It has three quotations:

***  Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn. (John Muir)

***  We all know that Art is not truth. Art is a lie that makes us realize truth, at least the truth that is given us to understand. (Pablo Picasso)

***  If you want others to be happy
    Practice Compassion
    If you want to be happy
    Practice Compassion (His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama)

The third (and possibly most important) quotation is unable to be rendered on some small screens.  Just sayin’

Ansel Adams made some of his most famous images using heavy equipment and from the back of his pickup truck.  Not a wilderness experience, but great photography.  Peter Dombrovskis made his using a large format camera, but my understanding is that he carried a large weight to a base camp (having previsualised the photos he wanted) and then waited for days for the right conditions.  Those of us who want to combine human powered travel in wild places with photography, but lack the talent and drive of an Adams or a Dombrovskis, have to compromise.

On this trip I used a Panasonic Lumix GX7 with a couple of zoom lenses (9-18 mm and 14-42 mm), minimal accessories, and no tripod, meaning a fraction of the weight of an SLR system but much more versatility and image quality than a compact point-and-shoot camera.  For those not familiar with the acronyms and technicalities, the GX7 belongs to the comparatively new category of Micro Four Thirds digital cameras (aka μ43, M43).  M43 has a wide choice of small but high quality lenses, although on this tour the two zooms did most of what I needed.  It would be good to have had more lenses with me, but there are limits!  Anyway, as Ansel Adams said, the most important part of a camera system is the twelve inches behind the camera body.

Of more interest than the equipment used, are the ethics of the photographer.  A common question is “did you Photoshop that?”  In the digital era we have become very suspicious of photography.  Most of the photographs I sent from Norway (and shown on this site) had been altered in some way.  Before you get indignant about this, I’ll explain.

Technology has its limitations, and the sensors in digital cameras usually produce an artificially “flat” record of reality.  A raw image file contains less contrast, is less sharp, and has fairly washed-out colours.  This is true, as far as I know, for all but the most exotic and expensive sensors.  Camera manufacturers, and photographers using software to process raw images, therefore need to recreate the original scene by using proprietary algorithms embedded in the camera’s firmware (in the case of manufacturers) and "manual" software adjustments (in the case of photographers).

Thus, from the start, value judgments are inevitable.  Those who know what to look for can often tell what brand of camera was used, because manufacturers apply a certain “look” to JPGs (the universal compressed file format for digital photos) produced by their equipment:  Nikon and Panasonic are known for having comparatively “flat” JPGs, while Canon, Fujifilm and Olympus have more “punchy” JPGs.  The type of glass used in lenses can produce subtle variations too.  It’s all more subjective than you might think. [Incidentally, this is also why selecting a camera just on the number of advertised megapixels is a bad idea.  Having more megapixels is good, but a lot of other factors influence image quality.]

Composing and cropping photographs is another “editorial” decision that is usually taken for granted.  And from quantum physics a hundred years ago, we learnt that the act of observing necessarily involves an impact on the subject.  That is minimally true of landscape photography, but powerfully true of portrait and street photography.

What I do think is deceitful is removing or inserting objects (eg those absurd advertisements showing a shiny new 4WD sans dust in the middle of the desert or on the edge of some inaccessible cliff), or cranking up the saturation of colours beyond what was actually there.

Even prior to the digital era, a simple landscape snap was usually not what the naked eye would have seen, because if the photographer used a moderate to small lens aperture almost everything in the resulting image would have been in focus.  That isn't the way the human eye works- it can focus on something close or something distant, but cannot do both simultaneously.  Try it!  Even a simple photo is always a product of technology and human judgement, and indeed is an illusion because it only depicts what was in the past.  If "the camera doesn't lie" was ever true, it certainly is not today.

One of the technical challenges in photographing Norway in winter is the blueness of many snowy scenes.  It’s real enough, but it can look quite unreal; an understandable reaction would be that a blue filter was used or that the blue was enhanced on the computer afterwards.  In fact, blue gets into pictures of snow and ice because the ice crystals are reflecting, even indirectly and even at night, the blue of the sky, which in any case is not the colour of the sky itself but a product of light travelling through the Earth’s atmosphere.  Should the blue be reduced artificially to make a picture more “credible”?  Norwegians call the time after sunset the “blå time” (the “blue hour”) and the two photographs titled “Approaching Fefor Høyfjellshotell by moonlight” are good examples of that phenomenon.

