From Hjelle Across Lake Stryn To The Steeps And Glaciers Of Mount Skaala

( Originally Published Early 1900's )

Direction—The map told us this. We are facing southwest, that is, towards the lower end of Loen Lake, though mountains intervene. Surroundings—A valley opens behind us, but all around stand mountains, grim or green, according to whether Nature has had a chance to cover their granite ribs with a padded coat of verdure.

Those balconies and the little summer-house down at our right are, of course, tokens that summer travel comes this way. The pretty girl up here on the bank takes advantage of the tourist season to earn a modest sum as waitress and chambermaid at the inn. The lake itself is fuldt af fisk (full of fish), so they say, and the scenery rivals that of its neighbor lakes in splendor. That superb cone over yonder, its top apparently broken off and filled with ice, is Mount Skaala. Over on its farther side, glacier streams run down into Loen Lake, not very far from where we saw the peasant children (Position 75). The summit is more than six thousand feet above this lake.

At a station like this, one often meets an interesting variety of travelers—Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, German, French, British, American. The Scandinavians who take such summer excursions are naturally people of means ; that quite often implies a fair knowledge of English and some musical skill, and they are exceedingly interesting acquaintances for the American who is fortunate enough to find himself in their company.