From Hytte to Hytte: Lofoten & Vesterålen Part 1

After completing my solo backpacking trip south of the Lysefjord, I hopped on a bus back to Oslo. I took the slow route, stopping at several towns - Kristiansand, Arendal, and Tvedestrand. Close to Tvedestrand, I took a taxi boat out to a hytte on an island, Seilerhytta, where I spent a few relaxing days. It was a fun experience, and for the majority of the time I had the whole (tiny) island to myself. For more information on Seilerhytta, check out the link in the hytte credits at the bottom of this post.

Seilerhytta, the only structure on a tiny island

Once back in Oslo, I met my up with my friend Taylor who had flown in from Seattle. From Oslo we took a flight to the city of Bodø - way up north within the Arctic circle. Then from Bodø we took a five hour ferry to the town of Moskenes in the Lofoten Islands - the starting point for our hytte adventures.

Once in Moskenes, we went straight to the tourist information center to pick up the key for the hytte we planned to stay at for the night, Munkebu. The hytte system in Lofoten is a little different than the rest of Norway. Instead of being locked with the standard DNT key, hytter in Lofoten are each locked with unique keys that have to be picked up somewhere close to the trailhead. Lofoten is such a popular tourist destination that the DNT's usual policy of "there is always space for everyone" becomes a bit complicated, so this extra step provides a means of regulating the amount of occupants. The procedure is not without its faults however - as will be explained later in this post.

Munkebu

The hike up to Munkebu took about three and a half hours. It was a beautiful trek that passed by a series of mountain lakes and presented better and better views out to the ocean the higher we ascended.

Taylor leading the way to Munkebu

After a few tough climbs that involved chains, we crested a hill and Munkebu revealed itself - two dark structures solemnly overlooking the rugged landscape.

Munkebu from across the adjacent lake

The beauty of the landscape in Lofoten is astounding. Munkebu does a great job of paying reverence to that. The exterior is painted dark red (I think? I happen to be red-green-brown colorblind...) and at a distance the dark hue blends with the shadows created by the patterning of the wood exterior to create a soft, smooth appearance. In this way, the texture of the cabin fades away, and the textures of the surrounding mountains and lake become the primary focal points. You can get an idea of what I'm talking about from the photograph above.

The exterior finish of Munkebu was quite glossy compared to other hytter I have stayed in. This probably has a very pragmatic purpose - a form of weatherproofing in a region that gets heavy snowfall - but as a secondary effect, it really catches the light and reflects the silhouette of the surrounding mountains in a magical way. In the photograph below you can see how the reflection changes from being crisp and clear in the windows to more fuzzy and ethereal on the wood. This was probably not the intent when Munkebu was being built, but the effect is captivating.

Munkebu's glossy finish reflects the soft Arctic light

framed photo of Munkebu inside the cabin; told you this area gets lots of snow...

Munkebu is a very traditional hytte in its spatial organization and construction. Relating to a previous discussion, notice how the cabin is built up off the ground: raised to avoid any standing water, but the wooden posts actually come all the way down to the earth (instead of resting on some sort of stone foundation) - not really a problem in this case due to the rocky terrain.

the outhouse / storage building at Munkebu

Something that's unique about Munkebu - it has guide wires that extend from the structural frame (right below the eve of the roof) to the ground where they are anchored with rock bolts. These provide additional lateral support for the cabin and hint that there are occasionally very high winds in the area. I tried to figure out how the cables were connected to the structural frame, but the connection is concealed by the soffit of the roof.

It was a full house at Munkebu. In addition to Taylor and I, there was a trio of vacationing young adults, two Norwegians and an American from Oregon, and a Belgian family - mom and dad plus two sons. Nine of ten beds were occupied. In true hytte fashion, there was lots of mingling and socializing. The bedrooms are tiny so everyone spent most of their time in the large communal space that includes the kitchen and dining / sitting areas. As experienced in other hytter, this created an interesting social dynamic. All the young adults were on their best behavior because of the kids, while their parents seemed happy to have some adults to talk to. We quickly became a little happy family - discussing past experiences and hikes as well as our future plans in Lofoten. The Belgian couple had previously lived in Lofoten for 5 years and worked as tour guides so they had lots of great suggestions!

the crew in the dining / sitting area

the kitchen (and opposite side of the room shown in the photo above)

this room slept six - both Taylor and I and the Belgian family

On one of the bookshelves I found a photo album that documented the construction of Munkebu. Some of the photos and captions are pretty spectacular so I've shared them below.

