of my diary / equipment evaluation.
The translation is mine and some sentences are altered for coherency ; )
The ( *) marks my comments in this translation.
This text may be freely distributed for noncommercial purposes as long as
it is not altered, the author given credit and the following 4 lines are not removed :

All photographs are taken by the author and as such copyrighted,
if you wish to use any of them, you must have prior written consent.
Author : Alexander Wilhelmsen
I welcome tips, spelling corrections and pleasant e-mail.

Departure : Oslo Central busterminal at 10:30 am on the 12th.
- I am traveling with the Express 2000 bus to Gievdnegoika ( between Karasjok and Alta ),
and will arrive at 11:30 am on the 13th.
Was picked up by my bushpilot Ole Julius Eriksen and arrived in Karasjok at 2:30 pm
departed Karasjok at 5.30 pm. by seaplane, and arrived at Ovre Akkasjavri river
at 6:10 pm. Carried on by foot, and arrived at Sargejokka ( campsite ) at 6:40 pm.

Me getting ready to fly

14. june

First day in camp.
I have raised the lavvu, and carried most of the equipment up to the campsite.
Yesterday, when we were flying in, we almost experienced some drama when we were landing.
A fluke wind pushed the front of the plane down, so that it pointed straight at a small bushy
island midstream, but Ole Julius ( pilot ) was cold as a cucumber and managed to get enough
power to straighten the plane, and we landed without further incidents.

Yesterday, while I was lugging the gear to the campsite, I got a real shock -
I walked straight into a pinetree that was wrecked, and when I studied it closer,
I saw clear marks of a bearclaw, it had been there just an hour earlier!
I felt just a tad nervous when I realized a bear had just passed by.
Today I found more beartracks, four small pines, bunched together, broken off at the ground.
Bears are not normally dangerous to people ( not here in Norway anyway *), but they can
attack if you barge in on them, or if you get between a female and her cubs.
the best way to avoid this is to make a lot of noise, speak or sing with a loud voice.
 

   

The weather yesterday was great, sunny with clear skies, but today it's windy and clouded.
 
By the way, the plane was an itty bitty thing, weighing in at 700 kilos ( 1kilo = 2.2lbs*),
and a wingspan of eleven meters, but it did get me in safely, even though I was somewhat nervous.
I have just eaten some Snurring ( great norwegian camping food *) and am currently enjoying
some coffee, listening to the Sameradio ( in sami - didn't understand a thing *).

I am, by the way, quite senile, I managed to forget the gas for my gas stove!

It's very relaxing to be here.
The river looks just like the gold rivers one sees in cowboy movies.
The campsite I am staying at is the campsite of Robert Gulbrandsen, an old gold prospector,
who's panned for gold here the last twelve years.
He's not here this early in the season.
 

Today I tried a little goldpanning, although without huge success.
I found just one grain of gold.
The weather was poor, rain and pretty cold.

I have built a 'bed' out of a couple of small birches.
The two stems with the smaller branches lying across on top,
and the smallest twigs on top of that for comfort.

I have looked around, and it's clear that people have been prospecting here for a long time.
I've found tools that are at least thirty years old.

Today has been very moist, and my books are threatening to swell.

It's now 10:30 pm. and it's SNOWING outside.
So you probably understand that it's not really warm, it's allright when I sit on the 'bed',
but my sleepingbag is a little too cruddy, so the nights are a little cold.
 

    

Today is bathday, and I'm not looking forward to it, the water is max. six! degrees centigrade,
and I don't exactly have a tub handy.
I'll probably survive.

Today I'm going to try my luck at fishing, the salmon hasn't gone up the river yet, but there'll
be trout, bass and a few other species. Crappy fishing. ( Norwegian wish for good 'fishingluck' - mustn't jinx things*)Will write more later.

Been fishing, no luck.
I found lots of beartracks and some reindeer antlers, probably felled this spring.
The weather is great .

Haven't written for a few days.
Nothing much has happened, so that's no problem.
Today I took a trip on foot up river, on both sides.
I discovered three birdnests, two of which contained eggs and chicks ( the bird kind*).
One of the nests was placed half a metre to the side of my path down to the river,
in a bush, it contained four chicks and one egg -
I don't think the parents were too thrilled about all the attention I gave them.
I also found a rabbits foot, it was all that remained after a wolf or a fox had eaten the bunny.
I chopped off the paw, as it still had fur on it, and is supposed to bring good luck.
The weather has been brilliant, just sunny and warm.
The river has gone down some, and soon the salmon will arrive.
I haven't found much gold, but I've found a small sapphire and some even smaller rubies.
The summer is clearly coming, everywhere the birds are singing,
and the trees are growing leaves.
The nights are a little warmer too.

The sleeping bag doesn't work in the cold ( 0 - +10 degrees centigrade *),
but it helps to cover myself with a reindeer fur.