The "antique" looking photograph of Espedalsvatnet was of course manipulated (just a software preset in Nik Silver Efex Pro, very easy to do) and might verge on kitsch, but only inasmuch as it reflects an idea or a vision.  I hope that doesn't sound pretentious.  On the other hand putting a sailing boat on the lake digitally would be (to me) dishonest, although someone with a different aesthetic might do it to express a particular idea.  Ultimately, a photograph can be just as subjective and artificial as a painting (eg the very literal documentation of a Canaletto versus the emotion and drama of a Turner- I know which inspires me more), a drawing or a print.  If you think that's a subjective and slippery slope, you're probably right.  Welcome to postmodernism!  End of lecture (Art and Society 101).

For more on this controversial subject (just one example among many such discussions on the internet), see this thread on one of my favourite web sites, The Luminous Landscape.  Kevin Raber's photographs are great, although I do think their colour is exaggerated in some cases, but that’s his style.  Ditto for Peter Eastway- this in particular seems highly contrived, although the post-production adjustments showed, according to the photographer, what he had actually seen.  Except for the human figure he added to emphasise the scale!  And then there is the overlapping topic of craft versus art.  Thom Hogan, who always has something useful to say about photography, recently wrote this on craft versus art in photography.  I’d argue that a lot of his observations also apply to creative activities outside photography- gardening, upholstery, music and woodwork for example.

For something completely different, have a look at Brandon Stanton’s Humans of New York.  Photography can be whatever we make of it.  I’m usually uncomfortable taking this sort of photo, although it’s evident that most of his subjects were happy to be snapped.  I suppose that illustrates the difference between being a street photographer with a small camera and a friendly demeanour, and being one of the telephoto-wielding paparazzi.  I’m neither.

Fefor Høyfjellshotell was built in 1891, extended over the last 120 years, and was a favourite destination of the Norwegian Royal Family and their friends, who included the incomparable skier, explorer, scientist, diplomat and humanitarian Fridtjof Nansen.  The original part of the building is a magnificent example of a traditional høyfjellshotell (“mountain hotel”), and the løype in the area are groomed regularly (daily, if not twice daily!), a joy to ski on.  And the food, well that’s amazing too, and you can go back as many times as you like for refills.  Fefor Høyfjellshotell should be on every cross country skier’s bucket list.

(A nautical aside: Nansen’s famous and distinctive Fram was designed by the renowned naval architect Colin Archer.  In 1988 Norway made to Australia a Bicentenary gift of another vessel designed by Archer with a long Australian connection, Kathleen Gillett.)

From Fefor it’s a very easy 10km ski to Gålå.  Really one should ski on to the next place (Fagerhøi) but Gålå is worth spending time in, so I stopped there for a day and a half and did some telemark skiing on the downhill runs (you can hire tele and alpine gear).  A lift ticket there costs less than the equivalent at Perisher but there are about 10% of the skiers and snowboarders.  If you turn up on cross country skis they let you ride the lifts for free.  I don’t think you could do that all day, but since most of Gålå is on a steep hillside it helps with the shopping, and gives access to some very good cross country terrain that would otherwise involve a big climb.  The J-bars servicing the smaller hills (and town) at Gålå are 3 times as fast and 15 times as long as the now-defunct Cowpastures J-bar at Guthega was, so you need your wits about you when getting on.  There is more good accommodation (Gålå Høyfjellstue among several) and many FIS-homologated cross country and biathlon tracks.  Plus a supermarket with a rack of ski waxes, a whole aisle of candles, winter clothing, outdoor equipment, even food.  My sort of town.

From Gålå I went past Fagerhøi and on to Skei, which is a more urban, commercial and expensive ski centre with heaps of downhilling and consequently much less character.  It was satisfying after a 30 km day with a fullish pack to feel that a belt was becoming a functional necessity again, instead of mere sartorial convention!

Along the way to Skei there were many people out for a day’s skiing, some taking it very easy, others obviously training for races.  The biggest mass-start race in Norway is the Birkebeiner which this year was on 15 March.  It is 54 km in length, is skied using classic technique only, and has a limit of 17,000 participants (with places reserved for the many overseas entrants).  Like all such events, participation and completion are goals in themselves for most people.  If you finish within 25% of the time of the winner of your age division you are awarded a medal.

This time I stayed at Strand Fjellstue where the co-proprietors (Stefan and Surina Austheim) provide superb service and delicious and plentiful food.  Guests can have Thai food most nights (they even do take away for the locals in the district!), as Surina comes from Thailand.  Of course local elg (moose) and mountain goat are given the Thai treatment.  Smakte god!  Kjempe god!  Surina used to have a hotel at Phuket (before the 2004 tsunami destroyed it) so when I turned up for dinner the first night wearing thongs she immediately recognised me as an Australian.  (In defence of wearing thongs, they’re the perfect indoor footwear for overnight ski touring, light and compact.  You can get some very good light slippers here but they are more bulky.)

