Hornsund, Svalbard
After a glorious week along the coast of Norway, we headed north from Bear Island and early this morning arrived off the coast of Svalbard. We were finally here, in this land so far north. As we approached the entrance to Hornsund, we were greeted with calm seas, patchy skies, and a fair bit of sea ice. This was a good thing, as we were on the search for polar bears, and ice certainly helps.
The captain eased us deep into the sound, and as more and more blue sky was revealed, our first polar bear of the trip was spotted. It was asleep on an ice flow, and we gently approached. The bear appeared quite fat and content, and we didn’t seem to bother it much at all as we closely inspected it. We eased away and continued to enjoy the spectacular scenery. Our first bear under our belts, and a perfect one at that!
After lunch we went for our first walks ashore, at the historic site of Gåshamna. Sunny skies and no wind again made for perfect conditions as we split into different groups. Everyone made it to a trapper’s hut built upon the ruins of a whaling station dating from the 1600’s. Many birds were spotted including Snow Bunting, Purple Sandpiper, and Parasitic Jaeger. Long walkers made it to an overlook of a glacier, but certainly the highlight for many were the reindeer. One mother had a tiny calf, while two females were exceptionally curious. They continually circled the group, investigating probably their first humans of the year.
Just before dinner, as we were exiting Hornsund, another polar bear was spotted on the last layer of ice before the open seas. Once again the captain skillfully maneuvered the ship through the ice. The bear was travelling north along the edge of the ice, passing from floe to floe. With an incredible backdrop of the mountains and glaciers of Hornsund awash in sunlight, it made for a perfect study of why these bears are called “icebears.”
What an incredible first day in Svalbard!
