Indian Lake Island Campground

Gentle waves directly beneath me.
I try to remember to breathe.
With even the slightest movement
a great panic rises within me.
I take a deep breath.
Breathing in the lake, the trees, the mountains, the sky, the clouds, the sunshine.
I Exhale.
Letting go of my apprehension, my uncertainty, my lethargy.

Indian Lake in the Adirondack Mountains, NY.

the beginning of any camping trip makes me a little hesitant.
the unknown.
i get uncomfortable.
beginning with canoeing...
uneasy at first
i felt more calm
the farther i traveled
and with each forward paddle.

Our campsite was on the northeast side of Indian Lake, boat access only. So we loaded our gear into our canoes and started paddling. Six miles.

Our canoes loaded up with our gear.

I had canoed before, but always on a river. Lake paddling I found to be a little more challenging. The wind, currents, and motorized boats were unpredictable and at times made it difficult to stay on course.

Nathan, Michelle, and Jim canoeing to our campsite.

Jim and Michelle canoeing on Indian Lake, Adirondacks, NY.

We stopped a couple times to stretch and take in the scenery.

A view from a place we took a quick break while canoeing to our campsite.

Campsite 3

The campsite's kitchen!

I loved our campsite! A small peninsula all to ourselves. Nathan and I were finally able to set up our hammocks that we made a couple years ago (2013). We originally made them to help with weight during backpacking trips. We had tried to use them once before in Yellowstone, but that was short lived due to rain. This time, we were better prepared to not make the same mistakes as before... At Indian Lake we were able to sleep all three nights in our hammocks through moody weather, with very little adjusting.

Nathan and mine's hammock set up.

09/18/2015- We watched the sun set... and then we watched the moon set. It was certainly a sign that the days were getting shorter, and we were more north than we were used to. We decided the sky was clear and that we would take our chances with rain and not set up the tarp over our hammocks the first night. And it didn't rain.

Nathan watching the sun set.

This was our regular view from our campsite at Indian Lake, Adirondacks, NY.
First night, and you can see the moon in the sky while the sun was still setting.
Looking this direction was always breathtaking. 

startled
awoken by a leaf falling
in the dead of night.
sleep was still hanging on to my reality
and it took me some time to realize it wasn't raining
leaves falling.
i listened to them puddle all around me
until
i heard the water of the lake
lapping against the shore.
gently.
almost like a whisper on the wind.
i fell back to sleep.

09/19/2015- Norman's Cove
Indian Lake Surface Elevation - 1640 ft.
Never being there before we made a classic mistake and roped our canoes up when we first entered the cove, probably the farthest away from the trailhead that we could.

Our boats roped up at Norman's Cove before our hike. Baldface Mountain is in the distance.

Right in the center is Norman's Cove, a view from the top of Baldface Mountain, Indian Lake, Adirondacks, NY.

Hind sight. It was good to get a little warm up walking around the cove before we ascended the mountain. The trailhead sign said the summit was .8 miles. So we began going up. I actually expected it to be more difficult. I probably remember it as an easier hike, not because of the elevation gain, but because of the shortness of the hike.

Baldface Mountain
Summit Elevation - 2230 ft.
Elevation gain in .8 miles was 590 ft.

The Camping Crew: (from left to right) Michelle, Jim, Alicen (me), and Nathan.

View of Indian Lake in the Adirondack Mountains near the Baldface Mountain summit.

Nathan enjoying the summit of Baldface Mountain, Indian Lake, Adirondacks, NY.

View of Indian Lake in the Adirondack Mountains near the Baldface Mountain summit.

After we got back to camp Michelle and I went on a short exploration without the men. We walked out to the strip of land near the little island that we had been admiring the view of since we had arrived.

A little island right off the peninsula of our campsite.

The weather, the second night while we were camping is something I'll never forget.

how in the world can i describe the darkness?
the rain
the thunder
the lightning. the WIND!
the autumn winds. the autumn winds!
wind on my face
cool yet soothing.
so easy to breathe in.
like it was my life's breath.
i had to breathe it in! 

