This all begins with a dilemma. We are going on a job to document and make a short video for the Scandinavia Outdoor Group’s Advanced Adventure Training.
This will involve two nights camping up on Steinfjellet, above Teveltunet, just over the border in Norway. It is mid-September 2019, so the weather will be a factor, as the forecast is showing that it will rain. It shows that it will probably rain for the entire period we are away, a lot!
When I am at the office thinking, planning and packing for multi-day or overnight missions I look like a mad man. Confused, so many decisions, how heavy will this be, what do I need, what don’t I need. I use F-Stop gear bags (no sponsorship, they cost a fortune but are the best bags I have found) but on anything that involves overnighting, especially when you need more equipment because of the weather, then you just don’t have enough space to carry everything. I have a Haglöfs Lex 110 which is huge, but with a decent sleeping bag, cooking equipment, food and all the camera gear for filming it was the bag for the job. I rigged up another smaller bag with a couple of carabiners for easy access on the front.
On our way to the meeting point at Teveltunet, we pass through Ånn with Snasahögarna looking down on us.
We are primarily there to video, two of us, Martin Olson and myself, but it is decided that some photographs will be needed as well. I still need to shoot video, and we are already carrying a lot of weight, so I decided rather than bringing my regular camera, a Fuji XT2 or Fuji XPro2 I would bring the LX100 that I had just purchased from Cyberfoto second hand for around 1500 SEK.
This camera was released in 2014, so in camera terms it’s a dinosaur. I had done a few test shoots with it, was quite happy with it, and as photos were not the primary I decided it was the camera for the job.
The Adventure Training weekend is for Swedish outdoor companies to show their products to retailers in Europe, let them get hands-on, and test all the equipment in real Scandinavian weather. At the start of the hike, it was apparent that a lot of rain had fallen. The road was partly closed into Norway due to a landslide, and our route took us across some rivers that were un-passable via the bridges, we had to walk some distance to find crossing points.
Martin pondering on whether or not he likes the weather.
Well, off up the mountain we headed. It was decided that Martin would cover the video section as we hiked and I would take photographs. I really paid no attention to the rain and the camera. I had not checked if it was weather sealed, I did not need to, it was from 2014 and was a point and shoot, I was pretty confident it was not weather sealed.
Yep, it’s raining.
It was quite a large group of varying abilities, so going back and forth to document the group was pretty easy. I must confess, I did wish at this point I had my “proper” camera, as I believe that when you add water in any form into a photo, it can make for magic.
As it was raining so much, the expedition crew decided to cut the first night of camping and stay down at Teveltunet instead. I was a little disappointed, but it kept things easier for us and the equipment.
Dinner back at base. 6400 ISO
The following morning was an early start with a couple of workshops.
Learning about Hestra Gloves.
Johan from Mora Kniv.
Coffee, and a knife.
After the workshops we headed out again, heading up onto Steinfjellet. It is a pretty easy hike, with the peak at 909 metres above sea level. It is an incredibly beautiful area, with some great views and lakes.
Urban Axelsson, our guide and fountain of knowledge all things wild.
Above the treeline.
This area sits directly on the border with Sweden, and there is a train line that runs from Trondheim in Norway through to Storlien in Sweden, and then onto Östersund connecting the rest of the country. During the Second World War the train workers were active in the Norwegian resistance, often smuggling newspapers and literature across from Sweden in the coal, and people that could not get across the mountains into Sweden were smuggled by the train.
We hiked ahead to get the long shot, which gave Martin a great opportunity to give me his Willem Dafoe Platoon moves.
What is this, the sun. Yep, it popped it’s head out for about 45 minutes.
The lakes.
Pitching the tents.
We settled in for the evening, dried our gear out and had some food. It had been a pretty long day so it was a good nights sleep. When we woke in the morning, staring upwards at the roof of the tent, I could see that it had snowed. Yes, we were stoked, our first taste of winter. We proceeded to get the gear ready and made a start on breakfast.
Eva from Woolpower was also stoked as the participants would also get to test out their base-layers for real.
After we broke camp it was time for the hike back down. Again, this involved a change of plan due to the amount of water lower down.
The little LX100 survived, and it did get pretty wet. I think you can get pretty good results with this little old point and shoot, and if you are travelling light, then it is a really good option. The LX100 Mark II has been out for a while and probably improves on this camera in many ways, but it also costs considerably more. I have also owned numerous iterations of the Sony RX100, which on spec is an amazing camera, but for me, it just did not feel right in the hand. I really wanted it to, I purchased it three times but sold it three times. Now it may all be inconsequential for me personally in regards to point and shoots as I have been pretty much impressed with what the iPhone 11 Pro Max can do, and with a small battery bank, and being water-resistant, it could fill that small and light hole.