I've also found a lot of grousefeathers.
Dad said I sho"ldn't bring a "fenalår" ( heavily salted and smoked leg of lamb*),
but since I couldn't get hold of any salted ham in Karasjok, I had to buy one anyway,
I'm satisfied though, it keeps well and tastes good.
 

   

I am now sitting in the sun, the skies are clear, and the temperature in the sun is
surely 25 degrees centigrade.

I bathed in the river again today, my god it's cold, couldn't be more than 6 or 7 degrees.
The first mosquitoes and gnats have arrived, yesterday I was bitten six times.
The last egg in the nest by my river path has hatched,
and now there are 5 pink bundles in the nest.
I managed to drop my socks in the river when I went to bathe,
but luckily I saved them before the river carried them away.
5:50pm. - I've been fishing in the Bavtajokka river, and caught three fish.
( can't find the english name*),
I released the two smallest ones and kept the biggie.
Lost a lure. I found a moose antler which was felled this spring.
I am now grilling the fish on the campfire.

It tastes great.

  

The weather is poor, cloudy and cold.
I'm going out for a while, but I'll probably return before long.
Lost three lures in the river yesterday, without catching anything.
 

I forgot to mention it, but when I landed the pike I gave it a real whack over the head with
my K-Bar, and hung it in a tree while I was deciding what to do about the two smaller fish.
When I was about to gut the pike, some five minutes later, the monster was still alive!
I immediately delivered a blow to its nose drawing blood,
and after a few wriggles it expired for good.

I should probably explain how it was that I could take time to
decide what to do about the smaller fish.
The explanation is that I temporarily converted my fishnet
( you now, the ones you use to land fish after catching them*) to a fishcage.
I did this because that specific species really doesn't store very well after it's gutted.
 

Today its clouded and cold outside, but no wind.
The last fact has caused a billion gnats and mosquitoes to go on the warpath.
Last night was so cold the the olive oil completely stiffened, and is still stiff in the bottom
of the bottle, even though I've got the campfire at 'full blast', and the time is 3:45pm..

I thought I should mention that I take vitamin supplements everyday, it's possible to
get scurvy if you're staying in the wilderness for too long without eating vegetables.
 

Today I found gold. I found two "large" pieces and five small grains.
It's been terribly hot today and mostly no wind, so the mosquitoes and
the other bugs are out in force.
I used my mosquito net outside today, and it worked beautifully.
Right now I'm listening to the European football championship semifinals on the radio.
The chicks in the nest by the path have grown feathers, and quite large in the bargain.
 

  

Right now there are a lot of mosquitoes around. It's clouded and there's a slight drizzle outside.
My book is so moist, I writing right through the paper.
That's a problem up here when it rains, there's usually little wind, so air humidity is up.
It makes everything moist.

I've been fishing. I caught three unnamed fish and one 'minitrout' ( 50 grams ),
I released all but the largest of the three.
Till now I've lost seven fishing lures to the river.

There is an insane amount of mosquitoes in the air and I'm wondering
if I might be allergic, because I feel a little 'down'.

I found a little more gold today, but panning can be hard on the back.
I have to say that for a "luxury animal" like me,
the lack of domestic comforts is getting a little old.
It's also a bit lonely.( bad day*)

Today the weather stinks, it's raining and everything is moist.

I had some visitors today, canoetourists who had started out at the top of the river.
They stopped here for lunch and a little rest.

Right now its 10:30 pm. and the weather is great, sunny and no wind.
It's still cold, so the mosquitoes have run for cover.
I took some photos that I think will turn out great.
 

Today the weather is weird, in the morning there was a real shower,
now its sunny but extremely windy.
It's still cold, so it's nice to have a campfire to toast myself on.
 

Today Robert Gulbrandsen and two of his friends came for a visit.
They were leaving some equipment for later and had to fetch a sludge pump.
They came in an old Volvo Military Jeep, I could hear them for hours before they arrived.
It took them four hours to drive the fifty kilometers from Karasjok.
It was nice to have visitors, even though they were only here for a few hours.
Robert is supposed to come back in a few weeks.
He showed me the correct gold panning technique,
and gave me some homemade insect repellent.
I also got some fresh bread, butter and cheese.

The weather today was nice.
I found some more gold, now that Robert showed me how and where to pan.
Let me explain about Robert's 'bugoil', it consists of 45 % Jungle Oil 45 % tar oil
and 10 % 'assorted herbs', and it's probably bulletproof ; )
Robert looks like the archetypal gold prospector, tall and lanky, long graying hair,
large beard and a weathered face.

The chicks in the nest by the path had left the nest when I looked in on them.
 

Last night it rained, today is rainy and cloudy.
The waterproofing on the lavvu is starting to degrade, so I have to keep the fire going
to prevent the water from soaking through.
 

