RTW Leg 135
Very Early Morning 
ESUT-ENMH 457 nm.
Hemavan-Mehamn. Lappland and Northernmost Europe.
ETE: 3 Hours.
Terminal Departure and Terminal Arrival

NARRATIVE

Today we head northward to Sweden's Lappland.

We first follow along the path of the famous Kungsleden which runs 420 km north to Abisko.  This route passes over lakes and mountain ranges that make for stunning landscapes in both summer and winter.  Along the trails, there are smaller cabins (stugor) in distances of 10 to 25 km and bigger ones (Fjällstations) in youth hostel style at the end of the trails.  Most of them are owned by the STF, the Swedish Tourist Association.  Both hikers and cross-country skiers find the experience memorable. 

Clouds and sun over the Kungsleden. Lake Akkajaure and Mount Akkavare in mid-summer. Storra Sjöfallet's invigorating  wintertime vista.

As we approach Lake Akkajaure and, just south of the lake, Mount Akkavare (note the waypoint labeled AKKA) we reach the juncture of three National Parks, Padjelanta, Sarek and then Stora Sjöfallet, which fill the area between Staloluokta and Ritsem in the west and Saltoluokta and Kvikkjokk in the east.  No other country in Europe has protected areas of this size.  (Here once might spot Brown Bear, Lynx, Wolverine, Reindeer, and the Norwegian Leming.)  The region "Laponia" is listed in the World Heritage List of UNESCO.

We turn and fly over Stora Sjofallet in the region of the Stora Falls of the Lule River that plunge 130 feet (40m) over a rocky crest.  As can be seen the park is extensively mountainous and marked by deep glacial slices.  Flying east, the land is much lower and covered by marshes.

Triple locomotive pulling its weighty load of ore.

We reach Kiruna, just northwest of the airport, which centers the Swedish iron ore mining industry--among the richest in the world.  After the ore was discovered in the nineteenth century, a rail line was built connecting the mines with the seaport at Narvik (in Norway).  That railroad was the only contact with the outside world until, finally, the 1960s produced a highway connection as well.  The huge special-built triple locomotives continue to ply the line, carrying their trains of over 45 heavy ore wagons over the mountain ranges at a reduced speed of 45 km/h.  (See http://www.funet.fi/index/railways/Sweden/electric/  )  The town has retained its no-nonesense (perhaps ugly) industrial looks giving the visitor a sense of frontier resource extraction at the Arctic Circle.  The massive mines and support facilities still attract curious tourists.  The local museums notably feature Sami art and celebrate Sami culture.

Most pilots will continue on, but those seeking a unique evening might choose to land at Kiruna and take a dog sled to Jukkasjärvi and the Ice Hotel.

Kiruna Ice Hotel http://216.156.37.82/ice_hotel.htm

Imagine a hotel which is built from scratch every year. A new design, new suites, a brand new reception - in fact everything in it is crisp and new.
Well, there is such a hotel; the Ice Hotel, situated on the shores of the Torne River, in the old village of Jukkasjärvi in Swedish Lapland.  10 000 tons of crystal clear ice from the ‘ice manufacturing plant’, the Torne River, and 30 000 tons of pure snow generously supplied by Mother Nature are needed to build the Ice Hotel every year. The hotel sleeps over 100 guests, and every bedroom is unique.

Covering more than 30,000 square feet, the Ice Hotel includes an Ice Chapel, the hotel itself, an ice art exhibition hall, a cinema and last but not least, the world famous ‘Absolut Ice Bar’

