⛺A night out in a hut⛺

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Hello adventurers!
I am in Norway now, renting motor boats in a small village called Mefjordvær. This settlement is located in the Northern part of Senja island. It is a pretty secluded place. Well, let's put it straight: this is where the road ends. Mefjordvær is a fishermen commune with a population of around 150-170 people. Public transportation exists in a form of a bus, taking the villagers to Lysnes where they jump aboard of an express boat to Tromsø. The boat goes every other day. It's a very different rhythm of life here, but I will dedicate another post to the village of Mefjordvær, meanwhile let me tell you about my yesterday's mini-adventure...


I went to sleep in one of the huts located along the trail crossing the wetland near our settlement. I just felt like I really needed my nature time--it's been a while since I slept outside. Decision to go there was made instantly and I started packing as soon as I got home from work. It was around 10 p.m. when I left home after quickly packing things I needed for my night stay. I took an inflatable mattress, sleeping bag, my Trangia gas-cooker, gas tank and some muesli for a late dinner. However I forgot a spoon and had to eat with my finnish knife. This is a price you pay when packing in a rush.

The path took me through a swampy area

On my way to the hut I bumped into my co-worker's jack russel dog, which was on the loose. On one hand I understand that living close to the nature gives you a sweet opportunity to let your dog of the leash, but on the other hand it seems like a pretty bad idea when you and the whole village know that the dog is mad. That annoying little dog started barking at me the moment it saw me. I just ignored him and went on.

The hut I slept in

The hut is not too far away, but it gives a feeling of being in an untouched wilderness. Right in front of it there's a tiny shallow lake. Behind the hut runs a pretty calm stream, bringing water from one of the waterfalls into the ocean. The hut was equipped with a mobile fireplace, a very basic one. You could boil water and grill something on it. And the view was pretty amazing!

A view from the hut

A stream behind the hut

Without any doubt I was really lucky with the scenery and the hut itself. I got settled pretty fast and prepared a sleeping place. Then I cooked my late dinner and ate. Before going to sleep I felt like doing something useful and highlighted text on a wooden board with a message to all the travellers stopping at the hut to keep it clean, because most of it faded away. The text was in Norwegian and in English. Highlighting English verion wasn't a problem, while norwegian version of it was a complete mystery to me because I do not speak the language. I tried my best though. While highlighting the text in Norwegian I remembered those people from the older days who were copying books: I am sure that many times they had to guess what letter/text was missing and that caused some serious missinterpretations. The job was pretty boring and food-coma started to kick in, so I went to sleep.

To my great surprise mosquitoes did not bother me that much even though I stayed on a swampy ground. There were a few little mosquitoes trying to have a piece of me, but far less from what I expected it would have been like. 

What I was really surprised about though was the fact how difficult was it to start make a bonfire in nordic outdoors! Finding dry timber for a bonfire was quite a challenge I have to say! It took me twice as much the amount of matches I normally use. I used two matches, while in normal conditions it would have been only one. However, once you get your bonfire going and accumulate enough heat, you can shamelessly put wet timber and it will still burn.🔥 Don't go over the board with this advice though.

🔥🔥🔥 My bonfire getting stronger 🔥🔥🔥

I fell asleep pretty fast and slept like a baby all the way till morning. I have to say that my night out did serve its purpose! I woke up calm, relaxed and felt really light inside. I saw some dreams, but couldn't remember them anymore after I woke up.

This night out in a hut was a test-run for my gear of some sorts. It needed to be done because all the equipment I have was bought for milder conditions and I absolutely do not want to be caught by surprise somewhere in the wild. As a memory of this little adventure I brought home a few mosquito bites and a smell of smoke in my clothes. I hope my little adventure encourages you to get outdoors and explore our beautiful planet! Follow my Instagram

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