Huts and Birds and Walruses

A very calm morning in Murchinsonfjorden, perfect for our landing at Kinnvika, the ancient scientific station in the North of the Hinlopen Strait.

Considering that the large number of huts was already erected in 1957/58, the good shape of the buildings is surprising. With a bit of solid catering one could start a lengthy stay right away, which you really cannot say of all the places in these parts. Even a sauna building is there, and by the looks of it it might be well possible to get it running again. Now imagine that, polar bears scratching at your sauna door…!

The landscape is wide, seemingly endless, its beauty emphasized by the clear morning air and the soft light from the clouds.

After lunch we reach certainly one of the most spectacular spots of Svalbard: Alkefjellet, bird mountain. A steep basaltic cliff is not only home to about 60.000 breeding pairs of Brunich’s guillemots who perch and nest on the very narrow ledges in the rocks, but also to thousands of glaucous gulls and kitty wakes. 200.000 birds live here, so the air is filled with wings and screams, and from the distance you might rather think it’s mosquitoes flying - there’s just so many of them!

As we move closer they are all around us, in the water, in the cliffs, overhead, and it is clearly no good idea to gaze at them flying above you with your mouth wide open…

Three times we pass this ornithological world wonder before we change course to head further south to our afternoon destination, Torellneset.

This is a favorite haul-out for walruses, for the sake of the very flat beach, which the blubbery giants need to get their enormous masses ashore.

Knowing this, we were more than a bit disappointed when we couldn’t spot a single one on the beach. Where were they?? But then, steering around the horn of Torellneset, there was the relief: A group of about 20 animals of various age were stretched out in a relaxed fashion on the beach, not 200 meters away from their “standard” place. So we launched the boats, and the rest of the evening passed with carefully creeping up onto the huge, grunting, smelly, weird creatures, which they are.

Another successful day with loads of wildlife!

The Land of Contrasts

This morning we woke up in inner Liefdefjord looking outside on the mighty Monaco glacier. We had an amazing view to the 5 km wide glacier front which goes straight in to the ocean. We were met by a large iceberg finding its way out in the fjord after calving from the glacier. 

As we went out of the fjord and towards Andøyane and Reinsdyrflya  the landscape changed so dramatically that it was difficult to believe that it was the same island. It went from massive black pointy mountains separated by glaciers moving like white snakes in the terrain to a landscape as flat as a pancake covered in brown rocks and green vegetation. It didn't take long until the first message about a sighting of a polar bear came over the radio. People grabbed their warmest clothes and ran out on deck. The bear was relaxing on one of the small islands of Andøyane. Not

long after came the second message about another polar bear in the same area, just on a different island. Then suddenly we could spot a third one, swimming in the ocean. Polar bears are solitary animals and seeing so many in the same area is quite rare. We couldn't tell the reason why for certain, but a large gathering of seagulls in the air over one of the islands could indicate that there was an open buffet behind the hill – possibly a whale carcass that had floated on shore.

As we had just arrived inside and  were enjoying a warm lunch another polar bear had been spotted in Mushamna. The bear was strolling around on the shore before it laid down - yet another breath taking meeting with The King Of The Arctic. As we sailed further north, a peculiar small island came in sight. Shaped like a flat ring, the nature reserve of Moffen island houses a walrus colony. We could see these big blubbery creatures lying and enjoying the day piled up in a big group. Walruses love clams and that's why Moffen, with its shallow and sandy seabed full of clams, is perfect for the walruses. 

During the day different inspirational and interesting lectures about geology, birdlife and expeditions were given by the experienced expedition team. In the evening we reached the sea ice at 80 degrees north, where we all got to go out in the polar circle boats to cruise along the edge. The combination of the ice and the sea created an incredible spectrum of various shades of blue. When you looked in on the ice you couldn't see the end, maybe there was no end, maybe it stretched all the way to the North Pole? 

Being up here in the Arctic provides peace to the soul. Seeing how nature has its own ways without any human interference, everything is in balance. You get a new perspective and a deeper insight in to the nature and wildlife in the Arctic.  When you look outside the window after a day like this you feel humble towards the nature and grateful for all the impressions and experiences that you get to bring back home. 

First day out - and bears!

Svalbard has so much to offer - birds, rocks, reindeer, flowers, incredible landscapes embedded in vast amounts of ice. A chilly paradise.

But secretly - or not so secretly - everybody wishes for one thing: Seeing Polar Bear.

And of course we do everything in our powers to make exactly that happen (And, by the way, we like them, too…). But as it goes with wildlife, it’s alive and it’s wild, so you cannot expect the King of the Arctic to be waiting for us around each and every corner. 

So there is always quite a bit of pressure on the Expedition Team, and we watch out all the time to find among the many yellowish rocks ashore the one that moves.

