Krossfjorden
Our morning would be spent in one of the more picturesque fjord systems on the west coast of Spitsbergen, Krossfjorden. This multiarmed fjord system has several tidewater glaciers, those that descend out of the mountains and into the sea. There were opportunities to explore the 14th of July glacier and fjord by Zodiac and foot. The long hikers used a small beach to gain access to the snout of land that lies between two of the glacially carved valleys. There were a number of reindeer seen in the hills along with ptarmigan, jaegers, geese, and at the end of the walk a couple of close by puffins. The other groups walked along the coastline up to the ice of the glacier and also enjoyed learning about the driftwood that makes it way north from the Americas and Europe.
The weather remained beautiful as the ship headed out to sea towards the drop off in the afternoon. This is a mixing area in the ocean where wildlife productivity increases. The wind began to accelerate as we made our way to the ever deepening ocean. As we made our way west a few blows were seen from the bridge. They turned out to be blue whales, the largest whale and largest animal on Earth! There were a few of them feeding on the food-rich waters here off the coast of Spitsbergen Island. Several good views were had of them as their long mottled blue backs broke the choppy water surface. It was a fitting end to our spectacular expedition from southern Norway to the high Arctic.
