During my stays in Lapland, I had several trips from Abisko to Norway, across the border, over the stony peaks and into the valley winding down to the beautiful fjords of northern Norway.
With the climate several much-appreciated degrees better than in Abisko (but several millimeters wetter as well) and the steep mountains dropping down into the ocean, the trips to Norway are always amazing.
It started with my master thesis, sampling vegetation along roads from fjord to mountain. Now there are recurring visits to measure abiotic conditions, and ultimately after 5 years the plan to resurvey the exact same plots as in 2012.
As some of the plots are several hours of breath-taking scenic roads away from Abisko, we often have to camp out in the Norwegian woods, an adventure that I truly recommend.
Norway is an exciting place to study mountain ecology. The northern Scandes mountain range holds as much gradients and study system as an ecologist can dream of. I thus have high hopes for my projects over there, and it seems at the moment that Norway is willing to fulfil all of these dreams.
Brave little birch in the Norwegian mountains
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