In the meantime there is other things to do. Ny Ålesund awaits, the northernmost civilian settlement in the world, now dedicated to Arctic sciences carried out by more than 20 nations. It was also the location of Amundsen & Nobile’s famous first flight across the North Pole, undertaken by a huge airship that was launched from a big mast which is still standing upright next to the place.

For 14 lucky others the time has come for an exciting walk on the Conway glacier on the other side of Kongsfjorden. This in itself is already an adventure, but on the long boat ride to the opposite shore we spot a polar bear walking swiftly on the shore, close to some reindeer. Voilá! This already is proof that we are really in polar bear country. And it makes the glacier walk even more interesting, as the bear was heading our way…

Constant vigilance, that’s what it’s all about in Svalbard, the binoculars being the most powerful protective device.

In the afternoon everybody else was rewarded for not being too jealous - right on entry into Magdalenafjord there is another bear!

The decision is easy: Check out the bear with the Polar Cirkel boats, see if we can take everyone closer. And really, after a short observation we notice that the bear is actually feasting on a large prey, a reindeer. That is a very unusual thing, as normally they don’t hunt them. A great opportunity for everyone to get their first good shots of the bear, so the boat ride has the main attraction first.

A great day for wildlife! And ice! And - everything…!

78 North

In the year 1596 a very daring Dutch merchant by the name of Willem Barents arrived at a cragged coastline after a long voyage and named it Spitsbergen, the Pointy Mountains. One of the northernmost places people ever had set foot upon at the time.

Well, yes, it’s a little different today, coming in by plane from Oslo or Düsseldorf after only a few hours, but still we should not forget: Our trip begins at an incredible high latitude, 78 degrees North. Not so much left between us and the North Pole. No wonder everyone was excited, lots of smiles and happy faces during check-in, jacket reception and sign-up for the first excursions. 78 North...
And this is only where it starts: After a stop in the eccentric town of Barentsburg, where we get a Russian guided tour through remains of the Sowjet era and a veritable Balalaika dance show, we will set course further north and only stop when we reach the ice edge. Maybe 80 North, maybe even higher. Let’s find out!

It is a long day for all, but that doesn't seem to bother anyone. They are out here for adventure, traveled to the realm of the Polar Bear! Which - as usual - we cannot guarantee or promise. But we will try our best to find them.

That we can promise…

This Trip Was A 10/10

Photo © Morten Hilmer

Usually there is a wistful nostalgic air to the last landing of any voyage.  I didn’t detect that same feeling today.  I think it is because this has been an outstanding trip.  For a trip in Spitsbergen I give it a ten out of ten.  We have had superlative weather.  We have had the coolest of wildlife experiences (don’t forget those Blues baby)! 

Siselman Hut at Alkehornet
Photo © Morten Hilmer

We have gone on long hikes featuring glaciers and breath taking scenery.  Many people went kayaking.  We have gone cruising in the PC Boats in the pack ice.  We were treated to a feast of lectures.  We have been pampered on board the ship with fine food and amenities like the sauna, jacuzzi and gym.  I think people are satiated. Their quest for adventure at least partially quenched.  Don’t get me wrong.  If we announced one more landing everyone would be lined up.  I have no doubt of that.

Photo © Morten Hilmer

This morning we had a nice long landing at Alkehornet.  There is a large Black-legged Kittiwake colony on the face of a lofty horn-like cliff.  There is usually a herd of Reindeer grazing on the lush grassy plain and today was no different.  There was also a pair of Arctic Skuas making sure no one strayed too close to their wandering chick. 

Photo © Morten Hilmer

At Alkehornet there is a huge amount of space for people to walk about and it was nice to see people taking advantage of that. All told it was a four and a half hour landing.  We started at 09:30 and finished at 14:00.

For the remainder of the afternoon we indulged in some scenic ship cruising and hosted several lectures.  At 17:00 we joined the Captain in the Observation lounge for his farewell speech which was immediately followed by Fram’s charity Auction to raise money for Polar Bear research.

All in all a full day, a full trip.

The Expedition Team!!!
Photo © Morten Hilmer

Burgerbukta and Brepollen, Svalbard

Burgerbukta
Photo © Morten Hilmer

We awoke to an announcement by the captain saying: “The skies are lifting and we are approaching Hornsund, Goodmorning!” As we ate our breakfeast the clouds lifted and we began making ready for the excursions of the day in the gorgeous fjord called Hornsund.

Kayaking in Burgerbukta
Photo © Morten Hilmer

Some chose kayaking and some the glacier walk, both activities were an absolute success.

Glacier Trek at Burgerbukta
Photo © Morten Hilmer

Both groups could see each other, gazing in awe at the fjord from two separate perspectives. 

Polar Bear and People Tracks
Photo © Morten Hilmer

Then we had a Fram cruise in and about “Brepollen (The miriade of Glaciers) while we enjoyed a delicious lunch barbecue out on deck 7. The food was splendid and the surrounding landscapes were an absolute delight to witness. 

