Weather-wise it looked like we were going to have a lot of luck. No rain, certainly no snow, and calm. The photographer in me would’ve wanted some sunshine, but this was a hiking trip so the most important thing was that we were going to have just the best possible conditions for hiking, couldn’t have asked for more!
The order of the day was to hike 16 km from Storulvån to Sylarna. My thighs were definitely hurting from yesterday’s descent from Getryggen, but otherwise I was feeling good. Even the backpack which was loaded heavy with the 40D, 24-105mm f4 and tripod felt ok on my shoulders, so I didn’t have to regret taking the tripod with me. Even so, it felt better after I got to actually use it so I didn’t carry it all for nothing.
What with the dull weather, photography became an excercise in finding compositions and lines. The glorious autumn colours were dull whichever way I looked at it, and including sky in any picture was really not an option. It kind of worked as a reflection on a calm mountain tarn though, but all in all, my mind was aching for all the missed opportunities. Say for example, we saw a lonely birch with lovely orange colours. I walked around it, without finding a single way of photographing it. So it’s either the weather, or lack of creativity. I can’t argue with either.
When we got to Sylstationen, I was pleasantly surprised. I didn’t really have any expectations of what it would be like, but finding the place warm and spacious with a grand view from the room and the dining area, we felt very pleased with ourselves and life in general. It didn’t hurt to see the latest weather forecast which promised some sunshine for tomorrow!