The Last of Summer in Norway

On the winter solstice, Norway’s capital of Oslo receives a scant five hours and thirty minutes of daylight. The days immediately preceding and following really aren’t much better. During these miserable winter months, it’s not the snow or cold that breaks you down. (Roads can be plowed, layers can be worn.) It’s the darkness, that cruelest reality of life this close to the Arctic Circle.

So after a gorgeous and — above all else — well-lit summer spent taking in Norway’s natural splendors and Oslo’s bustling cityscape, or simply appreciating the sudden absence of Seasonal Affective Disorder, fall can be a daunting prospect. For many, October’s arrival marks the beginning of the end. Shadows lengthen as that familiar and unwelcome chill returns to the air, and that’s enough for much of the populace to pack it in, pour a stiff drink, and slog into the dreary abyss of the year’s dimmest quarter.

Fortunately for all of us, there is another way to face the impending gloom. Friends Joel Hyppönen, Samuel Taipale, Aaron Brimhall, and Dallin Jolley were kind enough to demonstrate, and took some incredible photos along the way.

Rather than bemoan the dwindling daylight, these dudes took it upon themselves to squeeze out every last drop of it, in the form of a 700+ mile, minimalist moto-trip to the northern reaches of fjord country. Armed with just what their bikes could carry, they set out from Oslo with a loose itinerary and high hopes. They returned eight days later having explored some of the country’s most unreal offerings: its highest peaks, its bluest lakes, and some of its steepest makeshift skateboard ramps.