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Hiking Arctic Norway – Barheia, Lyngen Alps

Trip Report by BestHike editor Rick McCharles

Click PLAY or watch a #shorts on YouTube.

Barheia is not one of the famous hikes. In fact, I only learned of it from a hiking guidebook I found at a nearby hostel.

MOST day hikes here required a lot of vertical before getting to the great vistas.

Only 350m? Only 1 hour?

Let’s GO.

It’s about 6.8km return from the trailhead — once you find it well above the highway campground.

AND it’s very conveniently located in Svensby, close to the ferry dock. You can easily walk from the ferry.

Most tourists drive right past on their way to the most popular day hike in the area, Blåisvatnet (the Blue Lake). Personally I enjoyed Barheia much better. AND had the summit to myself. The Blue Lake trail is crowded with hikers high season.

Confusingly, there’s a trailhead sign close to the campground on the highway. But the start is actually higher up the mountain, well above the campers.

Once there, you can’t get lost as it’s blazed red. Useful when the snow falls.

related – Wild Planet trip report

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Hudson’s Bay Company Heritage Trail, B.C.

Very few hikers know about this 80km trail starting in Tulameen, BC and ending on the outskirts of Hope.

It follows a first nations route utilized by Hudson’s Bay Company fur traders around 1849.

See a more detailed map.

If you were interested in planning this adventure, buy the 78 page trail book. ($28)

Though little known, it’s well marked with 10 established campsites located at regular intervals. Each has a food cache, seating, fire pits, and outhouses.

Happily, Jean Robert and Gemma posted a super detailed trip report.

There are a number of river crossings.

Some mountain bike this route.

This is one of our best hikes in North America.

Thanks Kate.

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Climbing Fløya, out of Tromsø, Norway

I flew to Tromsø to begin a long bikepacking tour of the west coast.

Sadly, SAS (Scandinavian Airlines) accepted money from me ➙ then didn’t deliver my bicycle and gear to Norway. It sat untouched at Heathrow airport for days. 🤨

Airlines should not offer flights if they don’t have what they need to deliver.

On the upside, there is excellent hiking out of Tromsø.

Click PLAY or see highlights on YouTube.

Tromsø is 350 kilometres (217 mi) north of the Arctic Circle.  The summer sun doesn’t set until July 27th.  I was there July 24th.

At 69°, it is north of Reykjavík, for example. 

On my only other hiking trip to Norway I made it as far north as the Lofoten Islands, but not to Tromsø.

I climbed over 1200 stone steps built by Nepalese starting 2016. In Norwegian, they are called the Sherpatrappa.

Most people stop at the restaurant atop the cable car. There’s an excellent view from the deck and atop a nearby rock cliff.

But if you continue UP look for a climbing hut known as Steinbøhytta. You can sleep there for free.

This day there were a number of reindeer grazing. They seemed unperturbed by hikers — but this big male reacted badly when encountering my backpack unexpectedly. Perhaps it looked something like a carnivore in the rocks.

You can drive or take a bus to the start. But many simply walk across the bridge from town, visiting the Arctic Cathedral on the way.

By Oursinbenjamin

If you get to remote Tromsø, don’t miss this vista.

I took the Sherpa stairs back down. But there are alternative trails descending.

AllTrails recommends a loop they call Sherpatrappa and Dalbergstien.

related – 7 Easy Hikes With Spectacular Views In Tromso, Norway

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NEW smaller Bear Canisters

Mac:

BearVault has just released two new products, the BV425 “Sprint” and the BV475 “Trek“.

Both bear canisters meet Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee (IGBC) grizzly bear testing standards as of May 2022 and are approved for use on the John Muir Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail.

… hikers now have twice as many options on offer from BearVault to help protect their food (and protect the bears) in the backcountry. …

Halfway Anywhere

Though canisters are bulky, I certainly do appreciate having a CAMP CHAIR when I carry one. 😀

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Constantine & Magpie – 30,000 miles

In six years, Constantine and Magpie have collectively hiked 30,000 miles. What do they do now that they’ve learned their lessons from—and found love on—the trail?

Their early November completion of the NCT (North Country Trail) also earned the duo five American hiking records in an instant. …

Constantine is the first person known to have thru-hiked the 11 National Scenic Trails, a gargantuan network that reaches almost every corner of the Lower 48.

His feat makes the Triple Crown of American hiking—the Pacific Crest, Appalachian, and Continental Divide Trails—seem like a Sunday stroll.

He believes he set an unofficial speed record on the 500-plus-mile Potomac Heritage Trail …

Outside – Meet the Couple Who Just Set 5 Long-Distance Hiking Records
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Hiking Moorecroft Park, Vancouver Island

My favourite place to fly a drone close to Nanaimo is Moorecroft Regional Park.

It’s gorgeous, yet very little known or visited.

A former youth camp, it was purchased 2011 from the BC Conference of the United Church of Canada and is now managed by the Nature Conservancy of Canada.

It is on AllTrails.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

If you get the chance, you won’t regret visiting Moorecroft.

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Hike Black Tusk near Vancouver, B.C.

For this very popular hike, most start at Rubble Creek. Parking is cramped.

I was happy to have started at the Helm Creek trailhead, instead. I’d stayed in Whistler so this was more convenient.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube. The final summit climb is technical — I didn’t do it, myself.

Black Tusk is one of our best hikes in North America.

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Cycling the Great Himalaya Trail

Mangal Lama, professional mountain biking guide from Kathmandu, is currently solo riding the Nepal section of the Great Himalaya Trail — as high as possible. About 70 days.

Locked-down at home due to Covid-19, he decided to try to be first to complete the #GHTonWheels, and bring attention to the imminent dangers of climate change.

Click PLAY or watch his story on YouTube.