Day 28 - Hike to Matinden

We continue towards Andenes. Tomorrow is our whale safari, and for this reason, we want to be on-site a day in advance. The weather is perfect for hiking today, the sun is shining, and the wind is moderate. In our hiking guide, we find a moderately challenging tour to Matinden, a summit directly on the coast of Andøya, the northernmost island of Vesterålen.

After crossing a long bridge over Risøysund, we find ourselves on Andøya. Instead of following Fv82 further, we take the more scenic Fv974, which runs along the west coast of the island. Once again, we are treated to beautiful scenery. Rocky coast, steep cliffs to our right, then a viewpoint with a small lighthouse and a "rock altar". This is a small cave in a rock formation right by the sea, which was probably a place of worship for the Sami in the past and now serves as a location for a religious service once a year.

Our hike starts at a small parking lot below Storvatnet and begins with a steep ascent. After conquering this, we find ourselves on a small plateau, from which we have a wide view to the south of the extremely flat piece of land between two mountain ranges. It is like a patchwork quilt dotted with hundreds of small lakes reflecting the sunlight like mirrors. It is a gigantic sight and so vast!

But we are far from reaching our destination, we still have to conquer the ascent to another, even larger plateau, which, however, does not require special fitness compared to the first one. From there, we can already see Matinden. The last stretch up to the summit, which sits on the plateau, is a bit more challenging, but we are rewarded once we reach the top. We are at an altitude of 397 meters above sea level, and in front of us, there is a cliff edge with a bizarrely rugged steep coast. It is a breathtaking sight that I enjoy despite my fear of heights. To our left, we can see a bay with a beautiful white sandy beach, which is also lined with tall cliffs. There is probably a way down to this bay, but it likely leads over the dangerously looking ridge above it. So, let's better not do that.

After the exhausting descent for my knees, we continue to Andenes, where we immediately look for a campground. There is only one, so the search is relatively easy, although finding a somewhat level pitch on the coastal site is rather difficult. In the end, we are right by the sea with a slight sideways slope, but after a test lie, we are satisfied with the positioning of the car. Today, we go to bed a bit earlier as tomorrow awaits us the whale safari, for which we have to check in at 8:45 am. In joyful anticipation of tomorrow, I fall asleep.