By Sandra Kakkuri

Photos: Oscar Manguy

The team: Sandra Kakkuri: from Finland, outdoor guide; Lukas Hallberg: from Sweden, outdoor guide; Oscar Manguy: our expedition leader. From Mexico, owner of 360 North Collective and a Nols lead instructor; Christopher Manchester: from California, owner of Half Moon Bay Kayaking, Nols instructor, wilderness first aid instructor.

An expedition in Arctic waters

Your adventure for summer/autumn 2023? In September 2022, I did a group expedition to Lofoten, Norway. The route we kayaked was from Ramberg to Å, which is the exposed side of the island Moskenesoya of the outer island of the Lofoten peninsula. We rounded the point of Moskenesoya, Lofotodden. At this point, the famous tidal current Moskenstraumen is created twice daily because the tidal water speeds up around the point. It is one of the strongest ocean currents in the world and was feared for many hundreds of years by seafarers from Europe.

Intro

Oscar is the brain behind the expedition and invited Chris, Lukas and me to join. Lukas and I drove from southern Norway, where we worked as guides this summer. It was a long drive, and we spoke about our memories from Lofoten along the way. Last year we were in Lofoten with our school Outdoor Academy, practising surfing, rock hopping and tide racing. It’s so beautiful up there, and such a variety of things is offered to practice and enjoy. A year ago, we thought that we wanted to come back to Lofoten, and we did not think it would be already next year!

On the 13th of September, Lukas and I came to Lofoten Beach Camp in the evening. This was when we met Chris for the first time, and it was quite a long time ago since we saw Oscar. We had dinner together and started to get to know each other. Everyone was super excited about the trip.

14th September 2022

That night we stayed in a hut on Lofoten Beach camp. In the morning, I woke up to Oscar and Chris whispering. We drank Mate together and had a variety of conversations. It felt super good with the team. We connected excellently, and I felt safe expressing concerns or thoughts with these guys. Perfect base for it to be a good trip!

We had a look at the map and discussed the trip. It was windy and had big swells, but the forecast looked promising for the coming days. It was going to calm down. And it was going to neap tide. Since the conditions were improving, we had no rush to leave today, so we decided to wait until tomorrow.

We moved from the hut to the campground and pitched our tents in the rain. Lukas and I walked down to the beach, and I breathed in the ocean air and let the sound of the waves fill me up. I had missed the ocean so much. We all had lunch well-protected under a tarp. Chris and Lukas wanted to take the opportunity to go and surf since it was in good condition. If they had been dogs, their tails would have gone fast from side to side.

One year later

Last year Lukas and I had been on this beach with Outdoor Academy and surfed with the kayaks. And I loved it. It was one of my favourite feelings in the world. One year later, I stood on the beach and felt insecure in my stomach. The power of the ocean and hurting myself scared me. Oscar and I watched Lukas and Chris when they played in the waves.

Oscar reassured me and reminded me that I’m supposed to have fun and not put pressure on and push myself. And that it’s okay to be afraid. His words felt good to hear. Chris approached the beach and asked why I was not out there. I answered, and he told me he could be in the water with me and coach me.

I have mostly just used a low brace. Now Chris taught me how to use a high brace and when and why it’s beneficial! I kayaked in the soap and practised going from high to low brace and vice versa. It felt perfect after a while. I realised how much power I had in that high brace and how smooth it was to recover in that position. Chris was super good at coaching and encouraging me but, at the same time, made me feel safe. I became more comfortable and smiled, enjoying being back in the surf. And then I did a roll! Wow, my confidence grew even more! After some practising, I felt done for the day. We had tacos at the beach bar and were hyped for tomorrow when we left for our adventure!

Day 1 of the actual expedition

Since the conditions would calm down more and more with the day, we had no rush to leave early. I was stressing about packing the kayak. Will everything fit? So an unnecessary thing to stress about. Well, I managed to pack the kayak without any problem (almost). We launched through the surf waves. Flakstad is a gradual beach, so the launching would have been hard if the waves had frequently been breaking, creating a lot of soap and pushing us back. But the waves were kind and in our favour.

Out there, the conditions were dynamic. Big swells with quite some energy. Good that we waited for things to calm down. This is my and Luka’s first expedition in a tidal environment – super exciting! I felt nervous about going with a fully packed boat in these big Atlantic swells, and I did not want to flip. I had to tell myself that there was no need to be nervous. I have packed everything waterproof. When I silenced my thoughts, I realised I was stable and managed these conditions without problems.

