Mountain views

When the scale sways to flatten the pedestrian

On my first long hike in Swedish Lapland with a group of students, I encountered for the first time a landscape that was "too big". It became clear at once who is in charge here (not us). There was so much beauty and infinity that it seemed impossible for my small senses to take it in, no matter how much I absorbed it. 

The few times I have been able to climb to the top of the fells in Finnish Lapland are also unforgettable. In Saana, the effort seemed to go on forever and the strength seemed to run out. The clouds obscured the view. Surely there can be no more climbing! At the rest stop, the clouds parted for a moment to reveal a stunning mountain landscape in shades of green and brown, with lights and shadows, caves and cliffs, lakes and streams spreading out in a vast expanse of sky so vast that the scale was hard to grasp.

It was worth the climb. You couldn't bear to get out. A few more photos! Still from the edge! Come and see what's here! Now the clouds are parting, hurry, hurry, take it!

It also brings back memories of hiking with a teenager for a couple of days past the Barras mountain range on the Norwegian side. It's the beginning of the rut. No one has come along all day as we make our way in peace along the top of the kilometre-long high ridge. On either side of it are turquoise-clear fell lakes, like emeralds. Crowberries are a dense carpet on every side. We find reindeer horns, and some thigh bone. The landscape opens up wide, with a slight breeze.

A boy stops me: listen! We are not breathing. We hear nothing but the beating of our own hearts and the murmur of our own blood. How can something so huge be so quiet? There's no signal on the cell phone. We feel really, really far away.