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Eli Haber hiked the Nordkalottruta for IWGIA

Eli, Liam, Sam, and Kristian

Eli Haber

Trail: Nordkalottruta     Goal: 640 Miles
Dates: Jun 24 2018 - Aug 003 2018
We're Eli, Liam, Sam, and Kristian, and this summer we'll be hiking the Nordkalottruta (Arctic Trail) through the Scandinavian Arctic. The trail starts in Sulitjelma, Norway and ends in Kautokeino, Norway. We may also continue north from ... more
Total
Pledges
Total
per Mile
Total
Pledged
Miles
Hiked
Dollars
Hiked
Total
Donated

13

$3.23

$2067.20

343

$1107.89

$975.60

IWGIA is a global human rights organisation dedicated to promoting, protecting and defending indigenous peoples' rights. IWGIA was founded in 1968 by anthropologists alarmed about the ongoing genocide on indigenous peoples taking place in the Amazon.
Journal

No Sleep 'til Kilpisjarvi

Kilpisjarvi - Mile 264 - Jul 22nd, 2018

The 10-day hike from Abisko to Kilpisjarvi went just about without a hitch. After spending the bulk of our rest day in Narvik, we spent the night with our friends at NOLS Scandinavia. They provided us with wonderful hospitality, food, and trail advice, and Oscar, one of their staff who's also a professional photographer, took some amazing pictures of the crew before dropping us off at the trailhead.
We started the hike with heavy packs (all upwards of 60 lbs), but it quickly became clear that carrying extra food weight translated into more and better food, and therefore a happier crew. The route from Kilpisjarvi to Abisko (the opposite direction than we were going) appears to be a pretty popular route, particularly among hikers from Thueringen, Germany, for some reason.
The last 10 trail days were marked by consistently hot, sunny weather, which sounds nice until you realize there's nearly no shade on the tundra (due to a notable lack of trees) and that the sunny weather continues through the night. Some highlights included, climbing a 1400-meter mountain, (unnamed on the map, so we named it Mattinglycohkka, since Liam was the first to summit), perfecting the art of making both bread and pizza on the trail, visiting the 3-nation-point where Norway, Sweden, and Finland meet, and some of the most astounding views we've had so far.
The second biggest benefit of the tundra's treelessness (the first being ease of navigation) is that, no matter where you look, there's always a beautiful view. Hiking somewhere that constantly forces you to acknowledge your own smallness is, in my opinion, a paradigmatically different experience from forested hiking. Hiking through a forest, at least the northeastern American brand I'm most familiar with, is a primarily goal-oriented experience. Most hikes I've done in the Northeast have been with the goal of reaching some exceptional location, usually a peak, waterfall, or cliff. You might hike for hours just to get to such a spot.
On the tundra, visibility allowing, nearly every spot has a line of sight to towering peaks, shear cliffs, meandering rivers, dramatic waterfalls, and endless boulder fields. There's no need to hike *to* somewhere beautiful, since you'd be hard pressed to find somewhere that isn't. Unlike in the White Mountains, ridge trails here practically don't exist, since the view from a ridge or a peak isn't dramatically better than from the bottom of a valley. The ceaselessness of the beauty here in the Arctic makes it more possible to hike, not to a destination, but for its own sake.
We've spent the last two days in Kilpisjarvi, Finland, where we've been enjoying such amenities as couches, restaurants, and beer. We've loaded up on such delicacies as tinned fish, rice, and four different varieties of cheese in preparation for our next and final ration period, 14 days long, into Kautokeino, Norway. We're excited to get back onto the trail tomorrow!
If you haven't already, please check out our Instagram page, and if you can, make a pledge on our HikeFor page to support IWGIA!

Eli, Liam, Sam, and Kristian

Kilpisjarvi - Mile 264 - Jul 22nd, 2018

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HI! Great entry, but what does this have to do with your pants not fitting????

Liz Alia

Aug 009 2018 01:37AM

HI! Great entry, but what does this have to do with your pants not fitting????

Liz Alia

Aug 005 2018 11:42AM

Save me cured mutton....

David Goldstein

Jun 26 2018 08:41AM

Er,.... four!

Thomas Cunningham

Jun 20 2018 08:31AM

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Sponsors

jane emsbo
Tusind Tak! Hurrah fra Jane og Jørgen Emsbo
$0.25 per mile
up to $160.00

$85.75 due

Liz Alia
Way to go guys!!!! 50 cents/mi up to $200.00
$0.50 per mile
up to $320.00

$206.00 paid!

David Goldstein
MMMmmmm Frosty!
$0.18 per mile
up to $115.20

$61.74 due

Barbara Haber
What a wonderful cause!
$0.25 per mile
up to $160.00

$85.75 due

Bernard Gunther
Enjoy the Northern Lights!
$0.10 per mile
up to $64.00

$69.60 paid!

Lisa Emsbo-Mattingly
Go for it guys! Have fun!
$0.50 per mile
up to $320.00

$450.00 paid!

Nancy Wurtz
What an amazing adventure Eli and all! Have fun & stay
$0.10 per mile
up to $64.00

$34.30 due

Carolyn Goldstein
Calm, straight, forward!
$0.25 per mile
up to $160.00

$90.00 paid!

Mary White
Good Luck on your Adventure Eli!
$0.10 per mile
up to $64.00

$34.30 due

Gina Cunningham
$0.25 per mile
up to $160.00

$85.75 due

Thomas Cunningham
Cheers to you three!
$0.25 per mile
up to $160.00

$85.75 due

Rod Cole
Good luck lads!
$0.25 per mile
up to $160.00

$160.00 paid!

Eli Haber
$0.25 per mile
up to $160.00

$85.75 due