We timed the weather, and the current is perfect today! Kayaking in the sun, the glittering ocean – I’m so grateful to be here. Today I learned a lot from Oscar and Chris. About route choices, I was considering the boomers (a rock under the sea level that makes the waves break on top of it and creates chaos) and the swells and choosing the safe line. Oscar was telling me so much stuff, he threw his knowledge at me, and I did my best to suck everything in.

We kept our distance from the shore to have enough time to sort an eventual capsize before getting pushed onto the cliffs. At times we had currents affecting our lines, so we had to be aware of whether we were moving forward.

We had to figure out the best way for our planned campsite. The directions where the swells came from made it challenging. The line was through a narrow passage between rocks, with waves giving us surf. It was a pretty cool task. It went well. We put the camp up. My neck was irritated from the drysuit gasket, so I got some healing cream from Oscar. I went to poop, and I had the most beautiful view ever. Then I made dinner with the help of Lukas. The sky had such a beautiful pink colour. We had sheep walking around in the camp, and Chris tried to make friends with them.

In the evening, I sat for a moment for myself. I shed some tears when I thought about all the people who supported me to be me and follow and listen to my heart. I felt so present, listening, feeling, and lying down.

What a day, I have learned so much today. The last tip of the day was to take our dry suits into the tent so the sheep do not eat on them. What a pro tip!

Day 2

In the morning, I looked at the map and memorised the route for the day. I looked at the landscape, and based on yesterday’s observations and today’s weather, I pictured what the conditions could be like at different sections of land. Oscar made porridge for breakfast. He asked me for advice. He said Scandinavians make much better porridge, and he wants to learn and impress his Finnish wife, Maija. We drank Mate and started to kayak around 11:00 at low tide.

The narrow passage where we came through yesterday was impossible to go through. The other line, where big swells broke on rocks yesterday, was calmer today and allowed us to take that way out of our bay. We had sunshine.

Once again, I was amazed by the beautiful coastline. So majestic. Super big mountains are rising from the sea to the sky. So wild. The first part of today was scary. It was when we rounded a prominent headland sticking out in the ocean. The headland (not the one in the picture) was exposed to the swells and relocated the energies from the waves to different directions, creating a washing machine effect.

Swells that were around three metres big came from all directions. I focused on staying right side up, breathing and bracing. I was speaking to calm myself down. “It’s okay; stay calm. You can do it.” I prayed to stay upright when some of these waves broke behind me. Again, the thought of flipping with my packed kayak spooked my mind. But I kept doing braces and tried my best to be relaxed and breathe. That is for sure the key. And Chris and Oscar were reminding us about this. “Stay calm, keep paddling, and you will be fine.”

The waves gradually calmed down, but we noticed a current against us. Heavy to paddle, and we had to fight to progress. We gathered the team and discussed everyone’s opinion on whether to continue. We decided to go into a bay to refuel and wait until the current loses its power. On the way to the beach were two incredible caves in the mountain. Wow, so beautiful cliffside. And the water is so clean! I can see the seaweed and jellyfish!

We landed through the surf waves and had lunch on the beach. Some people had hiked there, and Chris made friends with them, and then they took a picture of the team. We even saw people carrying surfboards over the mountain, so it was a perfect day for surfing when they made that effort. We noticed that when we were out in the big swells and also when we landed.

Recharge mentally

After around an hour, we were ready to go out again. This part of the day became much easier, and I felt more comfortable. We still had big swells, but not as big as before and not coming from all directions. I also had time to recharge mentally during lunch. There are people on the beaches, but as soon as we kayak around the corners of the mountains, it’s only the four of us there, exploring the exposed side of the mountain. Since no car road leads to this side of the island, you can only kayak here to paddle around or carry your kayak over the mountains.

I observed my surroundings and got instant feedback and a reward for looking at the map this morning. Even though I did not have one on my deck, I could follow along where we were. I spoke to Oscar and learned a lot from him. What he looks at. He chooses his line by looking at where the waves go up, so he can change his angle slightly to avoid that shallow place. We were reading the sea and kept our eyes open to avoid boomers. We also used the boomers for navigating and gathering information about how much energy there is in the swell coming from specific directions. We looked at the horizon to see how the waves looked out there. We keep noticing the wind; is it changing?

