Sandviken, Norwegian Fjords
This morning we woke up to calm overcast skies and sailed north cruising among the glacially rounded sculptured islets and protected channels off mainland Norway. We saw modern wind turbines spinning along the ridge of Sandvikberget, a small Norwegian fishing village. We also saw lots of coastal salmon fishing farms, as well as a beautiful grey heron that took off from the rugged shoreline. Jason Kelly gave a very informative talk about the geology of the region, helping us better understand how the non-foliated granite that surrounds us came into being.
After lunch we boarded our Zodiacs, and cruised into the small fjord of Svesfjord. The weather was now a mix of rain drizzle and hazy sunlight that provided the hikers and photo enthusiasts with beautiful soft light for photography. We had groups of long hikers, medium hikers, and leisure walkers, along with our photo group to explore the wooded hills covered with birch trees (Figure A). We lowered the kayaks from the top of the ship into the water. This was our first opportunity on the expedition to explore on our own from the kayaks.
Sisse Brimberg and I led a photo walk to the beautiful waterfalls in the nearby woods. Along the way we stopped to admire and photograph the granite boulders covered by lush green moss. There are a few traditional red-painted summer farmhouses along the path, but it was too early in the season for any of them to be occupied. We did see some sheep, however, letting us know that someone was in the vicinity. These brought back memories to the classic Beatle’s hit, “Norwegian Wood.” Some of us scrambled up the steep path to see the waterfalls from above, but most of us were content to have the perspective from below.
Towards the end of the afternoon, the drizzle turned into light rain and the kayakers started to paddle back to the National Geographic Explorer. It was a beautiful and intimate introduction to the inviting and lush Norwegian wilderness. A pair of oystercatchers flew by the beach just as we departed the shoreline and returned to the ship (Figure B). We pulled up the anchor and turned out of the fjord to proceed northwards.
