Nordnorge
Chasing the midnight sun by air - Dronefilm
Drone:
DJI Mavic 2 Pro
​
Music:
St. Mary
Chelsea McGough
In 2019 the three of us set out to capture the midnight sun and the vast mountain peaks of Northern Norway by air, using the DJI Mavic 2 Pro.
It was quite exciting as we drove up the 1590 kilometers to our starting destination on the island of Senja, north of the Lofoten islands. Stopping periodically all the way up the Helgeland coast to capture the scenery. Although it was summer and the sun never dips below the horizon here, the weather this far north can be unforgiving. The week prior to our arrival had been one full of heavy sleet and whipping winds. We were worried about the drone, and for the mission - to catch the midnight sun.
Three ferry rides and a waffle later we arrived at our destination of Austvågøya, the northernmost of the two main Lofoten islands.
It's a sight to behold, seeing what we Norwegians call “the Lofoten wall”. Jagged mountain islands stretching inland and outward, down the horizon. From afar it looks like a wall, towering mountains becoming bigger as the local ferry makes its 9th passage of the day. Unfortunately for us, those mountains scratched a blanket of impenetrable clouds. The sun, unable to penetrate from the other side.
We were heading to Gimsøya, a smaller island squished between the two largest of the Lofoten islands. Rays were now penetrating the cloudy sky above, hitting the mountain walls. We had to hurry up. We’d set our eyes on the remarkable mountain called Hoven. Only 380 meters above sea level, it has a steady slope on one side, and a dramatic drop on the other. Like a giant ski jump, it stands alone, looking outward to the open sea and inward to the inlets of Lofoten.
It was almost midnight when we arrived at the foot of the mountain. We rushed to pack the equipment and started up the slopes. We were told it was supposed to be an easy hike, but the constant elevation with gear on our backs turned out to be a real challenge. Streaks of light started to hit all around us as gaps in the clouds appeared. The midnight sun was breaking through the cloud cover, giving us the energy we needed to push through. Our bodies reacted to the light as if it was midday as we hastened up the slopes.
By the time we reached the top, the clouds were gone.
The sun hung low and alone in the sky, looking over the stark blue horizon of the arctic ocean; bathing Hoven, us and the entire Lofoten islands in its beautiful yellow tones.
The marshlands below were moving with a hazy fog as the sun warmed up the earth and we got the drone in the air.
We woke up in the early morning to a group of Chinese tourists taking pictures. Not of the scenery, as we had, but of us.We had fallen asleep exhausted on the mossy mountain slope sometime during the night, and was now sweaty and sunburnt from the sun exposure.
It didn’t matter to any of us. We were going home with the sun in our pocket and a big smile on our faces.
Tokt accomplished.
Lars Holm
Tekst
Vebjørn Bakker
Foto og klipp
