Norway is a destination I have dreamt of visiting for as long as I can remember and in late November that dream finally came true as Alex and I headed to Norway to see the orcas and northern lights with Valhalla Orca Expeditions. Over a year ago I signed up for a week long expedition with the tour company. At the time the trip was so far in the future it felt more like a concept than reality but before we knew it we were packing our bags and beginning the long journey to Seglvik, Norway at 70° N (for reference the Arctic Circle sits at 66° N).

This photo diary is so different from my typical mountain adventure content you might assume my page has been hacked! You can rest assured it was not hacked, I just went on a very fun, once-in-a-lifetime trip to South Africa last month and I’m excited to share some of the photos I took! Alex’s mom generously offered to take her three children and their families on a ten day trip to South Africa and I cannot be more grateful for the experience.

Alex and I had planned for our summer/fall hiking season to end with our Ice Lakes backpacking trip the first weekend of October. We thought it would be the perfect way to wrap up the season with a larch-yellow bow. Then we saw the forecast for the second weekend of October and knew we had to squeeze in just one more trip. The forecast was downright summer-like with clear skies and highs in the 60s. Alex needed to leave for a work trip on Sunday so we couldn’t go on another backpacking trip, but we could get out on a day hike or trail run on Saturday.