One man's rubbish is another's site of great historic significance. On a remote and poorly charted coast in Half Moon Bay we found the remnants of Baron A.E. Nordenskjold's winter hut and carefully wandered around the site strewn with timbers and bricks. In 1872-73 Nordenskjold and his men were the first scientific expedition to overwinter in Svalbard, and they did so in a well-constructed house that had been prefabricated in Sweden. The strength of its design and construction are evident by the fact that so much is still here and still connected. Despite having such a large and well-designed home for the winter, the expedition was not without its drama. Perhaps the biggest problem was that food stores were planned for 22 men and yet 58 souls ended up wintering. It seems that after delivering all the food and supplies for the expedition party, the two supply ships were ready to depart home when Nordenskjold demanded that they wait one day to allow the wintering men to finish writing their mail. That evening a storm blew up and the northerly winds brought pack ice into the bay, trapping the two ships. The result was that by waiting an extra day the two ships had to spend another 10 months in the Arctic. It certainly puts a delayed flight from O'Hare into perspective. In the center of this photograph you can see the stove which was so important to the health and morale of the wintering party.
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