Briksdal Glacier, Norway
Our Photo Expedition exploring coastal Norway and beyond the North Cape is off to a grand start. Early this morning the National Geographic Endeavour navigates Nordfjord, a long, steep-walled fjord all the way to the small town of Olden. Here we disembark for a morning excursion to visit Briksdal Glacier, a tongue of ice that spills from Norway’s largest icefield high in the mountains. A well-worn trail leads us through a birch forest along a rushing melt water stream. To no one’s surprise, there are wonderful photo opportunities with every step.
It is mid-summer here in Norway, and a colorful display of wildflowers lines the trail. Waterfalls spill from the high cliffs on the opposite side of the fjord forming a dramatic backdrop. About halfway up, the trail crosses below a waterfall where we walk through a refreshing wash of mist. Our invigorating hike ends at the glacial lake just below the glacier. In the late 1990’s the Briksdal Glacier surged forward hundreds of meters. Today, like many of the world’s major ice sheets, it has recently receded to the base of the mountain, leaving the lake behind.
This afternoon we sail back down Nordfjord passing colorful farms, green valleys, and small towns each with their own church steeple. Late in the afternoon we make a spontaneous landing and Zodiac cruise at the remote island of Selje, site of a 12th century monastery and said to be the historic site where Christianity came ashore in Norway. Back on board we celebrate the day with the Captain’s Welcome cocktail party—a fitting end to our first day in Norway.
Our Photo Expedition exploring coastal Norway and beyond the North Cape is off to a grand start. Early this morning the National Geographic Endeavour navigates Nordfjord, a long, steep-walled fjord all the way to the small town of Olden. Here we disembark for a morning excursion to visit Briksdal Glacier, a tongue of ice that spills from Norway’s largest icefield high in the mountains. A well-worn trail leads us through a birch forest along a rushing melt water stream. To no one’s surprise, there are wonderful photo opportunities with every step.
It is mid-summer here in Norway, and a colorful display of wildflowers lines the trail. Waterfalls spill from the high cliffs on the opposite side of the fjord forming a dramatic backdrop. About halfway up, the trail crosses below a waterfall where we walk through a refreshing wash of mist. Our invigorating hike ends at the glacial lake just below the glacier. In the late 1990’s the Briksdal Glacier surged forward hundreds of meters. Today, like many of the world’s major ice sheets, it has recently receded to the base of the mountain, leaving the lake behind.
This afternoon we sail back down Nordfjord passing colorful farms, green valleys, and small towns each with their own church steeple. Late in the afternoon we make a spontaneous landing and Zodiac cruise at the remote island of Selje, site of a 12th century monastery and said to be the historic site where Christianity came ashore in Norway. Back on board we celebrate the day with the Captain’s Welcome cocktail party—a fitting end to our first day in Norway.