Some seagulls came to check us out. My face was burning in the sun. What a day! We came to a beautiful long beach where we landed. Lukas and Chris were for sure happy to get out of the kayaks, and they had struggled a bit with getting tired and sleepy legs in the kayak. We lifted the kayaks a few vertical metres. After we had put the tents up, Oscar, as usual, asked, “What time is it?” I answered, “Mate time.”

We sat down, had snacks and drank mate. Telling stories, many laughs, and enjoying each other’s company. As it does, it again hits me that It’s so random and crazy that we are here together. So different backgrounds from different parts of the world, different ages. And it all feels so meant to be. We had such a good connection in just two days.

Then it was time to go and get water.

Every time Chris asks, “What? Don’t you treat the water before you drink it? There is no place in America where I would drink the water without treating it.” We answer, “In Scandinavia, you can drink almost all running water.” Wow, I realise how blessed we are here to have clean water in the streams and rivers.

Chris started to make dinner. While he cooked, he shared things about his life – significant major challenges he has faced and how he chose to grow from them. I felt inspired, impressed, and humbled for life. After dinner, in the evening, we sat down, looked at the map, and spoke about our observations from the day. We were trying to figure the currents out. What patterns there are created by the tide? From what we experienced today, there are a lot of back eddies along the coast. We thought about which times we had been moving related to high water and got a good idea of when to move to have the current to our benefit.

Day 3, layover day

This morning we had some decisions to make. Should we stay or should we go? The conditions were okay for kayaking in the morning, but we decided to stay. The wind would pick up in the afternoon and not calm down for a few days. We were right in between a big low-pressure and a large high-pressure system. This next move would be exposed, with quite a long stretch without any pullouts. Also, the next campsite had no way out; the mountain would trap us on a beach. So not a place we want to be if the weather stays bad for longer. We decided not to commit. In this decision, Oscar had a significant role. He showed us that patience and always keeping the team safe is a skill that is good as an expedition leader.

We had the most chill day ever. We all realised we needed this. It had been a while since we last had a day where we had no plans and no must-do, and we could just be. I stretched and meditated in the morning with the ocean in the background. It’s so healing to listen to the waves. I imagined that I was a rock on the bottom of the ocean and that the waves were rocking me.

Later we were lying in the grass, drinking mate, and discussing group and risk management. And as usual, our conversation evolved, and suddenly, we had covered many different subjects and sat there for a few hours. Later we decided to walk over the ridge into the little town on the other side, and there should be an open cafe. We walked over the mountain ridge. If we could not continue the trip, this was our way out. It was clear that the Vikings had used this as a portage too. But, even though we could carry the kayaks out here, we much rather kayak, so we hoped for the weather to calm down.

Good advice?

We met a local guy. He thought it was a very cool idea to kayak around. He said we would be fine as long as the weather is good. But did he know? He was not originally from here, and he was not a fisherman. It is sometimes hard to know whose advice to take seriously or not. The cafe was closed. We sat on the dock briefly and then walked back to make an early dinner. Oscar made super nice pasta, Mexican style! They are the best-tasting kidney beans I have eaten.

Day 4

I love that this place has no reception. It makes me feel free! I can’t look at my phone; how amazing! Today Lukas and I stayed two hours in the sleeping bag. I am just staring at the tent, looking at insects’ shadows, closing my eyes, and talking again. Closing my eyes again, I opened the zipper and noticed the weather. The waves were quite big, with whitecaps still, even in the bay – and strong winds. Neither is today a day to go kayaking in an exposed area. We finished breakfast at 13.30. Haha, this is amazing! No stress. I am just being. Once again, I acknowledge how good it feels to hang out with these guys – a lot of laughs and acceptance for expressing thoughts and feelings. Today one subject was the pros and cons of social media.

After brekkie, we walked to the point to look at the ocean.” The ocean is pissed off,” Chris said. Yep, that’s true. We were looking at the whitecaps, and Oscar taught us how to count the seconds between each to get a hint of how wild it is out there. We also spoke about observing the weather. What is the trend? Are the conditions going up or down? Wind, swell? How are the mountains affecting the weather?

We took photos with the Arctic Circle marker. Then we had a walk to the internet point. On the way, Chris and I spoke about love, emotions, and spirituality! The beautiful discussion gave me so much that I will take with me.

When we got reception, we checked the weather forecast. When we returned, Lukas made tortillas: cosy atmosphere and many laughs. We are a family out here, living in the moment in nature, caring for each other.

