A Day in Hornsund, Spitsbergen
The fog was thick as pea soup off the southern coast of Spitsbergen this morning. As we sailed through this fog, anticipation was high for just how much we’d actually be able to see once we arrived at our destination for the day – Spitsbergen’s southernmost fjord called Hornsund. However, to our tremendous delight, the fog cleared just as we entered into the fjord, and the weather was spectacular for our first day of exploring Svalbard.
We started the day with a landing on the southern shore of Gashamna, which translates to Goose Harbor. Over the last few centuries, this has been a site where Russian and English whalers had set up their outposts, and we could still see the remnant foundations of their old huts, melting pots, and whale bones scattered about.
On the moraine flats beyond the historic sites, we hiked into a magnificent expanse of gravelly terrain dotted with the nests of Parasitic Jägers (Arctic Skuas) and Arctic terns, as well as the ever-favorite purple Moss Campion flowers. The “long hikers” journeyed up towards a glacier at the higher end of the valley, while the “short hikers” enjoyed interpretive talks on the history and natural surroundings toward the shore.
In the afternoon, the National Geographic Explorer sailed to another bukta (bay) called Hamburgbukta, where we dropped anchor for an afternoon of water activities. This bay is really something special to see with multiple, huge glaciers pouring into the waters and its giant, rock cliffs and slopes towering above. Here, we jumped into the Zodiacs for pleasant cruises around the area with highlights including the spotting of a ringed seal, a giant calving of ice from one of the glacier walls, and also a surprise visit of Viking hooligans armed with cups of hot chocolate and berry muffins.
While the Zodiacs were out and about, other folks jumped into sea kayaks and paddled around the various shapes of growler bergs and bergy bits that floated around the area.
All in all, it was a perfectly tranquil way to finish this fog-free day in Spitsbergen.