As I write this we are preparing for tonight’s fashion show, where all the officers and expedition staff will act as models in front of the guests of the ship. After that the crew has a great show in store for the passengers.

The Magnificent MV Fram Crew Show!
Photo © Morten Hilmer

The Magnificent MV Fram Crew Show!
Photo © Morten Hilmer

All in all - another unforgettable day here at Fram. 

A Family Of Four Arctic Foxes

We had a more leisurely start to our day. It was a pleasure to sleep in just a tad.  After all,  we are on holiday. During breakfast we cruised slowly down the channel between Edgeøya and Barentsøya Islands towards our landing at Kapp Lee on Edgeøya.  We weren’t scheduled to land until 10:00 so that meant we could linger over a second or in my case, a third cup of coffee.

The beach at Kapp Lee is well known as a favoured Walrus haul-out site but as we hit the beach we could see that there weren’t any toothy pinnipeds lounging about at water’s edge.  Too bad, but we had seen many Walrus already and unknown to us this landing was to hold yet other wildlife wonders.

At 10:30 a group of ambitious hikers set off to climb to the very impressive cliff-tops of Kapp Lee. 

Photo © Morten Hilmer

The Expedition Team marked the preferred trail from the landing site and cautioned everyone of the necessity to stay strictly, exactly, precisely, absolutely-follow-in-one-another’s-footsteps on the flagged trail. 

Photo © Morten Hilmer

There was a very real danger of getting stuck in deep, sucking mud and to not be able to extricate oneself.   

It happens every time we visit Kapp Lee.  Some people just don’t seem to believe us until they are stuck in the mud up to their knees.  We know from experience that there are several pairs of boots preserved forever under the mud.  But today was different.  Today was the first time that no one got stuck! This summer has been quite dry and while there were plenty of muddy areas, they were in general easy to avoid.  To tell you the truth I was rather half hoping that someone would get stuck in the mud because those events are much more fun to write about.  :)

Photo © Morten Hilmer

Anyway, back to the hikers and the landing in general.  There were Reindeer foraging widely over the grassy slopes of Kapp Lee.  Just about everyone got close looks at the majestic Arctic ungulates.  They were already sporting impressive racks still covered in a fine velvet.

Photo © Morten Hilmer

Not far from the landing site we encountered a family of four Arctic Foxes.  The young kits were particularly fun to watch as they cavorted with one another and gnawed on bones from a recent fresh kill.  

Photo © Morten Hilmer

The vixen and reynard also engaged in playful activity and occasionally lifted their tails to spray the area marking their territory.  It was certainly one the best sightings of Arctic foxes possible.

Photo © Morten Hilmer

By 14:00 everyone was back on Fram.  We scheduled several lectures for the afternoon.  There was ample time to attend a lecture or visit the gym, or luxuriate in the sauna, or jacuzzi.

At 21:45 we were all invited to the Observation Lounge where some of the ship’s officers and the Expedition Team modelled apparel from the gift shop.  

200,000 Seabirds

Our first landing today was at an old research station called Kinnvika in Murchisonfjorden which was erected for the first International Geophysical Year in 1957.

Kinnvika
Photo © Morten Hilmer

Nine of the eleven buildings they constructed for that project still stand today.  The men stationed at Kinnvika were studying many things including geomagnetism, atmospheric chemistry, observations of the sun, the ionosphere, geomagnetism, aurora and cosmic rays.  They were a small but important part of a global research project involving 60,000 scientists from 60 nations.

Like the air and the clouds above us, the landscape was cold and grey.  

Alkefjellet
Photo © Morten Hilmer

Alkefjellet
Photo © Morten Hilmer

Alkefjellet
Photo © Morten Hilmer

In the afternoon we cruised along the incredible sea bird cliffs of Alkefjellet from the comfort of Fram.   This was the nesting site for 120,000 Brunichs Guillemots plus numerous Black-legged Kittiwakes, and other seabirds.  The total population of birds on these impressive cliffs would be in the neighbourhood of 200,000.  Looking at the birds filling the sky it seemed as if you could see all of them at once.

Walrus at Torellneset
Photo © Morten Hilmer

After the amazing cliffs of Alkefjellet we  landed near a low sandy beach at Torellneset where a large group of male walruses were hauled out in a tight cluster.   It was fantastic to watch the interactions of the huge males as they seemed to jockey for better positions.  Eventually a group of three young males separated from the main group and following the shoreline swam towards us.  They were quite curious and it was wonderful to see for a brief time from just a few metres away.

Walrus at Torellneset
Photo © Morten Hilmer

Three Polar Bears, Two Blue Whales, Walruses, Fin Whales, Minke Whales, Killer Whales, Bearded Seals...

