Woodfjorden, Northern Spitsbergen
After an unfeasibly smooth overnight passage around the north coast of Spitsbergen (largest island in the Svalbard archipelago), we arrived at the complex of inlets known as Woodfjorden. Prior to the start of breakfast, we spotted our first polar bear, which was ambling methodically along the loose gravel piles that make up one of the many glacial moraines in the region. By mid morning the ship was positioned near the face of the Monaco Glacier and we were ready for a Zodiac cruise. The front of this immense ice river stretches for over 5 km (3 miles) across the bay and the constant pressure from its upstream reaches means that large chunks of ice are frequently dropping off the face. From our Zodiacs we witnessed the thunderous calamity as so many tons of ice made their dramatic entrance into the bay.
During lunch, the ship penetrated deeper into the fiords and by mid afternoon we were ready to start our hiking adventure in Bockfjorden. The shingle beach was strewn with driftwood and other flotsam, most of it washed here from eastern Siberia on the currents of the Arctic Ocean. Moving further inland, we strolled the sparse tundra, admiring the hardy flowers and mosses that don’t quite thrive, but do manage to survive in this harsh climate. A small group of reindeer grazed the upper slopes, while brent geese nibbled away closer to the coast.
And finally, after dinner, we rounded off our introduction to the Arctic with an approach to Moffen Island, where from the ship’s bow we counted 82 walruses lounging on the gravel shores of this low-lying island. It’s been a grand start.