Anyway, cutting to the chase, there is some fine track skiing in Espedalen.  There is a large frozen lake (Espedalsvatnet), groomed roads along and up the hills (mostly on the western side), and large plateaux on either side of the valley, also with groomed tracks.  This is complemented by a Norway-wide web site (www.skisporet.no) that is updated in real time showing groomed tracks (indicating for each track the hours/days since the last pass by the grooming machine, and complete with blinking icons showing the current GPS signals from the machines), and a nifty I;75,000 cloth map of the region which if accidentally bleached would become the world’s largest and most expensive handkerchief.  Oh yes, old-fashioned signposts and topographic maps as well.

Espedalen, like most mountain and coastal parts of Norway, has numerous hytter.  The literal translation of “hytte” is “hut”, but “cabin” or “holiday home” would be more accurate.  Some are almost full-sized homes, and all are very comfortable.  People visit their hytte at Easter, summer holidays, school holidays, weekends or any other time they have available.  Whether it be for skiing, boating, fishing, walking or simply enjoying nature, hytter are an important part of Norwegians’ way of life.  This has long been the case, although as Norway has become more affluent (oil was discovered in the late 1960s, and large new reserves of oil and gas are still being found) the size and comfort of hytter have increased.

Some of the skiing in Espedalen was (as you can see from the photographs) in clear weather, but the sun tan didn't benefit much as the sun barely rose 25 degrees in the southern sky.

People of all ages ski in a variety of terrains, parents pulling Fjellpulken (covered sleds) with toddlers, dogs with and without booties and coats, people hundekjøring (ie skiing with the willing assistance of their energetic dog(s), including racing), it is all part of the outdoors enjoyment here. 

You have to have a good reason (usually to do with running a business) to be allowed to use a snowmobile (they call them “snøscooters”), which is a welcome change from places like the USA where skiers have to contend with snowmobiles in many places and you have to wear orange when bushwalking in the hunting season to avoid getting shot.

Mind you, I’m told that hunters can be a hazard in Norway in autumn too, especially after they’ve had a few aquavits to ward off the autumn chill.

You can buy GPS collars for dogs too. They help you find Fido after s/he’s gone on a wild moose chase.

Fjellpulken (a word which I think denotes both a brand and a generic piece of equipment, like “Esky”) are common.  The most deluxe are two-child models, with roll bars, adjustable-width runners to allow for varied terrain and groomed tracks, two perspex windscreens that fold down for protection in bad weather, and a variety of zippered enclosures.  I saw one pulk loaded with a family’s hut provisions, a baby inside, and a toddler on top dragging his leg in the snow so as to give Pappa a better workout.  No gym fees needed for Pappa.

Pulks are also used to carry food and gear on long trips, one of the most notable of which is Lindesnes to Nordkapp (go on, get your atlas out), a mere 2,500 km, give or take, depending on the route.  This epic has been done about 280 times, in winter, summer and a combination of both, by (among other things) skis, hundekjøring, foot, bicycle, sea kayak, rowing boat and skateboard, the oldest person being aged 70.  No Australians yet as far as I can tell.

This winter (2014) Oslo had very poor snowfall, and quite a lot of rain.  (Norway had a February that was 9°C above average.  Even allowing for statistical variations, that should tell us something.)  However there was still the usual ice on footpaths and roads when I arrived.  Sightseeing and walking are mutually exclusive activities here in winter unless you want to see a hospital.  You either walk, or you look, but never do the two simultaneously.

Skiing in Nordmarka (the area just north of the city) with its abundance of groomed tracks, some lit at night, was infinitely better than in Australia, again as usual.  Nordmarka is well above sea level even though it’s only 20-25 minutes by train from Oslo’s CBD, so the cover and quality were very acceptable to this Antipodean even if below average for locals.

The food and drinks in the markahytter really hit the spot after some skiing.  Hot chocolate never tasted so good!  I’ve not skied in Austria/Italy (too vertical for me) but on the basis of what Lou and Lisa Dawson say on Wild Snow the food there runs a close second to the skiing in terms of attraction.  (For examples, see this, this and this.)  This culinary stuff appeals to me as I really don’t enjoy skiing- I only do it to justify the calorie intake.

One afternoon I thought I passed the twin brother of King Harald V, except I don’t think the King has a twin brother.  No security detail with him, but he was skiing pretty fast so maybe he left them behind.