The Absolut Ice Bar in Jukkasjärvi probably enjoys more international fame than the trendiest bars in Stockholm. Twice mentioned in Newsweek as one of the most stunning bars in the world, it certainly leaves no-one cold.  At night, the bar is a natural meeting place for all those who are taking the plunge and spending the night in the Ice Hotel. Perhaps they feel the need for a little night-cap. They will encounter many nationalities in this truly cosmopolitan bar; the ever-present Japanese tourists as well as visitors from America, Great Britain, Germany, Spain, France, Poland and even South Africa.  Regulars at the Absolut Ice Bar may have met the Swedish Royal couple or the Irish President. Perhaps they’ve also rubbed shoulders with "supercool"-models Naomi Campbell or Kate Moss or the Swedish model Marcus Schenkenberg. Or the famous photographer Herb Ritts. Or the Swedish rock star Jennifer Brown. Or the American rock band Van Halen.  This year the Absolut Ice Bar will have been created for the fifth time. Just like the Ice Hotel, it is never the same two years running. There are always new features; this year there will be a beautiful ice wall and crystal-clear pillars made of ice.  Newly invented drinks based on Laplandic blueberry juice will be served out of specially designed glasses. They are made of ice, naturally, so there’s no need for ice cubes!

Then north over the vast lowlands that typify Lappland (or, in Finland, Lapland).  The rolling hills are covered by birch and pine forests and punctuated with bogs and lakes.

Reindeer Herd on the move.

Here the Sami have built their Arctic culture, living in their traditional relationship with their reindeer herds.  (The term "Lapp" refers to a "patch" for old mending clothes--and nowadays the Sami prefer not to be identified with "patched clothes."  See http://www.itv.se/boreale/samieng.htm)  The Sami are the descendants of nomadic peoples who had inhabited northern Scandinavia for thousands of years.  The origin of the Sami is obscure; some scholars include them among the Paleo-Siberian peoples; others maintain that they were alpine and came from central Europe.  The three Sami languages, which are mutually unintelligible, are sometimes considered dialects of one language.  In the late 20th century there were from 30,000 to 40,000 Sami in Norway and about 20,000 in Sweden, 6,000 in Finland, and 2,000 in Russia.

Sami nomad and draft reindeer.

Traditionally, the Sami developed a symbiotic relationship with the reindeer.  During the long Arctic winter months, resources could get scarce.  The Sami took maximum advantage of their reindeer, milking cows and butchering animals for meat, including the intestines which provided the Sami with vitamins not otherwise available.  Tendons and sinews were used for sewing and the reindeer skins for shoes and clothing.  The nomadic herders lived year-round in conical tents covered with reindeer hide. As tent poles and covers had to be carried along on migrations, the size of the tent was constrained by the number of draft reindeer at a household's disposal. Thus the tents of wealthy reindeer owners could be large and numerous, whereas poorer peoples had to be content with more meager dwellings.  From the earliest of times, the Sami hunted reindeer and kept numbers of animals.  A few centuries ago they began large-scale nomadism, with groups of five or six families migrating with their herds across the landscape.  Today, however, nomadism has virtually disappeared; the remaining herders now accompany their reindeer alone while their families reside in permanent modern housing.  Moreover, the Chernobyl nuclear accident of 1986, which spread radioactive material over much of northwestern Lappland, dealt a blow from which the reindeer economy may be slow to recover.

Many Norwegian Sami are coastal fishermen, and those in other areas depend for their livelihoods on farming, forestry, freshwater fishing, and mining or on government, industrial, and commercial employment in cities and towns.  Sami increasingly participate in the Scandinavian professional, cultural, and academic world.  In each country there are Sami political and cultural societies, and there are a few Sami newspapers and radio programs.  Currently, there are Sami political, cultural and youth organizations in all four countries and a Sami Parliament in each of the three Scandinavian ones.

We continue northward, enjoying soft sunlight cast over the lonely land.  If the time is right, we might get a chance to see the Aurora Borealis.  (See below.)

Meham and its working harbor.

Nordic Safari at your call.

Finally we approach Mehamn, on the east coast of the Nordkyn Peninsula, which will be the northernmost stop for our world tour.  (This is the northernmost population center on the European mainland--though see the humorous political battle outlined in RTW Leg 136 ahead.)  Mehamn has 900 inhabitants while neighboring Gamvik and Skjånes boast 270 and 230 inhabitants respectively.  The economy here is centered around fishing and fish products.  Not as isolated as it seems, Mehamn has daily flights to the rest of the country and the Coastal Express calls twice a day at the port.  If you fancy a bit of polar bear hunting or other Arctic adventure, you might contact Nordic Safari (http://www.nordicsafari.no/main.html) and its spunky proprietor.