Day 5

I felt strong gusts when I woke up in the tent; I don’t think we are kayaking today either, I thought. Now you have a picture of what our days in camp look like. This one was kind of the same as usual. One difference was that I was tired and slightly sick and spent many hours in the sleeping bag. So the guys had a walk up to the internet point to look at the forecast and plan.

When they came back, they were super excited. Tomorrow we would get a 24-hour weather window before the next storm hit. That’s what we need to be able to make the exposed move and make it around the point. Oscar predicted it was going to be flat around the point. This was, of course, something we wanted to be sure of. Because we don’t want to take the risk that the forecast is wrong, the storm comes earlier, and then we are stuck on the north side without a way out.

Oscar’s friend in South America is a pilot and super good with the weather. Oscar asked if he could check if we were right about the weather window, and the pilot sent his information. He said it would be a super calm day on Tuesday because two massive low-pressure systems meet, and they even each other for 24 hours.

So cool! Everything works out. This is what Oscar was saying to us all the days in camp. We must be patient and speak to nature to get the needed window. Also, what happened this day is that Chris saw some signs. First, we saw a rainbow, and then Chris met a dog. The owner said the dog’s name was Lucky! Signs from the universe. The ocean was already calming down, promising us that tomorrow would be a good day.

Day 6

The big move day, Summit day! We woke up early, at 06:00. Pink sky, so beautiful sunrise. And so calm. The wind had gone to sleep. Looking out into the bay, the waves were only whispering. The conditions were perfect. It was the right choice to wait for this day to have the conditions to our benefit – seamanship. We had breakfast, took down camp, packed the kayaks and were ready to move at 10.30. It was so easy to pack the kayaks now when we had gone through three days of food. We had a last check on the map and did some planning, went through what we would do if we got separated, etc.

Out in the ocean, it felt so good to be out in the kayak again. We were flying, with the current with us, our speed was around five knots! Later at one point, we were kayaking against the current and we were barely moving forwards. We had to read the water and see where it was most beneficial to be. We had probably been in the main current first, then went closer to land and got a back eddie against us. But when we went closer to the land, we had the current with us again, so we found a back-Eddie in the back-Eddie. A lot of things are going on along the coast.

It’s so intriguing that not many people kayak this route. There is info about the currents around Lofotodden but no online info about the currents along this northwest side of Moskensoja. We have to do the work ourselves. Look at the current and tidal table info and combine what we feel is happening. Observe. It takes time and thinking. Luckily Lukas and I had two talented and experienced kayakers with us. It’s so cool to see how they work and to learn from them. They complement each other so well.

Majestic cliffs

We kept moving and had a steady phase. We had to go around the point at slack and also because we wanted to clear the exposed northern side with the upcoming storm in our minds. In the sky, the clouds were standing still. The views are so breathtaking. Majestic cliffs rise from the ocean, reaching for the sky, saying, “We have seen it all.” Clear, clean water where sometimes I could see a jellyfish floating by next to my paddle blade. Far out, we saw a fishing boat. A promising sign that they were out this day too.

What a luxury to kayak in flat water. However, Chris and especially Lukas suffered a bit because of the legs hurting in the kayak. At one point, Lukas said, “I try to enjoy this paddle.” I could see he struggled. We spoke to each other to make him think about something else. It worked.

We took a pee and snack break. Then it was almost summit time. We kayaked around the point in flat water, just as Oscar had predicted what it would be like. We rafted up, and the smiles came from within. What a sniper move. Waiting, waiting, waiting and then boom, go!

Further out, we could see the primary current flowing, making choppy waves. We again had the current to our benefit, and it was helping us to move forward, and we could have continued back to Ramberg because we were flying for a moment.

But, we decided to stop and have a late lunch in a bay. We had already kayaked for about six hours, and it felt good to eat, drink, and pee. We could have stayed here to camp, but since we knew the storm was coming, it felt tempting to kayak to Å and sleep in a hostel. So that’s what we did. Oscar booked a room before we started kayaking again. Last stretch. Stroke after stroke.

The finish

We arrived in a super sweet, super Norwegian harbour. We went to a restaurant to finish the trip. We would not want to continue kayaking with the upcoming southerly gale winds. But we felt super happy with the trip. The northern side is, anyway, the wildest.

No cities. We enjoyed our meal and each other’s company and felt grateful for each other and our trip. And, of course, extra appreciation to Oscar, who planned this trip, organised the gear and created this beautiful expedition team who led us safely until the end. I for sure recommend this kayaking trip, for the kayakers with enough experience and knowledge. Maybe it could be your adventure for next summer?