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I have been to northern Norway and Iceland a few times. It all started when I was running my previous SaaS at the peak of its growth. I needed a break, and wan
by iagooar 1y ago
I have been to northern Norway and Iceland a few times.
It all started when I was running my previous SaaS at the peak of its growth. I needed a break, and wanted to go far away, while still being close enough if sh*t hit the fan. My co-founder had recently talked to some friends who had been to Tromsø, Norway. The place looked perfect, so I booked a 5-day solo trip there.
Places that are so distant, with such harsh conditions and few people living there always give me a feeling I do not experience anywhere else in the world. I feel small, irrelevant, in the face of brutal, powerful nature.
And believe me, it is a feeling that is overwhelming. But never have I perceived it as something negative. The opposite was true. Feeling small made me feel calm, embracing that that was the right spot for me as part of God's creation. Suddenly, all those dark clouds that followed me everywhere I went back home were... Gone.
If you ever have the opportunity to go to one of these places - go. It might change you in profound ways.
- bruce511 1y agoThanks for this. I'm going to Nesseby Norway next summer for 3 days over the solstice. There doesn't look like much to do there, which I guess is kinda the point. I'm looking forward to it.
- timonoko 1y agoPlenty to do, you can for example fish and eat it too: Paddeling from Nesseby to Russia https://youtu.be/nW5sFJKs8K4?si=xbmMz11CRIrC7obk https://youtu.be/nW5sFJKs8K4?si=xbmMz11CRIrC7obk
- marcosscriven 1y agoI had a similar feeling in the Faroe Islands. Even in mid summer the weather was rather inclement. But the landscape was breathtaking, and the locals friendly in a low key way. I’d love to go back.
- Sammi 1y agoMore wind means less mosquitos. One step forward and one step back. Also don't fly with sas to the faroes. They turn back and try again the next day like in the article. Fly atlantic airways, they have equipment to fly through the fog or they will refuel in iceland and try again same day.
- neucoas 1y agoWhat do you mean with "they have equipment".
- mkl 1y agoProbably https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instrument_landing_system https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instrument_landing_system.
- Sammi 1y agoYes.
- piva00 1y agoSAS planes are equipped with ILS though.
- petre 1y agoThey still have to know how to use it an be confortable using it. The pilots also need a license for instrumental flight. https://atpflightschool.com/become-a-pilot/flight-training/instrument-rating.html https://atpflightschool.com/become-a-pilot/flight-training/i...
- throwaway290 1y agoPretty much every commercial pilot is ILS rated... but it depends on the airline if they are okay with landing in fog or with extra expense flying all the way back and providing a hotel;)
- sandworm101 1y agoAnd when you want to experiance true issolation in the face of nature, Alaska and Westerm Canada are waiting. Try a drive north through BC in winter. Fish on an Alaskan river only accessible by floatplane. Wake up to watch the northern lights only to realize you are looking south. Or pan for gold only to look up and see a grizzly cub walking cassually past. Norway: 15 people per sq km. Alberta: 6.7 British columbia: 5.5 Alaska: 0.5 Yukon territory: 0.1 Northwest Territories: 0.03
- jacquesm 1y agoSeconded. I've been 'up North' in Canada and it is something that I won't even bother to try to put into words. All I know is that it left me changed, in a very good way.
- iagooar 1y agoFinnmark in Northern Norway is more like 1.5-2, Troms is 3-6. But I agree, Alaska and Western Canada are places to go some day. Funnily, as a student I had this offer to go to work as a waiter on Alaska. For different reasons that didn't materialize, but definitely this makes me want to go see it even more. Not so much for the possible bear encounters. I do not think I am ready yet for that.
- deleted 1y ago[deleted]
- dbetteridge 1y agoAnother option is Western Australia: 0.2 if you get outside the capital city. You'll see stars you didn't know existed and the distances are something else. Northwest territories is beautiful though.
- VagabundoP 1y agoI stayed out past Margaret River in Western Oz and "OMG its full of stars" when I went to the outside toilet during the middle of the night and looked up. I felt like I could get sucked up and lost in galaxies. You could see so many.
- QuantumNomad_ 1y ago> Feeling small made me feel calm Completely agree. I’ve been on many hikes and in particular there was one time where I was walking up a mountain, at winter, with skis on, that I felt like wow if everyone got to experience this particular feeling of just you and the mountains and not a single soul around, there would be less conflict in the world. If we all got to go on these long solitary trips in the mountains alone. All kinds of grievances and conflicts and whatever you might feel about people that you dislike, it all suddenly feels so insignificant and pointless to even expend any energy on.
- elendee 1y agofederally subsidized solo mountain hiking for the un-initiated. I will pay the tax
- grilledchickenw 1y agoYou just described wonderfully why I'm drawn to remote places. It started with a trip to the interior of Iceland, then Tromsø, and more recently Svalbard and the Faroes. I tried to capture the beautiful sense of isolation in Svalbard here, maybe it inspires others to make a trip to somewhere remote. https://photoblog.nk412.com/Svalbard2024/n-ssC8fP/Svalminiphotoblog https://photoblog.nk412.com/Svalbard2024/n-ssC8fP/Svalminiph...
- brotherjerky 1y agoPoked around your site and enjoyed it, please post more
- grilledchickenw 1y agoThank you, kind of you to say. Enough people have said nice things that I've convinced myself that more might be interested in my travel shenanigans.
- geoduck14 1y agoThanks for the pics! The prevalence of rifles is... thought provoking. The pic of the guy on a bike with a rifle is so metal My overall impression of the area is "gloomy" all pics are overcast. It feels sad. It is beautiful, but I long for the sun
- _alternator_ 1y agoI believe that a rifle is required in Svalbard when you are outside. Polar bears are no joke there.
- gsf_emergency_2 1y agoI couldn't find my old photo of a modern-day nordic recreational cyclist with an all metal SAAB on his back, so here's the next best thing https://old.reddit.com/r/shittytechnicals/comments/yicgme/italian_machine_gun_mounted_bicycle_ww1/ https://old.reddit.com/r/shittytechnicals/comments/yicgme/it...
- 1y ago
- tomcam 1y ago> I feel small, irrelevant, in the face of brutal, powerful nature. I married a Chinese woman so I know that same feeling! I kid. Mostly.
- 0ckpuppet 1y agoCould the catharsis come from replacing emotional bad weather with actually bad and dangerous weather/nature?
- al_borland 1y agoI was just daydreaming about visiting Svalbard when I opened up HN and stumbled on this comment.