Mehamn's next generation...bundled.

Flight planning and narrative by
Jozef Kusters and Mike MacKuen
RTW Pilots #038 and #039

ADDITIONAL SCENERY AND ADD-ONS.

None

Aurora Borealis

Auroras are caused by the interaction of energetic particles (electrons and protons) from outside the atmosphere with atoms of the upper atmosphere.  Such interaction occurs in zones surrounding the Earth's magnetic poles. During periods of intense solar activity, auroras occasionally extend to the middle latitudes; for example, the aurora borealis has been seen as far south as 40 latitude in the United States.

Auroras take many forms, including luminous curtains, arcs, bands, and patches.  The uniform arc is the most stable form of aurora, sometimes persisting for hours without noticeable variation.  However, in a great display other forms appear, commonly undergoing dramatic variation.  The lower edges of the arcs and folds are usually much more sharply defined than the upper parts.  Greenish rays may cover most of the sky polewards of the magnetic zenith, ending in an arc that is usually folded and sometimes edged with a lower red border that may ripple like drapery.  The display ends with a poleward retreat of the auroral forms, the rays gradually degenerating into diffuse areas of white light.

The light is emitted when charged particles from the Sun, riding the solar wind, are guided by the earth's magnetic field into the atmosphere near the magnetic poles.  At 100-300 kilometers altitude, these particles collide with oxygen and nitrogen atoms, knocking away electrons to leave ions in excited states.  These ions emit radiation at various wavelengths, creating the characteristic colors (red or greenish blue) of the aurora.

For more, see http://www.northern-lights.no/english/pages/facts/intro.shtml .

Different Auroras.  (http://www.irf.se/norrsken/Norrsken_mainpage.html).

Many consider the aurora to be something of the most beautiful things that can be seen. The different colours in green, blue and red that swiftly move across the sky are really fascinating. If it is the first time you see a sparkling aurora it is easy to lose one's breath. Regardless of the fact that I have seen quite many beautiful auroras, I cannot just walk by when I see a new one. There are no two auroras that are alike, so if you have seen one aurora it does not mean that you have seen them all.

Auroras appear in many different shapes. The aurora mostly seen early in the evening is shaped as an arc and stretches all across the sky in an east-west direction. The arc has indistinct edges and is green.

Sometimes arcs can become active and start to look like pieces of drapery with distinct rays that show the direction of the Earth's magnetic field. The length of an aurora arc can be quite large, maybe 1000 kilometres or more, but the width can be as small as 100 metres.

If you stand directly beneath an aurora in the direction of the magnetic field the rays look like they are all coming from one point and radiating in all directions. This is called a corona. If you stand further north or south and look at the same aurora you will see it as an arc.

During the most active auroras, which occur during so-called sub storms, the whole sky may be filled with the most incredible colours. The shapes and colours can change from one second to the next. The most intensive phase of an aurora normally lasts only for about 10 minutes.

When the magnetosphere gets rid of most of the surplus energy related to a sub storm you can often see a different type of aurora, pulsating auroras. The sky will be filled with pale light spots that are switched on and off independently of each other and at different speed; the spots are lit for a few seconds. This type of aurora is common after midnight.

The picture shows a series of photographs taken during a pulsating aurora. They are taken with a special camera adjusted to faint light. The dot indicates the position of a sounding rocket. At 9:54:58 p.m. the rocket was surrounded by the aurora, but four seconds later it was almost gone, reappearing two seconds later.

The most commonly occurring auroras are not so easily noticed, since they have no shape. This is the indistinct aurora that lies like a faint glow across the sky.

Very rarely red aurora (630 nm wavelength) appears quite a long way south of the ordinary green (558 nm wavelength from atomic Oxygen) and purple (428 nm wavelength from ionized Nitrogen molecule) aurora. This happens only a few times during solar maximum, i.e., large red aurora like this photo appears only a few times in a decade.

For more, see http://www.irf.se/norrsken/Norrsken_mainpage.html.