09/20/2015- The next day... Michelle and I went back with Jim and Nathan. We hiked along the lake's shore until we stumbled across the next campsite.

Jim, Nathan, and Michelle at the beginning of our campsite exploration.

Jim, Nathan, and Michelle Indian Lake, Adirondacks, NY.

It was decided at some point during our exploration that we were going to canoe over to Norman's Cove again, this time by the picnic area, and go swimming. I didn't swim. I had a beer, and just enjoyed the autumn wind and the last warmth of the fading summer sun.

A view from the Picnic Area of Norman's Cove with Baldface Mountain in the background.

09/21/2015- The morning had a heavy blanket of fog, rising from the lake, that didn't want to leave the sleepy mountains. It was an amazing sight to see. We had an amazing breakfast as we waited for the fog to burn off... and then we packed up our canoes, and paddled six miles back to the car.

Same vantage point at our campsite of the sunset photos shown earlier in this post.

Camping at Indian Lake was a wonderful experience that I feel awakened my natural instinct to go out and explore! I would certainly camp there again. A different site though, so I could see more of the area... and perhaps hike up another mountain.

For more information on Indian Lake Island Campground... Click Here!
All photos were taken by me or Nathan.

Bergenhus Festning (Bergenhus Fortress)

After a red-eye flight and six hour change in time zones... we arrived in Bergen, Norway. It was my first time going to Europe and I was beyond excited. I rarely sleep while traveling and this trip was no different. At a certain point though, you have to sleep.

02/15/2016- I woke up at 10 pm. This was no good. Nathan was awake too, and we decided to do a little exploring nearby. The streets were empty and everything was closed. It wasn't as if we were looking for a place to be open, but it was interesting how empty and silent the city was at night compared to the hustle and bustle we saw during the day when we arrived.

We walked along the wharf, past Bryggen, and ended up near what I assumed was an old castle. All the gates were closed but we continued walking, observing the buildings behind the walls and the cityscape across the water, until we basically got to the end of the road.

Rosenkrantz Tower.

Nathan with Haakon's Hall.

After we returned to the apartment we were staying in, I looked up where we had been. Rosenkrantz Tower and Haakon's Hall were the buildings I was truly intrigued by. I really wanted to be able to walk the grounds of Bergenhus Fortress, even if I wasn't actually able to go inside any of the buildings.

02/16/2016- The next day, Nathan and I were walking around the city and we approach Bergenhus Fortress from a different side... and the gate was open! I was THRILLED!

Rosenkrantz Tower with Haakon's Hall on the right.
A view near the entrance at the corner of Bradbenken and Øvre Dreggsallmenningen.

Bergenhus Castle

Bergenhus is among the oldest and best preserved fortresses in Norway. In medieval times, the area of the present-day Bergenhus Castle was known as Holmen (The island). Holmen has a long history as a religious, royal and military centre.

The Buildings at Bergenhus Castle

Two of the buildings from medieval times still exist within the fortress grounds: Håkon’s Hall and King Magnus the Lawmender’s Keep. The keep is incorporated into the Rosenkrantz Tower.

Håkon’s Hall was constructed by King Håkon Håkonsson in the middle of the 13th century as a royal residence and banqueting hall. The hall has been the site of major national events, such as the drawing up of Norway’s first complete codex.

Me at Haakon's Hall.
On the left, along where I'm standing is Ruiner av Solaret – Ruins of the Solar

The Rosenkrantz Tower was completed as a combined residential and defensive tower in the 1560’s. Two older structures were incorporated into the tower: the oldest from about 1270.

With its strategic position in the southern part of the grounds, the tower has been a cornerstone in the stronghold of the Bergenhus Castle.

A view of Rosenkrantz Tower near the main gate.

Holmen’s Church History

Holmen was a centre for the church from the end of the 11th century to 1531. During this era a cathedral, the bishop’s residence, a royal chapel, and a monastery were situated on the premises.

