Hinlopen Strait
Svalbard is an otherworldly place, made so by the permutations of ice, the polar primary colors of the land and the mythical creatures that inhabit this stark wonderful world.
After a dreamy sun-soaked night in the pack ice, the Endeavour approached an improbable running coastline of soft blue ice cliffs. Nordauslandet’s (“Northeast Land”) shores comprise 125 miles of the fine edge of a vast ice cap that covers most of this High Arctic island. Waterfalls poured off the glacial bluffs as we watched in refracted seas.
At an ice-free corner of Nordauslandet called Torellneset we went ashore for hikes and to inspect a curious group of other creatures who had made a landing there. Slowly approaching and then crawling on all fours, we respectfully and safely came to very close viewing distance of a pile of walruses. Sitting and lying on the gravelly beach we watched the scratching, stretching, snorting antics of these enormous tusked near-fictional animals. These males were lying about together to maintain warmth and help each other with an annual molt.
Hikers probed the arctic plain where subtle gullies harbored virtual forests of millimeter-high plants thriving on increased moisture and wind protection. Whalebones up the slope told the tale of three-century old whaling and gradual rebound of the land after the ice had lifted. Bowhead whales, the whaler’s main target species and virtually extinct in these waters for years, have been seen again recently at Svalbard and are possibly making their own rebound. The highlight discovery for some hikers however, was the partial skeleton of a polar bear including its skull with impressive teeth.
While finding the remains of a polar bear is exciting, we were much more awed by a live bear spotted near the bird cliffs of Cape Fanshawe. We followed this beautiful beast, the color of the winter, as she walked, probed, and swam the shoreline beneath hanging glaciers and waterfalls. Powerful, inspiring and symbol of these high latitudes, there is nothing like seeing an ice bear in its natural environment. Soon after, we were nosed up to busy ledges full of nesting Brünnich’s guillemots, large tuxedoed members of the puffin clan.
With beautiful weather and a promising satellite ice report, we pushed north in Hinlopen Strait with the faint idea of circumnavigating Spitsbergen. We passed belts or ‘stringers’ of ice before entering the pack. With masterful skill our captain maneuvered us through the ice, reading the leads and navigating the ship. Kittiwakes picked up polar cod kicked to the surface as the Endeavour’s bow cracked through floes.
Thickening ice and a strong current running across the strait eventually forced us to abandon our idea of pushing onwards, as we gained new appreciation of the ever-changing nature of ice and ocean. Cheers went up, however, as it was announced that we had crossed 80 degrees north latitude! Riding through and along the pack ice edge we discovered some of the creatures that live in this rafted icy place, including a minke whale spyhopping up between the floes, several seals, a walrus and even a probable sighting of mythical narwhals.
One day’s experiences aboard the Endeavour have painted a lasting picture of the magical icy bastion on our planet known as Svalbard.
Svalbard is an otherworldly place, made so by the permutations of ice, the polar primary colors of the land and the mythical creatures that inhabit this stark wonderful world.
After a dreamy sun-soaked night in the pack ice, the Endeavour approached an improbable running coastline of soft blue ice cliffs. Nordauslandet’s (“Northeast Land”) shores comprise 125 miles of the fine edge of a vast ice cap that covers most of this High Arctic island. Waterfalls poured off the glacial bluffs as we watched in refracted seas.
At an ice-free corner of Nordauslandet called Torellneset we went ashore for hikes and to inspect a curious group of other creatures who had made a landing there. Slowly approaching and then crawling on all fours, we respectfully and safely came to very close viewing distance of a pile of walruses. Sitting and lying on the gravelly beach we watched the scratching, stretching, snorting antics of these enormous tusked near-fictional animals. These males were lying about together to maintain warmth and help each other with an annual molt.
Hikers probed the arctic plain where subtle gullies harbored virtual forests of millimeter-high plants thriving on increased moisture and wind protection. Whalebones up the slope told the tale of three-century old whaling and gradual rebound of the land after the ice had lifted. Bowhead whales, the whaler’s main target species and virtually extinct in these waters for years, have been seen again recently at Svalbard and are possibly making their own rebound. The highlight discovery for some hikers however, was the partial skeleton of a polar bear including its skull with impressive teeth.
While finding the remains of a polar bear is exciting, we were much more awed by a live bear spotted near the bird cliffs of Cape Fanshawe. We followed this beautiful beast, the color of the winter, as she walked, probed, and swam the shoreline beneath hanging glaciers and waterfalls. Powerful, inspiring and symbol of these high latitudes, there is nothing like seeing an ice bear in its natural environment. Soon after, we were nosed up to busy ledges full of nesting Brünnich’s guillemots, large tuxedoed members of the puffin clan.
With beautiful weather and a promising satellite ice report, we pushed north in Hinlopen Strait with the faint idea of circumnavigating Spitsbergen. We passed belts or ‘stringers’ of ice before entering the pack. With masterful skill our captain maneuvered us through the ice, reading the leads and navigating the ship. Kittiwakes picked up polar cod kicked to the surface as the Endeavour’s bow cracked through floes.
Thickening ice and a strong current running across the strait eventually forced us to abandon our idea of pushing onwards, as we gained new appreciation of the ever-changing nature of ice and ocean. Cheers went up, however, as it was announced that we had crossed 80 degrees north latitude! Riding through and along the pack ice edge we discovered some of the creatures that live in this rafted icy place, including a minke whale spyhopping up between the floes, several seals, a walrus and even a probable sighting of mythical narwhals.
One day’s experiences aboard the Endeavour have painted a lasting picture of the magical icy bastion on our planet known as Svalbard.
