Lofoten Islands, Norway: Group Trip

Read on to learn about our Group Trip to the Lofoten Islands Norway in June, 2024.

Newsletter sent out on July 15, 2024:

Our time above the Arctic Circle, in the Lofoten Islands of Norway, came and went like a summer shower. We are now back in Spain and prepping for our upcoming trail running trip in Chamonix. Plus, Jonas is taking a quick trip to Morocco this next week. Read on to hear a little about our group trip in Lofoten, updates for the rest of the year, and a sneak peek at the 2025 lineup.

2024 Lofoten Group Trip

What a pleasure it was to host another group trip in this magical place. A huge shoutout to the folks that joined us in Lofoten: Keely, Huntley, Wilson, Tristan, Mary, Dave, Dustin, Erin, Liza, and John! You guys are so incredible and it was such a joy to spend these 8 days with you. Thank you so much for trusting us with this adventure.

Now, for a few trip details! We’ll keep things brief, but hopefully this trip will inspire you if you ever plan to go to Lofoten yourself!

Day 1 & 2

We began our trip in Henningsvær. It typically takes about 4 flights to get to Lofoten, so it always feels like a miracle when the whole group makes it on time! We spent our first two nights at the Villa Bryggekanten in Henningsvær, shared our first lunch together at Klatrekafeen Climber’s Cafe, and enjoyed a fantastic first dinner together at Fiskkrogen Restaurant. Any guesses as to what’s on the menu? You guessed it.. cod, stockfish, halibut, and whale.

Our arrival day and our first full day of the trip were both surprisingly warm and sunny. The weather in Lofoten can be so unpredictable that hot sunny weather feels like winning the lottery.

Things to note about day 2: waking up to a breakfast spread at a hotel is always exciting. Especially in Norway, they really do their breakfast spreads well. Day 2 was also jam-packed with good feels.

We began a day with a hike up Glomtinden. The views were stupendous and our packed sandwiches and cups of hot coffee might have been the highlight (for some of us). This hike had a decent amount of uphill but overall was the perfect warm-up for our first day on the trial together. I mean, check out these views:

After our hike, we returned for some down time to walk around town. In the evening, we had a gentle yoga class in the ocean-view shala at Trevarefabrikken with our favorite yoga teacher, Hedda. We enjoyed wood-fired pizza at Trevarefabrikken’s restaurant and afterwards, got real sweaty in the ocean-side sauna. The sauna is perched on a rocky outcropping with access for brisk ocean dips. Overall, a 10/10 day.

Day 3 & 4:

On day 3, we hit the road and drove towards Haukland Beach. We hiked to the summit of a mountain named Mannen and looped around an old coastal road to the tiny town of Uttakleiv. The views from this trail are, in our opinions, some of the most breath-taking in all of Lofoten. The trail isn’t too long and the surrounds of the summit are iconic. At the top we enjoyed (you guessed it) packed lunches and hot tea/coffee. After our hike, we made our way to Gårdsysteri, a local cheese farm. Hugo, the owner, walked us around the property, explaining how his family runs the farm, produces the cheese, and what they grow on their land. Tucked into the valley of Bøstad, this farm is simply beautiful. We enjoyed a fresh cheese board with hot mint tea and homemade focaccia before heading to our new lodging.

We checked into Nusfjord Arctic Resort, one of our all-time favorite places to stay. We each moved into our own renovated fishing cabins and rejoined for a delightful dinner at Restaurant Karoline to wrap up the day.

On day 4, we had a built in rest day planned. It was fitting that the weather was cloudy, foggy, and a bit rainy. Some folks caught up on rest, some booked massages at the resort spa, some got out for a hike (chasing rainbows!), and some got lost in a good book. The sauna and hot tub also got proper use on this day, as did the dock with access for cold plunging. It was mellow, relaxing, and a great balance to the overall activity of the trip. We ended the day with pizza at Oriana Kro and a little music and singing (thanks to Jonas and his sister, Liza) on the docks.

Day 5 & 6:

We often find ourselves thinking of rain as “bad weather” when it comes to spending time outdoors. But it’s really not so bad when you have the proper gear to keep you warm and dry. It was quite refreshing to have a couple days of rain in Lofoten. Everything about the landscape changes so drastically as soon as the rain comes; the colors, the textures, the temperature, as if it’s a different place all together. We got out for a hike up to a small hut close beneath Flakstadtind, made an afternoon trip to Leknes to pick up some handmade souvenirs, and ended the evening with time in the sauna/hottub and dinner at Restaurant Karoline.

On day 6, we set out on an adventure and the conditions were wet! Fastened tightly into life jackets, we took a RIB boat ride acorss Reinefjorden to the small town of Vinstad. We had a mellow walk in the rain to Bunes beach, and circled back to enjoy lunch and hot coffee under the shelter of the dock cabin. We were soaked through but the boat ride back was full of smiles because, well... riding a boat like you’re sitting on a horse is just fun. We checked into our new lodging at Eliassen Rorbuer (on a new island!) and enjoyed dinner at Restaurant Gadus.

Day 7 was our final day together and one worth remembering. We set out in the morning from the town of Sørvågen towards Munkebu hut. We circled our way around lakes, through mud, past waterfalls, up chained rock faces, and even across fields of snow. The weather was (chef’s kiss) perfect and you know what we did once we made it to the hut? We enjoyed our packed lunch and hot coffee/tea. 😃 This was the longest hike of the trip and the perfect way to close out our time in Lofoten. We ended the day with a hot sauna, dinner at Maren Anna (worth the visit!) and a late night stroll to the very end of the E10 (the main highway that runs across the islands) in the town of Å.

The next morning, bags were packed and planes were boarded. It’s always a bittersweet goodbye to end a trip like this. There’s some excitement to going home and sadness to be leaving the experience. What a trip, we’ll never forget it!

The Group!

Up Next:
Mountain Running in Chamonix & Tanzania: Mt.Kilimanjaro!

From July 28 - August 4, we will be cruising on single track trail in the French and Italian Alps with a group of runners coached by the amazing coaches at Mercuria Running. This community is so fun and we’re stoked to travel with them again!

From October 12-23, we will be in Tanzania with the goal of climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro and relaxing on a safari in the Serengeti! We’ve had a few folks have to give up their spot on this trip, so we have a few spaces available. As of right now, we think that this trip might be a one-time-only opportunity through Blue Sky. There’s a chance it circles back in the future, but sadly, it is being left off the 2025 schedule. For more information, please contact us! We chose to return to this special place for a reason and we’re really thrilled to share it with others.

As for 2025..

We have three new collaborations in the works! And all are new style trips. We’ll be hosting in familiar locations again, with hopefully a couple new spots. And, we are planning an exciting scouting trip. We’ll give you a hint… it is on the continent of Asia and there are mountains. 🤠

If you’ve read this far, thank you so much for being here! Wherever you are, we hope you’re having a great summer and making time to get outside. Even if it’s just a nice evening barefoot in the grass.

Keep chasing blue skies! This is us waving to you from our home in Spain this past week!

Chasing Blue Skies!

-Mimi & Jonas