Translation:

Munkebu - Lofoten Turlag (the hiking/wilderness association of Lofoten)
Built in the summer and fall of 1991 by "dugnad"*
Construction Manager: Robert Berg Reine
Cost: approximately 470,000 NOK including dugnad (about 40,000 USD)
2000 dugnad hours
5 storm days, 20 gale days (as in really windy days)
Snow in the beginning of September
Over 1000mm of precipitation over the construction period (that's over 40")
Lots of excitement and enthusiasm
Lots of toil and some despair

*NOTE: "Dugnad" is one of those culturally specific words that takes some explaining... It is unpaid volunteer work that Norwegians are expected to take part in throughout the year. It's usually some sort of manual labor. The concept evolved out of farming and fishing days when certain tasks - say building a boat, haymaking, or roofing a home - required some help from your neighbors. Today, dugnad extends to all sorts of activities: helping run your child's sports team, maintaining the community garden, and in this case, building a public hytte! Everybody takes part in dugnad, and it's viewed as a way to bring individuals together to work for the greater good of all.

A picture of the site before construction
Translation: And so it was, and that's how it began. A mountain, a lake, a view, a desire.

The construction materials were assembled in town then flown up the mountain
Translation: Ready for flight

Photo of man jackhammering out holes in the rock for the support posts.
Translation: This is rough work. It is moving forward.

Translation: The roof is already rising on the first day. Fast it (the construction) goes.

Translation: Late August. Wooden cladding comes up. The hytte takes shape, the outhouse takes shape.

Summer and Winter photos of the final product

It's pretty amazing how much volunteer work goes into the DNT's network of hytter. It's something that most Norwegians are very proud of.

Remember how I mentioned the DNT cabins in Lofoten are run a bit differently - how each has its own unique key? These strict rules are posted on the door of Munkebu; it clearly states that you must have a special key to stay overnight. However many people hike up to the cabin, sometimes late in the evening, with no plan B for lodging - no tent, no sleeping bag, etc. This creates an uncomfortable situation for those inside the cabin, constantly having to turn people away. This happened A LOT, and the cabin really is quite small, so I'm not sure how all those people would have fit if we did let them in.

After we had all fallen asleep, around 2AM, we were awakened by loud banging at the front door. This lasted about 10 minutes. It was a tense situation, and the two Belgian children were pretty scared. Eventually the person announced their presence verbally and explained that their tent had broken in the wind and they needed shelter from the cold (not sure why they waited so long to divulge this?). We collectively decided to let the man inside. The whole situation got me thinking about the system of special keys and restrictions. I am definitely more in favor of the standard DNT policy of "there is always room." It completely eliminates any ambiguity; everyone is welcome and people sleep two to a bed, on benches, on the floor, on spare mattresses - whatever is needed. At the same time, I'm not sure how that would work in Lofoten with the small cabins and large volume of people...

view from the front window of Munkebu

sketch of the entry elevation of Munkebu

After a not-so-great sleep at Munkebu, we hiked down and did a few short day-hikes around the western islands of Lofoten before driving to our second hytte which was located a few hundred meters from the road, Selfjordhytta. When picking up the key, we decided to book rooms in the "annex" instead of the main cabin because it was considerably cheaper. Well apparently most people think that way, because when we arrived there were two older Norwegian women and an older Dutch couple already in the annex... and no one in the main cabin. The annex was tiny and had four beds. So if you do the math - that's four beds and six people. Two of the beds were considered "large" however (hahaha), so the Dutch couple and Taylor and I doubled up. Regardless, it ended up being an enjoyable night with lots of good conversation. For more information about Selfjordhytta, click the link in the hytte credits at the bottom of the post. I didn't really have the appropriate time (or space) to do a more in-depth exploration.

After leaving Selfjordhytta, we drove east across the entire Lofoten Island archipelago and then north to the city of Harstad. All that driving led us to one of the most unique hytter yet, Maistua.

