Chapter 1: The Park and The Sunset

I stood by the office window, looking out on the parking lot. It was an unusual start of fall. The sunlight was warming, and hardly any wind. You could see the trees acquiring the yellow tone, slowly turning red. Everything was changing around me. Every day, fall brought new colors, but also shorter days. Living cross the Arctic Circle has both advantages, and challenges. The major summer advantage (and for many, challenge) is the long days. The sun actually does not go down, and that is why it´s called The Midnight Sun. What I always loved about the fall season are the sunsets, and sometimes, you would have to hunt for the right spot to enjoy it.

But the walls of the office started to feel confining, and my mind was already racing outside, exploring new places to go. My monkii bars were in the car, along with a sledgehammer. Why you might ask? But the answer my friend, I cannot explain, if you don´t already understand. Sometimes you just want to hit stuff. Hard.

The road would take me through town, so I made a stop on the edge in the small “park area” outside Leknes. It might be mentioned, that there are no “parks”, in a big city sense. Mountains and forest surround the whole town, but there is a calisthenics station before you enter some of the hiking areas.

My plan was to do the Park #1 workout, but I also had the need to use some brute force, so I would supplement with the sledgehammer!

As I started the first stage, I could feel the calm settling my mind. I was outside, starting to feel the sweet discomfort of a challenge. As I started crawling like a bear on the stony ground, I smiled. The bear awoke, and the beast started to roar inside.

At the third and last stage, I started to collect the hang time from tuck hold, but in a dips position. As the minutes went by, I could feel the sun in my face. It was moving slowly downward. Shortly, the sky would light up in colors.

I brought out the sledge hammer and hit the tire for 2 more minutes. For some reason, I also had to flip it a couple of times. You know, that’s just what you got to do.

I got back in the car, driving to a spot that I thought would really show the crash between the ocean and the mountains. As I drove, I had to stop, just to embrace the sight.

I drove on, and there it was happening. Feeling the challenge from the day’s training, I stopped just to enjoy it.