And here’s another brush with fame.  In 2011 I had a conversation at a track junction in Nordmarka with the father and grandfather of Petter Northug Jr, royalty of a different kind.  See this YouTube video for an example of his incredible speed, especially around 3:32-3:42 where he sprints so hard and so fast approaching the finishing line that at times both skis seem to be off the snow.  Petter Northug Jr is regarded as a bit of a bad boy, especially in Sweden- see 6:37-6:50- but what a skier, in both classic and freestyle disciplines.  This last winter he had bad form, and did not perform well at the Winter Olympics or other races.  An infection stopped him from training for a couple of months, but people also say his athletic performance has not been helped by a fondness for partying and high-stakes poker, and preparing separately from the national team.  What would sportertainment be without such personalities? A track in Nordmarka, close to Frognerseteren

Norway’s nationalism is of a particularly benign type.  It might be said, uncharitably, that a country with only a little more than 5 million people can offer no physical threat to others, but this would be to ignore the very democratic and fair minded ethos of the people of Norway.  It is this ethos which was so deeply offended by the 22 July 2012 bombing and massacre perpetrated by Anders Behring Breivik.

On 17 May Norwegians hold parades and other celebrations, everyone has the flag flying (not that this is anything unusual!) and the people often dress in their traditional clothing (bunader).

17 May is also a day on which to walk or ski to a mountain peak with like minds.  I wish I were there today!  I haven’t been in Norway for 17 May, so I can’t offer any first hand accounts or photographs, but a quick internet search will give you an idea of the atmosphere.

The Norwegian news media have been and will be full of news about 17 May, especially on this 200^th anniversary, so I’ll just link a couple of pages: this article and this article.  And you can practise your Norsk (or at least look at the pictures) here.

[“Gratulerer med dagen” is a greeting which is used on birthdays too, but on syttende mai it has special significance.] Norsk flagg at Iungsdalshytta in Skarvheimen, February 2008.Raised every morning, lowered every evening, and seen from my room. Oh, some snow and mountains too! The flat area is a frozen lake.

Gidday!  God dag!  Jullay!  Namaste!  Bonjour!  etc etc....

After much procrastination, difficulty with emails while travelling, and only a little messing around, I have set up this web site on which to publish some of my photos and words.

Apart from massaging my ego, providing a justification for taking more photographs and giving me a pulpit from which to blog preach, there are several practical and more defensible reasons for setting up a web site:

• Travelling- It should serve as a way of communicating while I am travelling (ie a travel blog)- sending emails has been a source of endless frustration to me on recent trips.
• Living in Norway- I hope to live in Norway for a year in the near future (to learn Norsk, ski and walk, and perhaps do some genealogy), and it will serve as a travel blog during my stay there.
• Genealogy- I have inherited many boxes of information, mostly related to the Gelling family, but also the Ulrichsens and their connections.  When I consolidate my mother's extensive legacy, and I review, scan, photograph and input this material, I hope to be able to use the web site to publish and/or distribute some of it.

You will notice that the site has some built-in e-commerce features.  I won't be using them.  I haven't bothered with search engine optimisation either- the site is just for friends and family (but feel free to forward the link to others).  There is a search function which works well on titles, captions and other text within the site.

The content is quite limited at the moment but I have a lot more to add from many years of outdoor activities.  Initially I am concentrating on publishing material from my recent trips to Norway as only a few people received the emails I sent from there (and I've only put up some content so far).  Among the earlier photographs are thousands of slides which need to be edited and scanned, and I'll try to gradually put some of them on the web site too.  The quality of the content will vary as it comes from a variety of sources- digital SLR and Micro Four Thirds at the upper end, and scanned (old) slides, photos taken with compact digital cameras, and possibly a few scanned (old) prints.  I’ll also add some music to the slide shows.

If you like what you see you can subscribe to the site's RSS feed by clicking on the orange RSS icon () on the blog page.  That should ensure that you get an automated email each time I add a blog post, an event which will be irregular but (I hope) not too infrequent.

A couple of technical points

1. As this is a completely new thing for me there may be bugs or other shortcomings.  If so, please let me know.  The site has been constructed using presets and themes provided by the hosting service (Zenfolio) so don't expect me to do any direct html coding in response to your feedback.  I'm not that much of a geek!
2. I've tested the screen appearance on several different systems, but you may find that you'll need to experiment with your browser's zoom settings or simply scroll down to view everything.  A viewer's hardware, operating system, browser program and browser settings (eg zoom % and menu preferences) all influence how a web page appears.  (An example of this is the welcome message on the home page: there are three quotations, the third being from the Dalai Lama, but not all screens are large enough to show them all.)  Although I've tried to anticipate such differences it seems inevitable that some configurations will not show the pages quite as intended.  In addition it is essential to have a correctly calibrated screen if you want to see the correct colour, brightness and contrast in the photographs.

Happy viewing and reading,

John. On the plateau west of Espedalen and Roasetra.Groomed tracks, a clear cold day and a great ski.