Northwest Svalbard (Liefdefjorden & Moffen Island)
Back home for most of us here on board the Endeavour, summer is in full swing: barbeques on the weekend, shorts and tank tops, swimming pools and water skis. So why would you leave all that behind for a trip to the Arctic? What could possibly tempt a rational person to pack up all their cold weather gear and board a plane for Svalbard? Well, let’s see:
It could be the lure of the pack ice and the glaciers. After all, it’s summer here as well, which means the sea ice has broken up enough to allow us some spectacular views of the enormous glaciers found throughout the archipelago. The protected fjords provide ideal conditions for getting a real sense of the scope and power contained within these icy world shapers. Many of us seized an opportunity to kayak amongst the brash ice beneath Monaco glacier today at the head of Liefdefjorden. It was an experience that left more than a few of us awestruck and required a few moments of simply sitting back in the kayak and trying in vain to soak up the panoramic splendor.
Then again, maybe it’s the wildlife that draws travelers out of their beach houses and summer homes. We’ve been here just over 24 hours and have already sighted many of the creatures normally seen only on documentaries from our sofas. From the tiny black guillemot up to the hulking mass of the walrus, we’ve managed to spot an enormous range of the local fauna. Jaegers, arctic terns, glaucous gulls, kittiwakes, and Eider ducks were all tallied on our birding lists. Still, we needn’t look only to the skies for our sightings, for the sea also held many surprises throughout the day. Belugas, seen by some the night before in the Longyearben harbor, were spotted again today swimming beneath the glacier face and keeping strange company with a lone harbor porpoise. After dinner, as we approached Moffen Island, a slew of walruses had hauled out on the pebble beach to do a bit of lounging in the evening sunlight. And for an encore, a handful of Minke whales made an appearance just as we set sail for tomorrow’s destination.
Though these reasons alone should suffice, there is still one more attraction that holds sway over most of our hopes for such an adventure… the polar bear, the majestic predator that roams the Arctic’s pack ice in a near constant search for it’s next meal. How long would we have to wait to see this denizen of the north? How many might we find? Neither question would leave much time for debate as six bears were spotted before lunch. Bears by themselves, bears with cubs, bears raiding birds’ nests, bears simply staring out to sea; they were seemingly everywhere! Not even the most optimistic among us, could have hoped for a better beginning to what will surely be an outstanding expedition.
Back home for most of us here on board the Endeavour, summer is in full swing: barbeques on the weekend, shorts and tank tops, swimming pools and water skis. So why would you leave all that behind for a trip to the Arctic? What could possibly tempt a rational person to pack up all their cold weather gear and board a plane for Svalbard? Well, let’s see:
It could be the lure of the pack ice and the glaciers. After all, it’s summer here as well, which means the sea ice has broken up enough to allow us some spectacular views of the enormous glaciers found throughout the archipelago. The protected fjords provide ideal conditions for getting a real sense of the scope and power contained within these icy world shapers. Many of us seized an opportunity to kayak amongst the brash ice beneath Monaco glacier today at the head of Liefdefjorden. It was an experience that left more than a few of us awestruck and required a few moments of simply sitting back in the kayak and trying in vain to soak up the panoramic splendor.
Then again, maybe it’s the wildlife that draws travelers out of their beach houses and summer homes. We’ve been here just over 24 hours and have already sighted many of the creatures normally seen only on documentaries from our sofas. From the tiny black guillemot up to the hulking mass of the walrus, we’ve managed to spot an enormous range of the local fauna. Jaegers, arctic terns, glaucous gulls, kittiwakes, and Eider ducks were all tallied on our birding lists. Still, we needn’t look only to the skies for our sightings, for the sea also held many surprises throughout the day. Belugas, seen by some the night before in the Longyearben harbor, were spotted again today swimming beneath the glacier face and keeping strange company with a lone harbor porpoise. After dinner, as we approached Moffen Island, a slew of walruses had hauled out on the pebble beach to do a bit of lounging in the evening sunlight. And for an encore, a handful of Minke whales made an appearance just as we set sail for tomorrow’s destination.
Though these reasons alone should suffice, there is still one more attraction that holds sway over most of our hopes for such an adventure… the polar bear, the majestic predator that roams the Arctic’s pack ice in a near constant search for it’s next meal. How long would we have to wait to see this denizen of the north? How many might we find? Neither question would leave much time for debate as six bears were spotted before lunch. Bears by themselves, bears with cubs, bears raiding birds’ nests, bears simply staring out to sea; they were seemingly everywhere! Not even the most optimistic among us, could have hoped for a better beginning to what will surely be an outstanding expedition.
