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GoneExploring
This morning the sky is clear and the sun is dazzling and it's a mere -4 outside. We decide to set out to find Silverfallet, the last waterfall on the river before it reaches the lake. We almost retrace our steps from yesterday but cut across the railway line, through the resort of Gammelgarden to bring us down to cross the main road. From here it is a steep walk over soft snow that leads almost down to the lake. It is quite tricky to keep some traction underfoot. One step off the trodden path and you're knee deep in snow so my main concern is the climb back up the hill! Of course the waterfall is frozen, suspended in time and creating the most beautiful shapes in ice and snow. We take lots of photos before tackling the climb. It was actually a lot easier getting back up due, I suppose, to the forward position of the body. All I needed was to be a bit fitter! No shortcuts were attempted on the homeward journey, except when I spotted the resort mini-bus at the station and asked him for a lift. He said he wouldn't have room so we plodded on. He later passed us without any passengers - thanks a bundle mate! It's a very long and steep climb to get back to the hotel and we started to divest ourselves of hats, gloves, buffs and even to unzipping our coats along the way! Tonight there is a forecast for a G1 storm (kp5) between 19:00 and 22:00. If that happens and everything else lines up there is a very good chance of a great show! Fingers crossed. We ate an early dinner of braised moose served with a very strong Marmite sauce and were collected as arranged. We proceeded to pick up others from a nearby ski lodge, then on to our final destination. We were knitted out with snowsuits and camera kit. We trolled off with our guide, Oliver, from Leeds. Along the way he pointed out the animal tracks in the snow; Arctic Hare, moose, ptarmigan and mink. We arrived at a Sami hut in the middle of some trees where Oliver lit a fire and put the kettle on! He set up all the cameras and tripods and we all looked expectantly into the cloudy sky. It was a finger-numbing -10 degrees so the hot lingonberry tea was most welcome. We could see aurora all around us but it was dissipated by the clouds. We spent the next 3 hours craning our necks to spot the tell-tale pale patches in the sky and managed to capture a few scraps before the clouds completely closed in. Hard to tell how successful we have been until we get the photos on to a computer but we know we've got something!
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