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*北極圏にかかる虹～キャンプツアーで北極圏を目指す20歳の大冒険
旅をする上では、「○○で一番」とか「最果ての地」という響きには何となく惹かれるものがあるのではないだろうか。私は20歳の時、30日間で北欧をキャンプで回る多国籍のアドベンチャーツアーに参加をしたが、その謳い文句の中に「北極圏を目指す旅」というのはとても魅力的なワードだった。北極圏とは北緯66度33分よりも北の地域を指し、多くの人が北極でイメージする北極海とは異なる。ツアーではノルウェーをバスで北上し最終的にはヨーロッパ最北端、北緯71度10分のノールカップまで行った。8月だったので雪はなかったが、やはりそれでも寒くセーターやジャンパーが必要だった。いよいよ北極圏に入るという時は、その線を越えることで突然何かが変わるわけではないが、とてもワクワクする気持ちだった。北極圏のライン上にはビジターセンターがあり、私は北極圏をバックに記念写真を撮った。そして丁度その時北極圏側に虹がかかったのだ。今からいよいよ北極圏に入るというタイミングでもあり、最高にワクワクする気持ちを感じていた。色々な旅をしたが、私にとって北欧の旅は忘れられない20歳の大冒険だった。
*A Rainbow Over the Arctic – My 20-Year-Old Adventure to the Arctic Circle
When traveling, phrases like “the northernmost point” or “journey to the ends of the earth” hold a certain allure. At 20, I joined a 30-day adventure tour to camp across Scandinavia, drawn in by its promise of reaching the Arctic Circle. This region begins at 66°33′ N, distinct from the Arctic Ocean we often picture. Our bus journeyed through Norway, taking us as far as North Cape at 71°10′ N. Although it was August and snow-free, the cold required sweaters and jackets. Crossing into the Arctic Circle didn’t bring immediate changes, but the excitement was palpable. At the Arctic Circle’s visitor center, I took a photo with the line in the background, and a rainbow appeared just on the Arctic side at that perfect moment. This trip remains one of my most unforgettable adventures – a thrilling journey into the far north.
As I stepped over the line marking the Arctic Circle, I felt a surge of excitement that was hard to put into words. Although it was simply an invisible boundary on a map, crossing it felt like stepping into another world. The tour brought us closer to untouched landscapes, endless forests, and serene lakes. Each night, we set up our tents under the northern skies, where the sun barely set, bathing everything in a magical, perpetual twilight.
At North Cape, Europe’s northernmost point, we stood at the edge of a towering cliff overlooking the vast, icy sea. It was an indescribable feeling of awe and humility, knowing that there was nothing but ocean stretching out toward the North Pole. This journey through Scandinavia, with all its raw beauty and sense of boundless space, remains etched in my heart as one of my most exhilarating memories.