The Christ Church, Bergen’s old cathedral, was erected by King Olav Kyrre in the period 1066-1093. During the 1200s Holmen and the Christ Church constituted Norway’s political centre. The churches were torn down in 1531 after strong pressure from King Frederik I. This was done to ease the defence of the military constructions. Today, the ground plans of the Christ Church are marked by a hedge in the park north of Haakon’s Hall.

Here you can see the hedges marking Kristkirketomten – Site of The Christ Church with Haakon's Hall in the distance.
Directly in front of Haakon's Hall stands the Artilleribygningen – Artillery building.

Statue of St. Sunniva at Kristkirketomten – Site of The Christ Church.

The Royal Seat at Holmen

Bergen became the town of royal residency when King Øystein Magnusson moved his seat from Alrekstad to Holmen in the 12th century. His royal estate was built in wood.

The castle’s girdle-walls were built in the first half of King Håkon Håkonsson’s reign in the 1200s. These walls were supposed to protect the wooden structures from fires and foes. When the Norwegian civil wars ended around 1240, Bergen became the capital of Norway and Holmen the country’s political centre. Håkon’s Hall was then erected in the period 1247 to 1261. King Håkon Håkonsson also fortified the royal castle in stone.

Haakon's Hall.
A view from the Kristkirketomten – Site of The Christ Church.

The King’s throne was moved out of the country when Norway came into union with Denmark in the late medieval period. However, Bergenhus still remained the political and administrative centre for the western and northern regions of Norway, but from 1660 Bergenhus’ only function was as a defensive fortification.

Det forsenkede batteri med statue av Haakon VII – The artillery battery with a statue of King Haakon VII.

Military History

Bergenhus Castle was enlarged and further fortified throughout the 17th century. The castle was at its most complete in around 1700 when Holmen and the Sverresborg fortress were united into one large fortification. The only time Bergenhus Castle has been involved in battle, however, was some years previously: August 2, 1665. A Dutch merchant and treasure fleet sought refuge from an English flotilla of warships in Bergen’s neutral port. When the English attacked, they met heavy resistance from the garrison at Bergenhus. The battle was short and has been known under the name the Battle of Vågen.

A view of Vågen Bay from the artillery battery with a statue of King Haakon VII.

During World War II, the German navy used several of Bergenhus’ buildings for their western headquarters, and they also constructed a large concrete bunker within the fortress walls.
The older buildings, including the Håkon’s Hall, were severely damaged when a Dutch ship in the service of the German navy, carrying tons of dynamite, exploded on 20 April 1944 in the harbour just outside the fortress walls.

Immediately after World War II, the Norwegian government commenced the work of restoring and protecting the area for the future.

Nathan standing at Flaggpynten (Kanoner) – Flag Point (Cannons).

02/19/2016- I honestly enjoyed Bergenhus Fortress so much that I went back a third time during my stay in Bergen, this time with Becky. We followed a path between Haakon's Hall and the remains of Håkon Håkonsson’s second stone hall, and discovered a way into the palace courtyard! It was difficult to contain my excitement. I wanted to get to Rosenkrantz Tower so bad!

Walking into Slottsgården (the palace courtyard)
from the entrance between Haakon's Hall and the remains of Haakon's second stone hall.
On the left, Stallbygningen (the stable building).
On the right, Kapteinvaktmesterboligen (Residence of the Captain of the Guard).

Me standing in the palace courtyard with Haakon's Hall behind me.

Rosenkrantz Tower.
You can see the passage of time through the different styles of masonry incorporated in one building.

Becky in front of Rosenkrantz Tower.
Interesting use of building materials and placement of windows.
I had read that Rosenkrantz Tower had dungeons...
and I pondered this while Becky and I were in this small courtyard behind the tower.

If I ever get the chance to return to Bergen, I will do my best to tour inside Rosenkrantz Tower and Haakon's Hall.

For more great photos taken of and around Bergenhus Festning throughout our time in Bergen... Click Here!

All information shared here was taken from signs within the fortress walls.
All photos were taken by me, Nathan, and Becky.