Maistua

Maistua sits on a hill overlooking the city of Harstad. Before it became a DNT cabin it served as a radio tower. I couldn't find any historical information to determine whether it started as a radio tower + lodging or if the "cabin" portion was a later development. The living quarters begin on the second floor, and the first floor consists of a restroom and multiple locked rooms - I assume relating to the operation and maintenance of the various antennas / mounted devices.

Maistua is pretty famous in Norway because in the Fall of 2018 it was the subject of a popular home improvement TV show (think Extreme Home Makeover, but Norwegian). Through this process, what was once a pretty modest hytte was upgraded into something that's quite fancy. Check out the video below for a full walkthough. The images you see at the beginning (0:11 to 0:17) are of the old hytte, before the renovation.

Video Credit: Nordsjö Idé & Design

So as you can see - quite luxurious compared to most hytter. Also you have to book Maistua online, and the only option is to book the entire cabin even though there are four beds. All things considered, Maistua is more like a high-end Airbnb (albeit a cheap one) than a typical DNT hytte. However, the efficient use of space and plywood interior finish give it a slightly hytte-like feel.

I'll keep my discussion of Maistua rather brief - going through some photos and hitting on some of the more interesting details.

the kitchen with sleeping space lofted above

There are four total beds in Maistua. Two are lofted above the kitchen on a platform that is hung from the roof structure. The other two fold out from the wall as a bunk bed murphy bed - a pretty awesome way to save lots of space. These beds are in the kitchen space - you can just see them at the right edge of the photo above. I appreciate how the ladder is integrated into the support for the far end of the beds - a nice touch.

the bunk bed murphy bed; suprisingly smooth motion and also very sturdy - two thumbs up!

sitting area with panoramic view over Harstad and outlying islands

view down from the lofted sleeping space

stairs from the first floor up to the living quarters

I've encountered stairs like those in the photo above in multiple hytter. They all have some sort of staggered shape that suggests which foot you should be taking each step with. As a person with big feet, I'm not a fan. I always have to put my feet at the outer edges to make sure I have steady footing. I assume the primary purpose for the staggered shape is to save space. By privileging one side versus the other, more steps are able to be squeezed into a fixed horizontal distance - which is great in hytter where the efficient use of space is so important. But what happens when one person is trying to go up while another is trying to go down? I'm just not on board...

Maistua features many high-end, technologically advanced (at least for me) appliances with mixed results. The suspended fire place - very sleek, very cool. The stove, however, seemed unnecessarily complicated. It had no words or numbers on it - just a detachable magnetic knob (detachable = easily lost, a real head scratcher...) that had to be stationed in the right place to activate it. There was also some kind of camera that you had to turn on that was attached to the fume hood above. It took Taylor and I about an hour and a half to boil water...

the oven of the future

And then the compostable toilet... great from a sustainability standpoint, but this one had some interesting restrictions. For instance, for the toilet to flush properly it required a minimum of half a liter of liquid. That's real tough... I don't know - maybe it's just a sign I should be drinking more.

composting toilet, complete with "error codes"

And I almost forgot the "Viking Dome"! Beside Maistua is a geodesic dome made of plexiglass hexagons. The transparent dome allows for unobstructed views of Harstad, the Atlantic Ocean, and the islands beyond. It is humbly furnished with a few rocking chairs with shaggy wool covers and a couple lanterns. Unlike Maistua, the Viking Dome is completely open to the public at all times and it is VERY popular. Taylor and I kept waiting for it to be empty so we could check it out, but every half hour or so new people would be inside it - just chatting, or reading, or sipping coffee. It's obviously a pretty successful public amenity. I assume it was also fairly low-budget. The construction, for such a complex shape, appeared rather simple and required minimal materials. Overall, it was a very enjoyable space that I could see being replicated in other locations.

Maistua and the adjacent "Viking Dome"

Taylor eats ramen and looks out over his kingdom

the primary structure consists of overlapping plexiglass hexagons connected with screws

simple ground attachment:
L brackets at seams with screws attaching to the wooden platform at the base

In writing the last few posts, I realize I have diverged a bit from the theme of storytelling. Don't fret! Sometimes it is a bit difficult to weave ideas of narrative into the more surface-level conversation of the construction and spatial aspects without things getting long and convoluted. I'm working on a post that focuses more on hytter as containers and enablers of stories. Coming soon!

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