The Treaty of Tufjorden: June 22nd, 2023

“Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.” - Philip Dick

Camping at Nordkapp, we got our first experience of sleeping outdoors with the midnight sun. All those pesky, dark rain clouds had decided to leave, so at 3 AM it was bright and hot and we both woke up and sat around for a while. I ate a few cookies so that my body could keep making quadracep muscles.

After a few more hours of fitful “rest”, we finally called it and got up to make breakfast and break camp. Our breakfast pastries were quite good, but the sugar-free lemon tea tasted like poison (we couldn’t brew our own due to the missing stove). Grocery shopping in a new country is always a guessing game; you win some and lose some.

Nordkapp

All the same, I was feeling much better than the previous day, so we went back to the visitor center and posed for a photo with the monument at this edge of the world. From Cabo Froward to Nordkapp, and many places in between, Susan and I’s time together hasn’t always been easy but has quite often been memorable. Sadly they weren’t selling any hot caffeinated beverages yet, so we rolled on out.

Posing with the Nordkapp monument

Rolled down a hill, slogged up a hill (why were they always so steep?), rolled down, slogged up, and then we were looking back down our last big climb from the previous day. There was more wind this day, enhancing all our natural wobbles and adding some extra ones, so the thought of screaming down this winding mountain road, bustling with campers and busses and without an inch of shoulder, gave us a little pause. Nervous but excited, Susan went first (she always goes faster than me on the way down) and with a gulp I followed.

It was actually pretty glorious. We covered those kilometers so fast I was shocked when we already arrived at the bottom. I think my top speed was about 52 km/h, and Susan a bit faster; no speed records by any means but exhilarating for some modest flatlanders on two-wheeled cinderblocks. We took a pause to see a local Sami herdsman with some reindeer on display, because we knew what came next.

What came next was going *up* the big descent from the first day. Although not as steep, it was long, and combined with a modest headwind it felt just as grueling as anything from day 1. There were a few points where I finally threw in the towel and pushed my bike as well. Although I was sorry to find out that pushing was really not any easier or more ergonomic than just pedaling the damn thing.

Reindeer on the way back, a nice distraction

So, 2/3rds of the way up, at the vista overlooking Tufjorden, we sprawled out on the ground and took stock of our situation. Reality had smacked us in the face. Our original plan was so laughably far removed from anything remotely feasible that we knew some major changes were in order. These bikes were just too dang heavy.

Did we ditch the climbing gear, and just bike down the coast? Did we ditch the camping gear, stay in hostels the whole time, and burn through our cash? Or maybe give up on ever biking more than 30 km with all the bags, and just bus between a selection of major destinations? And if we did get rid of some of our stuff (a stark necessity), what the hell were we going to *do* with it? Try to give it away? Ship it home? What were we even doing on this trip?

With all these swirling questions, we showed ourselves some kindness and leniency and came to the compromise of “The Treaty of Tufjorden”. We would continue to bike as much as we could. But if we saw any particular stages of the tour that were too long and/or too grueling (e.g climbing 1300 m of elevation in just 66 km, as our trip to and from Nordkapp would turn out to be), we’d have to bus. And that would be okay. Otherwise we’d never make it out of Finnmark.

Armed with an idea of how to salvage our plans, we finished the climb, rocketed down the final big descent (although a bit slower due to more curves and some construction crews), and showed up sweaty but resolute at the tourist center back in Honningsvåg. The good news was that my SIM card was working and we now had a Norwegian number and access to cellular data; the bad news was that the belly of one of our planes seemed to have a portal that disappeared Susan’s bag to some distant world across the galaxy. In other words: it was still lost, there were no updates, and the airline told us to start buying new stuff.

We booked another night at Hostel Vanderhjem, and after a consolation shower (things always seem more bearable when you don’t smell bad) plotted out our next steps. We’d still bike to Olderfjord (100 km), but over two days, and then bus to Alta. Alta would hopefully provide a couple days of climbing, and also more sports shops to help replace some items (A kickstand for me? Real shoes for Susan to bike in?). Then we’d bus to Storslett, and from there finish the section to Tromsø on bike (about another 120 km, some of it on ferries) over 2 days, getting us there on-schedule. Thank God for public transportation.

P.S. - Susan wants me to tell everyone about the toilets. First, most of the WC's (water closets) look like single stall affairs, but opening the first door reveals several smaller stalls stashed inside! (Norwegian nesting toilets?) A few times now we've waited outside the WC like dumb tourists, thinking it's occupied, only to later realize there's ample facilities tucked away behind door number 1 (no pun intended). Also, most of the WC's are far nicer than expected. At Nordkapp, what looked like tow-away outhouses had running HOT water, soap, and heaters! Why even stay in a hotel?