In the footsteps of the postmen and civil servants of the past, Sølvi Kristin Pettersen and Julie Maske walked the 93 kilometer long postal route across Finnmarksvidda. In the bag was a letter from the mayor of Karasjok, Svein Atle Somby. After five days, they delivered the letter to Monica Nielsen, mayor of Alta. – I was touched when I handed over the letter. It was a special moment, says Pettersen. The next day, the mayor received the second letter in the mailbox. – You wouldn’t really think that was possible, says Nielsen. The mayor still says it was not entirely unexpected, but is puzzled by the effectiveness. – When it takes longer to send it by post than it takes to cross the border, then one can really question whether the system works as well as we would like. Altaposten mentioned the trip first. Once in Alta, the two itinerant postmen Sølvi Kristin Pettersen and Julie Maske were able to deliver the letter to Mayor Monica Nielsen. Photo: Vigdis Nygaard From “Post-Mathis” to hiking route The postal route between Karasjok and Alta was officially established in 1813 and was in use as late as the 1970s. Then the postman Mathis Mathisen Buljo, better known as “Post-Mathis”, spent two days crossing the plain by snowmobile. You can watch a TV program about that here. The route from Karasjok to Alta is the 17th historic hiking route opened in Norway, and the first in Finnmark (see tour description). Of course, the opening had to be marked with an exchange of mail. – We had to carry a letter with us. Then we had this competitive moment all the way through. We wanted to arrive before the post office, says Maske. First, the mayor of Alta sent a letter with some cyclists to Karasjok. They spent one day on the trip, and on the same day the answer was sent back in two copies – both by regular mail and by foot across the plain. Pettersen in the footsteps of old civil servants and postmen. Here with Ravnastua in the background. Photo: Julie Maske – We have thought a lot about those who have made this trip over the mountain with consignments of value over several hundred years. It has given an extra dimension to this trip, says Julie Maske, editor of DNT’s yearbook. She is supported by Sølvi Kristin Pettersen, board member of the Alta tour team, who says it was nice to have an errand on the trip. The two ladies who are used to touring are proud that they were faster than Posten, but point out that they went straight, while Posten makes it a little more complicated for themselves. Everything must go to Lørenskog – It does not matter that there are 200 kilometers between Alta and Karasjok, all letters in Norway are sorted at the Østlands terminal, says Posten’s press manager, Kenneth Tjønndal Pettersen. The letter that was sent by post has most likely been sent by car to Lakselv. From there we flew to Tromsø and on to Oslo the same evening. After sorting at Lørenskog, the journey north began again. Posten’s press manager Kenneth Tjønndal Pettersen explains that all letters sent in Norway must go via Lørenskog. Photo: Posten Bring – It has been many years since we had such a large volume of letters that the letters were sorted manually in many different places in the country, says Tjønndal Pettersen. He points out that digitization has changed the way we communicate. Fewer letters are distributed than before, but more packages. In addition, approximately 80 per cent of letters sent from Northern Norway are to other parts of the country. Wandering postman Mayor of Karasjok, Svein-Atle Somby, says he has faith in the modern way of delivering mail. He understands that the mail has to be sorted somewhere. – If there are longer trips than over the mountain, I believe that the pedestrian will be shortchanged. But it was a fun experiment. Sølvi Pettersen takes a break along the way to check the map. She might well consider going with letters in her bag more often. Photo: Julie Maske For the two hikers, the mission gave more flavor. – I would have liked to have been a full-time walking postman. It wouldn’t have done me anything, says Maske. Pettersen says that she will offer to take mail with her when she crosses the fjord in the future.
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Walked with letters across Finnmarksvidda – arrived before Posten – news Troms and Finnmark
