Hitra

Going somewhere different

Not all of my trips are momentous or thrilling, but sometimes even the simplest getaway takes me somewhere interesting. I went on a weekend vacation to an island to the west of Trondheim called Hitra. It isn't really a popular tourist destination, but we were curious to explore more of the Trøndelag region. Hitra is part of the costal district of Fosen and is apparently known for its large population of red deer and controversial wind turbine farms. Of the two, I unfortunately only saw the wind turbines.

One of the unusual parts of traveling through the island region is that we needed to drive through two undersea tunnels to get there. I did not grow up anywhere near the ocean, let alone many bodies of water, so the idea of being under the ocean for 6km at a time simply trusting that the tunnel engineers had done a sufficient job to keep me safe, was a little uncomfortable. The frequent sight of water dripping and dark flickering lights did little to abate my unease, yet we emerged alive and well on the other side.

We drove over rolling farm hills that intersected with intertidal zones of rocky shores and bogs. It was an unusual combination of environmental terrain - farmlands and the sea level all at once. Besides enjoying the unique landscape, I was mainly looking for birds, particularly the sea eagles that are known to nest in this area. On our way in, I didn't see any eagles, but I did observe several new species that I hadn’t seen often in Trondheim, including pink-footed geese and swans. We also passed a group of sheep, all staring intently in the exact same direction, not moving an inch as we went by. It was very creepy…

Thought not wildlife, we later we came across three teenage girls on the side of the road watching us approach. They looked rather mischievous, so I braced myself for some unexpected shenanigans as we got close. Just as we reached them, they sequentially made gestures to spell out “I love you”. I flashed a heart shape back with my hands and they screamed happily. It warmed my heart so much to have a spontaneous exchange of positivity.

Desolate terrain

Perhaps to the locals and coastal seaside dwelling residents, my assessment of the Hitra terrain will sound comical, but I find it to be an otherworldly environment. The low rocky boulders that lined the coast to the Atlantic spanned out for as far as I could see. Off in the distance I could make out the veiled shape of a lighthouse, but it felt immaterial, as though it were a mirage. The hazy sea air and low sun obscured the distant settlements on the horizon, provoking more of a dreamlike world than the clarity of reality. The wind tore at our jackets with ferocity and rippled over the tops of the tide pools that we carefully skirted around. It was a cold air, but not intolerable, merely intense and relentless. It felt like I wasn’t on planet Earth at the time.

An alien encounter

One morning, after a cozy, warm cup of coffee and our bellies full of breakfast, we decided to find some places to hike for the day. A short drive off to the northeast is an island called Ulvanøya, which had a promising coastal trail that looped over the hills and along the shoreline. We anticipated the shoreline side of the trail to be more beautiful and agreed to save that side for the latter half of the day. We started out over the hills will clear skies, sunshine, and cool air. I was lagging a bit behind the others, as I was still battling my illness, but tried to keep my spirits up by enjoying the scenery at my sluggish pace. Little did I know that would become a gift.

At 12:10pm, I saw something phenomenal. Streaking across the sky for about 3 seconds was what I can best describe as a bright shooting star. It had an extraordinary light and color, and I was stunned to see something like this in the middle of the day. The inner part of the bright trail was a glaring hot white, with edges that shimmered in an iridescent rainbow pattern. It happened so fast, I barely had time to shout out in disbelief and pray that my friends had just seen the same mysterious streak. Alas, they had not, and there was no one else around to confirm the unusual sight. I couldn’t find any record of it in the news later that day either, but similar sightings refer to this kind of phenomenon as a bolide - an exceptionally bright meteor. It could have also been some space debris burning up in the atmosphere, but in any case, it was incredible.

We continued the hike over gold, grassy hills and wound our way over towards the sea. On some large boulders abutting the ocean, we stopped to take lunch and enjoyed the waves undulating against the dark stones. The wind was cool and fresh, passing through my lungs unfettered. It felt so pure, as though I had never taken a full or proper breath of air until that very moment. The small tide pools shuttered as a breeze caressed the water's surface and the lime green algae inside swayed softly underneath. Several of the pools had small snails and barnacles clinging to the sides. I hoped they would be ok if the water dried up during the day.

You call that a trail?

We calculated that we were at around the halfway point of the trail and after relaxing on the boulders for a while we eventually packed up and continued to the second half of the trail. I am always amused by what Norwegians consider trails. Except for obviously steep peaks, I still have this misconception that most trails will be safe and relatively groomed.

The remainder of the trail, like many others here, was nothing like that. We had to carefully boulder over the large sea rocks smashed against the island’s side. A few narrow crevices and steep hillsides had ropes or ladders to climb up, but the rest of the time we just had to continue at a safe pace and keep an eye out for seawater that may have splashed against the rocks. Don’t get me wrong though, I loved every second of it!

After a bit of dodgy hiking, we were greeted by an unexpected view. Streaks of bright aqua water splayed out like fingers, stretching between the main island and the rocky islet on the other side of the ocean. Seeing this vibrant aqua color was unusual, since I assumed this type of water was only found in tropical zones. It seemed so out of place way up in the Northern Hemisphere, but what a fabulous view to behold. Despite the brisk air, it almost felt like a tropical holiday here. I could have spent hours just soaking in the view if I had thought to bring a sun chair with me.

This little area is called Krabbholmen, and it is an islet in the Hitra municipality. I wasn’t unable to find any information about what caused the unique color of the water there, but my guess would be the aquatic plants or a particular sediment in the sand. When you get right down to the water and peek in, there are dozens of distinct seaweed, kelp, seagrass, and algae. Some sway gracefully in the tides, while others wiggle in the waves. Various species of lichen splatter the tops of the submerged rocks with vibrant designs of vermilion and chartreuse. In any small area you look, there is a whole biodiverse world at your feet!