Edgeoya, Svalbard
Here in the land of the midnight sun one day doesn’t really separate easily from the next. Today was the perfect example as our day “began” just where we left off at midnight: on the bow of National Geographic Explorer pushing through pack ice and looking for wildlife. Captain Skog had navigated the ship through Freemundsen and out into the pack ice on the eastern side of Barentsoya in search of elusive ice bears. While many bearded seals were seen, only distant polar bears were detected. Finally after 2:30 am most of the ship settled in for a short nap before our after breakfast landing at Rosenbergdalen on the northwestern coast of Edgeoya.
Our first taste of land on this epic expedition couldn’t have been under better conditions, with a temperature of 7 degrees Celsius, no wind, and blue skies we took the opportunity to stretch our legs on the beautiful tundra. Inquisitive reindeer eyed us with only mild interest as we captured their antics with our cameras. The tundra underfoot was soft and inviting with just enough moisture to make walking a slurping event. A few of us even went so far as to try and leave our boots behind as the mud and moss fought hard to retain our footwear.
Without exception we all want to see the charismatic mega-fauna like polar bears and walrus, but few come anticipating the stunning beauty of the flowering Arctic landscape in all of its splendor. Savvy observers and photographers drop to the tundra to gain a ground level appreciation of the plant life under our boots. Bog saxifrage, moss campion, and mouse-eared chickweed all have their very best colorations on display for those who will but get close enough to enjoy the view. Lichens and mosses cover whale jawbones and vertebrae that are hundreds of years old, stemming from a time when the raised land was then under the ocean surface. Seemingly so sparse, yet close inspection and keen observation yield a different perspective to this barren landscape.
Early afternoon found National Geographic Explorer steaming south towards the seldom-visited Island of Bjornoya. Excitement is mounting as we travel further from the areas we all know and love so well, and into the unknown that will eventually lead us to the high Russian Arctic. Stay tuned for more updates and adventures!
