Rosenbergdalen, Edgeoya Island
This morning we awoke to fog. When the wind dies and the sun is out, which is for most of the summer, and no storm is present, then fog is your maritime companion. The Endeavour cleared the fog bank as the ship approached the anchorage along the Northwest corner of Edgeoya Island. A river cuts through the basalt and flat lying sediments and has created a flat stone covered beach, which our Zodiac drivers maneuvered towards. Once on shore we marveled at the huge collection of skipping stones at out fingertips.
The hikes and walks headed into the valley, which has been both growing and shrinking due to competing forces. Over the millennia the land has had the chance to rebound from the sea once the great weight of the glaciers was removed. This caused the curious sighting of huge whalebones in the tundra a few hundred feet above present sea level. At the same time, those bones, as well as the rocks around them, are being eroded away by the river, which has cut through the growing tundra plain.
The widespread tundra cover has attracted the attention of one of the more indifferent animals to our presence, the reindeer. They were munching on the many plants growing on the soggy plain as we watched them get fuller and fuller. The antlers of these animals are amazing, especially when you realize that the males shed and grow them every year. The field was littered with their antlers, bleached white by wind, rain and sun. The cotton grass in that same sun light made for a pretty backdrop for the reindeer as they went about their busy summertime feeding frenzy.
An arctic fox was spotted at the landing near the reindeer, perhaps hoping for a group of seabird nests to forage along. The end of the morning brought the fog back. It had been waiting patiently as we walked and hiked, but had other ideas about our attempt to kayak along the placid waters of the bay. At first the ship began to disappear, and then the kayak platform, and then the fog continued towards the beach. It held off long enough to get everyone off the beach and headed back to the Endeavour.
Our afternoon was spent on board enjoying lunch and then talks by Stefan Lungren, an arctic explorer for many years, who told us the life cycle of the largest land predator on earth, the polar bear. Later David Cothran, our undersea specialist, showed us some amazing footage of some of the smallest sea hunters, the isopods as well as other creatures. No matter what the scale or size for the day, from small disc shaped pebbles to massive basalt cliffs, from little antler pieces to the 5 meter whale rib bones. There was something for everybody.
This morning we awoke to fog. When the wind dies and the sun is out, which is for most of the summer, and no storm is present, then fog is your maritime companion. The Endeavour cleared the fog bank as the ship approached the anchorage along the Northwest corner of Edgeoya Island. A river cuts through the basalt and flat lying sediments and has created a flat stone covered beach, which our Zodiac drivers maneuvered towards. Once on shore we marveled at the huge collection of skipping stones at out fingertips.
The hikes and walks headed into the valley, which has been both growing and shrinking due to competing forces. Over the millennia the land has had the chance to rebound from the sea once the great weight of the glaciers was removed. This caused the curious sighting of huge whalebones in the tundra a few hundred feet above present sea level. At the same time, those bones, as well as the rocks around them, are being eroded away by the river, which has cut through the growing tundra plain.
The widespread tundra cover has attracted the attention of one of the more indifferent animals to our presence, the reindeer. They were munching on the many plants growing on the soggy plain as we watched them get fuller and fuller. The antlers of these animals are amazing, especially when you realize that the males shed and grow them every year. The field was littered with their antlers, bleached white by wind, rain and sun. The cotton grass in that same sun light made for a pretty backdrop for the reindeer as they went about their busy summertime feeding frenzy.
An arctic fox was spotted at the landing near the reindeer, perhaps hoping for a group of seabird nests to forage along. The end of the morning brought the fog back. It had been waiting patiently as we walked and hiked, but had other ideas about our attempt to kayak along the placid waters of the bay. At first the ship began to disappear, and then the kayak platform, and then the fog continued towards the beach. It held off long enough to get everyone off the beach and headed back to the Endeavour.
Our afternoon was spent on board enjoying lunch and then talks by Stefan Lungren, an arctic explorer for many years, who told us the life cycle of the largest land predator on earth, the polar bear. Later David Cothran, our undersea specialist, showed us some amazing footage of some of the smallest sea hunters, the isopods as well as other creatures. No matter what the scale or size for the day, from small disc shaped pebbles to massive basalt cliffs, from little antler pieces to the 5 meter whale rib bones. There was something for everybody.
