Hornsund
It is hard to believe that this is the last day of the trip. It only seems like yesterday that we were at the pier in Longyearbyen, waiting anxiously for this group of guests to arrive. I do not think anyone on the ship could have imagined all the incredible things we would see while visiting Svalbard.
Today brought us into Hornsund. It is a spectacular glacial area which is surrounded by high mountains. The mountain directly next to the glacier is called Hornsundtind, which rises to an impressive 1,431 meters. The mountains have different layers of sediments in them, so they appear layered with different colors. The reds, browns, and yellows stand out dramatically against the white front of the glacier. At the opening to Hornsund, there is an old trapper’s cabin which is no longer in use. When peering through the windows, you can see the old hunting tools and survival kits that were necessary to have when this hut was operational. There is also a large bird cliff behind the cabin, holding nests of thousands of kittiwakes, and a few guillemots. Although this is one of our favorite landing sites, this morning there was a bit of a surprise, a polar bear was sleeping on the rise just above the cabin. This polar bear was probably enjoying a bit of a feast of eggs, small birds, and even the nesting materials that the birds use. As Captain Skog maneuvered Endeavour to the anchorage, the bear got up and sauntered away, uninterested in our visit. After thorough investigation, it was deemed safe to go ashore, and we loaded our guests into the Zodiacs for the short ride in. It was an educational and vigorous morning, with a visit to the cabin and hikes of various lengths offered.
This afternoon we pulled into Paierlbreen, a glacier to the side of Hornsund; Zodiac cruising was the preferred activity. There was a lot of brash ice, bergy bits, and growlers to maneuver the Zodiacs through. It is an amazing site to see the different colors in the pieces of ice: light blues, bright whites, pieces with bits of earth on them, and the clear ice that looks like ice cubes. The sound the ice makes, “snap and crackle” is something one will never forget. Ice was not the only entity here in the fjord, there were also birds: fulmars (today’s photo), kittiwakes, and black guillemots scanned the surface of the water for the small creatures that live under the ice and in the water column. There was even a bearded seal hauled out on the ice, basking in the liquid sunshine we had this afternoon.
Svalbard is a magical place, embodying all that people think of as Arctic: the polar bears, the seals, the glaciers, and not to forget the birds. After this trip, I do not think there would be one of us afraid to admit we have all been struck by “Arctic Fever.”
It is hard to believe that this is the last day of the trip. It only seems like yesterday that we were at the pier in Longyearbyen, waiting anxiously for this group of guests to arrive. I do not think anyone on the ship could have imagined all the incredible things we would see while visiting Svalbard.
Today brought us into Hornsund. It is a spectacular glacial area which is surrounded by high mountains. The mountain directly next to the glacier is called Hornsundtind, which rises to an impressive 1,431 meters. The mountains have different layers of sediments in them, so they appear layered with different colors. The reds, browns, and yellows stand out dramatically against the white front of the glacier. At the opening to Hornsund, there is an old trapper’s cabin which is no longer in use. When peering through the windows, you can see the old hunting tools and survival kits that were necessary to have when this hut was operational. There is also a large bird cliff behind the cabin, holding nests of thousands of kittiwakes, and a few guillemots. Although this is one of our favorite landing sites, this morning there was a bit of a surprise, a polar bear was sleeping on the rise just above the cabin. This polar bear was probably enjoying a bit of a feast of eggs, small birds, and even the nesting materials that the birds use. As Captain Skog maneuvered Endeavour to the anchorage, the bear got up and sauntered away, uninterested in our visit. After thorough investigation, it was deemed safe to go ashore, and we loaded our guests into the Zodiacs for the short ride in. It was an educational and vigorous morning, with a visit to the cabin and hikes of various lengths offered.
This afternoon we pulled into Paierlbreen, a glacier to the side of Hornsund; Zodiac cruising was the preferred activity. There was a lot of brash ice, bergy bits, and growlers to maneuver the Zodiacs through. It is an amazing site to see the different colors in the pieces of ice: light blues, bright whites, pieces with bits of earth on them, and the clear ice that looks like ice cubes. The sound the ice makes, “snap and crackle” is something one will never forget. Ice was not the only entity here in the fjord, there were also birds: fulmars (today’s photo), kittiwakes, and black guillemots scanned the surface of the water for the small creatures that live under the ice and in the water column. There was even a bearded seal hauled out on the ice, basking in the liquid sunshine we had this afternoon.
Svalbard is a magical place, embodying all that people think of as Arctic: the polar bears, the seals, the glaciers, and not to forget the birds. After this trip, I do not think there would be one of us afraid to admit we have all been struck by “Arctic Fever.”
