We woke up to a drizzly day in yet another Nordfjord! We anchored near a small town called Loen. Half of the group took a 45 minute boat ride to the Kjenndalstova Inn and had a short walk to the Kjenndal Glacier. The rest of the group had a stunningly beautiful bus ride and a 45 minute walk to the Briksdal Glacier. The walk followed a gorgeous river of glacial melt water with huge cascading waterfalls to a milky turquoise lake at the base of the glacier. After we visited the glaciers both groups took a trip to the top of the mountain on the brand new Skylift cable car to get fantastic views of the fjord and the ship 1100 meters below.
6/20/2024
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National Geographic Resolution
Kognsfjorden
During the night, National Geographic Resolution traveled quite a distance along the northwestern parts of Spitsbergen and in the morning stopped near Sarstangent, a narrow and long sand spit where walruses often haul out. The scouting from the bridge confirmed their presence. For the morning activity, guests were offered landing with, visiting, and observing the walruses resting on the beach. From time to time some of the walruses, probably well rested, moved away and disappeared in the water, others replaced them, coming from the water and joining the group on the beach. After lunch the ship relocated to a nearby Kongsfjorden, offering a spectacular view of a couple of glaciers with ice-covered mountains in the background. The guests had options of a strenuous hike to the top of a mountain for a panoramic view or Zodiac cruising. Large numbers of blue icebergs were scattered in the fjord. Nests of kittiwakes and glaucous gulls were attached to a concaving igneous cliff, providing an excellent shelter from precipitation. Curious harbor seals could be seen around the fjord. The nearby glacial front represented heavily crevassed ice and calved every few minutes. After dinner the guests had a chance to watch the presentation of the voyage slide show. However, the day was not yet over. Later in the evening a few blue whales were spotted near the ship, a very rare observation around Svalbard.
