Bellsund, Spitsbergen, Norway
After a lovely sail around the southern tip of Spitsbergen, we continued up the stunning west coast to Bellsund. Its name refers to the bell-shaped mountain of Klokksdfjellet.
During the morning, National Geographic photographer Flip Nicklin enthralled us with more gorgeous images and adventurous tales from the Far North. A little later, we heard from Norwegian naturalist Kenneth Monsen, and his year spent as a trapper here in Svalbard. His vegetarian wife-to-be had to quickly learn to enjoy Arctic delicacies such as seal blubber, a test of true love indeed.
We finally entered spectacular Bellsund, where the scenery was on a grand scale. Paleozoic-aged sedimentary layers originally laid flat in a shallow sea have been dramatically uplifted and bent into fantastic, rugged mountains. The promise of valuable minerals in the alpine heights, abundant sea life, and plentiful bears, reindeer, and fox attracted many hopeful seekers of fortune. However, most of their dreams, like the rocky ridges above, were shattered by the harsh environment.
From Bellsund, several fjords cut deep into Spitsbergen. The National Geographic Endeavour steered into the mouth of Van Keulenfjorden and dropped anchor. A scouting party went out to check for bears, and one was found. Fortunately, the bruin was on an island some distance from the peninsula we wanted to explore. We landed on a pebbly beach and broke into groups for a several mile walk across the tundra to Kvitfiskneset (Beluga Headland).
As we hiked, we encountered the flotsam and jetsam of the “outside” world, reminders as to how easily we humans can impact faraway lands. While examining and photographing a couple of abandoned old wooden boats, a reindeer, which had been grazing on a ridge, decided to walk out into the bay for a swim. Then it turned toward us, came ashore and boldly trotted right past us.
We continued hiking along the coast, where birds proved to be plentiful. We got good views of barnacle geese, common eider ducks, snow buntings, purple sandpipers, grey phalaropes, the rare ivory gull, and an Arctic skua. Our walk ended at the whale bone yard of Kvitfiskneset. Here between the two World Wars, a beluga whale hunt netted over 500 of the magnificent cetaceans. The piles of skulls, vertebrae, and ribs were a stark exhibit of the wanton exploitation of our natural resources for short term profit.
During dinner, the ship motored deeper into Van Keulenfjorden to where two glaciers tumbled down into the sea. Polar bears were spotted; there were several single animals, but everybody’s favorites were a mother with two cubs. Another great day in the Arctic.
After a lovely sail around the southern tip of Spitsbergen, we continued up the stunning west coast to Bellsund. Its name refers to the bell-shaped mountain of Klokksdfjellet.
During the morning, National Geographic photographer Flip Nicklin enthralled us with more gorgeous images and adventurous tales from the Far North. A little later, we heard from Norwegian naturalist Kenneth Monsen, and his year spent as a trapper here in Svalbard. His vegetarian wife-to-be had to quickly learn to enjoy Arctic delicacies such as seal blubber, a test of true love indeed.
We finally entered spectacular Bellsund, where the scenery was on a grand scale. Paleozoic-aged sedimentary layers originally laid flat in a shallow sea have been dramatically uplifted and bent into fantastic, rugged mountains. The promise of valuable minerals in the alpine heights, abundant sea life, and plentiful bears, reindeer, and fox attracted many hopeful seekers of fortune. However, most of their dreams, like the rocky ridges above, were shattered by the harsh environment.
From Bellsund, several fjords cut deep into Spitsbergen. The National Geographic Endeavour steered into the mouth of Van Keulenfjorden and dropped anchor. A scouting party went out to check for bears, and one was found. Fortunately, the bruin was on an island some distance from the peninsula we wanted to explore. We landed on a pebbly beach and broke into groups for a several mile walk across the tundra to Kvitfiskneset (Beluga Headland).
As we hiked, we encountered the flotsam and jetsam of the “outside” world, reminders as to how easily we humans can impact faraway lands. While examining and photographing a couple of abandoned old wooden boats, a reindeer, which had been grazing on a ridge, decided to walk out into the bay for a swim. Then it turned toward us, came ashore and boldly trotted right past us.
We continued hiking along the coast, where birds proved to be plentiful. We got good views of barnacle geese, common eider ducks, snow buntings, purple sandpipers, grey phalaropes, the rare ivory gull, and an Arctic skua. Our walk ended at the whale bone yard of Kvitfiskneset. Here between the two World Wars, a beluga whale hunt netted over 500 of the magnificent cetaceans. The piles of skulls, vertebrae, and ribs were a stark exhibit of the wanton exploitation of our natural resources for short term profit.
During dinner, the ship motored deeper into Van Keulenfjorden to where two glaciers tumbled down into the sea. Polar bears were spotted; there were several single animals, but everybody’s favorites were a mother with two cubs. Another great day in the Arctic.