Blue Whale
Photo © Morten Hilmer

Whoee!! Today was a (choose your own superlative) wildlife day!  We saw two of the largest animals to ever live; two Blue Whales (although there has been a recent fossil discovery to suggest that the mighty Blue may be the second biggest).  The Blue Whale is also an endangered species making the experience a rare event.  There are approximately 8,000 Blue Whales worldwide.  In the same area we also saw several Fin Whales, the second largest animal to ever live, or is it the third now? No matter. They are magnificent either way.

But let’s start at the beginning.  We began our day by ship cruising near the face of Monaco Glacier in Liefdefjorden bright and early at 08:30.  As usual there were hundreds of seabirds feeding right at the glacier face in particular there were many Kittiwakes and Northern Fulmars but also numerous Glaucous Gulls, Black Guillemots and a few Arctic Skuas.

Our plan after Monaco was to cruise past the old hunter’s cabin at Mushamna and continue to Moffin Island to visit the Walruses.  From there we would continue as far north and east as we could go.  Our ultimate destination was to reach the pack ice.

Photo © Morten Hilmer

Shortly after leaving Monaco we spotted a large Polar Bear exploring along the shore line.  The Captain was able to maneuver Fram to within a couple of hundred metres of the shore where we had terrific views of the ivory coloured bear.  No sooner did we bid adieu to the bear when there came an announcement that two more Polar Bears had been spotted. 

Photo © Morten Hilmer

This time it was a mother and coy (cub of the year).  The pair were lying in a green area on the side of a small hill.  The two bears were so insistent on resting that the only interest they showed in Fram was to sleepily raise their heads from time to time and gaze blearily at us.

In the afternoon we cruised by Mushamna and there on the beach was a lone Walrus, also catching a few zees.  It too raised it’s head at Fram’s passing and then, z-z-z-z. Back to sleep.

A couple of hours later we arrived just north of the magic latitude of 80ºN at Moffin Island where a group of about thirty long-tusked pinnipeds lay lounging on the beach.  More Walruses! 

Walrus haul out.  Moffin Island.
Photo © Morten Hilmer

Moffin is a wildlife sanctuary and much more often then not, when we arrive at the extremely small low sandy island there are one or two groups of Walruses huddled on the beach.

From Moffin we headed north and east looking for the ice edge but en route we encountered an extremely rich body of ocean.  It was teeming with wildlife.  As we looked around the ship we could see the blows of several large whales.  There were also large groups of seals here and there, as well as a significant increase in the numbers of seabirds.  

On closer inspection it turned out that two of the whales were Blues! At times we were able to get quite close as the whales were intent on feeding on krill.  During their feeding forays dozens of Kittiwakes would swoop down and pick off their left-overs.

In the same vicinity were several Fin Whales and the occasional Minke Whale.

After fighting our way through all of the wildlife… (admittedly I used the word “fighting” for dramatic effect.  No harm was done to any animals during the making of this blog or during our cruise). After slowly cruising beyond the magnificent Blues, we encountered the pack-ice.

Cruising in the pack ice.
Photo © Morten Hilmer

And at 18:00 we dropped the PC boats and took everyone for a spin in the ice.  If you’ve never done it before it is a lot of fun.  It really is the best way to see ice.  Be in a small boat right in the pack.  Wonderful.

Finally at 21:00 everyone was back on the ship and Fram turned her bow towards more Arctic adventures for the morrow.

Oh, right!  I almost forgot to mention that a few lucky people saw a group of Killer Whales in the morning!!

Magnificent Magdalena on a Glorious day.

Ny Ålesund
Photo © Morten Hilmer

Back in Norway (after a Russian night in Barentsburg last evening) we awoke to a cloudy and foggy day. That soon proved to change for something better, much better. The clouds lifted like the evaporation of fresh dew on a summer morning and revealed a Svalbard day unsurpassed by any other.

Fram at Ny Ålesund Quai
Photo © Morten Hilmer

As we disembarked Fram very little was to be seen of Ny-Ålesund, but on this day, like many others – something higher than our hopes for glorious adventures brings to life something unique and indeed beautiful.  We were expecting to launch our polar circle boats but a call came. The other cruise ship had canceled their arrival.

Tender Pit and Fram Crew
Photo © Morten Hilmer

  

We had the entire city and its inhabitants to ourselves, and the guests thoroughly enjoyed it.  

Sun shine came and the view of the turquoise glaciers blended nicely with the still waters around the fjord. We saw walruses in the evening as we went out of the Magdalena fjord.

Magdalena Bay
Photo © Morten Hilmer

Its been claimed to be one the 100 places to see before you die, and we – here at Fram – wholeheartedly concur. 

Ralf From the Expedition Team
Photo © Morten Hilmer

Nesting Arctic Terns Gravneset
Photo © Morten Hilmer