Scrambling on a patchwork of frozen snow,
ice and mud, tufts of died yellow grass,
grating forward, pushing though stunted bushes in single file,
crump, crack, rasp and creek,
up and down.
Hillocks and granite rocks and sodden tundra,
frozen lakes, smoothing out the sheer and desolate terrain,
hot chocolate reviving weary walkers,
persuading a final push downwards,
if only there had been more snow.
© David Humphries 2026
Words to accompany the photographs of the Norwegian Arctic