Both today and yesterday were wash days for body and clothes.
Both were cold experiences.
Not to mention yesterday, when I had to wade into the river to loosen a stuck fishing lure.
I lost it, 'cause halfway out I started to get a leg cramp from the cold water.
I caught a pike and two smaller fish, the weather is warm with a little rain.
 

  

Today is a cold day, it was so cold in the morning I stayed in the sleeping bag until midday.
When I went for my morning bath, there were a zillion mosquitoes about.
I have stings on my eyelids, lips, behind and other unspeakables.
So things can get a little scary when 'nature calls'.

Yesterday I went for a tour of the neighborhood and found a reindeer antler.
I also found beartracks that were a few days old, and the moose are still hanging out around here.

I didn't find much gold, but I guess Robert's secret is his sludgepump and washboards.
He's the only one allowed to use mechanical devices for gold prospecting in Finnmark,
since he's sort of a legend in these parts.

It's rather nice to be isolated out here, no bills, phonecalls, letters or work to worry about.
The comfort is less than optimal, especially since I forgot the gas for my stove.
But at least there's noone around to infect me with the flu.
I am now going out to see if my cellphone works around here.

It didn't.

  

Today is rain, rain and more rain.

Let me tell you about yesterday's expedition, when I was hiking to Beivassgiedde to make a call.
As the crow flies it's about 11 kilometers.
_As the crow flies_

Circumstances ganged up on me, both the hot sun, the mosquitoes and the terrain
contributed to a rough trip.

I left the camp at about half past noon, and arrived at Beivassgiedde at about 5 pm.
There, I met a nice chap from Karasjok, who was on a fishing trip.
I managed to borrow his NMT 450 cellphone ( analog system that works in the wilderness*),
and called the pilot to arrange for my extraction.
I told him to pick me up either thursday the 12th or friday the 13th : o

Anyway, while I was chatting with Arnulf, as the chap was called, it started to rain,
and it kept raining for the rest of the day.
He drove me a short way towards camp in his 4WD terrain bike, and I started back.
That is when I almost screwed up bigtime, because I started moving in a big circle,
and was headed back towards Beivassgiedde, which was not according to my plans.

I discovered the mishap before it was too late and brought out the map and a compass.
I found the correct heading, but my deviance from the original route had placed me
too close to the river, so the route back was not at all pleasant.
The rain kept falling and my new route proved to be nothing but bushes, trees and swamps.
After having fought my way through the bush for four hours I was back in the lavvu at 11:45 pm.
Was I happy!
I slouched on the bed, fired up the campfire, started a hot cocoa going and
removed all my wet clothes.
I was pouring water out of my boots.

Today I discovered 140 mosquito bites on my hand and wrists.
I found a reindeer cadaver yesterday, and immediately removed the antlers.
 

  

Today I was visited by Edward Anti ( Sami surname *) and his friend Lucie, who dropped
by to see if their friend Robert was around.
They were going fishing in an inflatable canoe, and asked if I wanted to join.
I said yes.
We paddled down Bavtajokka to a lake called Akkasjavri, where we landed the canoe,
lit up a fire and threw our lures into the lake, hoping to catch some salmon.
We didn't get any salmon, but the night was great with clear skies.

On the way back I managed to catch a pike just after we had started paddling,
and suddenly Edward and Lucie wanted to catch pike as well,
we fished for pike all the way back.

I lost three lures to an old monster pike, who snatched them straight off,
even though I had steelwire between the lure and the fishing line.
Lucie caught a pike, but didn't want to handle it, so I had to rescue her.
When I got it into the canoe she suggested I use Edward's hunting knife
( big traditional Sami knife*), but I found the combination inflatable rubber canoe,
lively pike and huge knife spelled disaster,
so I whacked it on the head with an oar instead.
When we got back it was very late,
but I decided it was best to gut and prepare the fish right away.
When I picked up one of the pikes to gut it, it was still alive,
thirty minutes after it had been whacked on the head and placed in the boat!

They're pretty solid, those Finnmark pikes.

Edward and Lucie are staying here until morning, before they continue on their fishing expedition.
I fried my pike, but Edward and Lucie were too tired to eat theirs, so they went to bed.
 

Today I flew back to civilization.
The pilot was flying in with some supplies, and I hitched a ride back to town.
I must have looked strange to the owner of Annes Inn, where I rented a room for the night.
I immediately took a warm shower, got out my 'civilian' clothes and ran for the nearest restaurant.
 

Gear

FOODS

Gear after I shopped groceries, altogether 140 kilos ( about 300 lbs )

The pictures on this page were scanned with a Mustek 600 II N and edited using Photoshop 4.0
All photo's were taken by the author and are as such copyrighted material.