Hornsund
We entered the fiord in the early morning as the sun tried to wedge its way between the clouds, stripping the sharp mountain peaks.
Named after the 'Deere's horn' (antlers of reindeer) found by the British whalers who first came here in the early 1600s.
Our first stop was at Gåshamna (Gooshaven), where we found the graves of the early whalers and the even more prominent bones of their prey - the large bowhead whales.
Later we spent a quiet afternoon cruising the calm waters of Samarinbreen along booming glacier fronts. Young bearded seals approached our kayaks, and dovekies landed and dove in the placid waters all around us.
Final stop was made at the trappers cabin made famous by the polar bear hunter, Ivar Ruud. Our day was filled with Svalbard history, and the beauty of a still largely unchanged polar enviroment.
We entered the fiord in the early morning as the sun tried to wedge its way between the clouds, stripping the sharp mountain peaks.
Named after the 'Deere's horn' (antlers of reindeer) found by the British whalers who first came here in the early 1600s.
Our first stop was at Gåshamna (Gooshaven), where we found the graves of the early whalers and the even more prominent bones of their prey - the large bowhead whales.
Later we spent a quiet afternoon cruising the calm waters of Samarinbreen along booming glacier fronts. Young bearded seals approached our kayaks, and dovekies landed and dove in the placid waters all around us.
Final stop was made at the trappers cabin made famous by the polar bear hunter, Ivar Ruud. Our day was filled with Svalbard history, and the beauty of a still largely unchanged polar enviroment.
