The “Fjord of Sorrow” and A Polar Bear’s Defeat
This morning, we arrived by Zodiac on the beach of the “Fjord of Sorrow” or Sorgfjorden in the northern reaches of Spitsbergen. It was overcast, but relatively clear and pleasant. We all arrived in anticipation of trekking across the tundra or climbing the boulders of a mound in the distance that was topped by a very large cross and adjacent to nearly thirty rock-piled graves that likely reach back to the whaling days of over three centuries ago. As our journey across the tundra began, we trudged through deep snow, crossed shallow streams of melt-water, viewed distant reindeer, and made our way up to the heights of the mound. Upon that high point, the fog suddenly rolled in, and we all sensed the sorrow and struggle in the stories of Dutch whalers and the sea battles that pitted them against a French navy that saw fit to bring European squabbles to the top of the world. With the images of the past in our minds, we also took the time to observe a small group of walrus, which seemed quite unconcerned with the weight of the past on this fjord before the Zodiac took us back through the fog to the comfort of our ship.
This afternoon our spotters took us in the direction of a polar bear crossing the pack ice stalking several seals. Over the course of almost two hours, we watched the bear climb in and out of the water in hopes of its next meal. Unfortunately for the bear, the seals’ sense of danger outmatched the hunting skills of the polar bear as all three seals sought refuge in the sea and a defeated bear continued his solitary walk across the ice pack.
However, today’s expedition report also includes the efforts of the four Young Explorers aboard National Geographic Explorer. The students were given the task of interviewing family, staff, crew, and guests about their most memorable moment of the day. The students discovered that many people connected with the gravesites as it reminded us of the challenges that people faced in the early history of this unforgiving arctic land. One guest said that the graveyard, “shows us our mortality and it tells us that we must utilize our lives as best we can.” Student interviews also revealed that many people felt that the thick fog and cold weather created an atmosphere “that was like you were looking back in time.”
Like the explorers of old, we continue this voyage of discovery as National Geographic Explorer negotiates the constantly changing conditions of the pack ice.
Chad Pelton & Kevin Witte, Grosvenor Teacher Fellows, with Bronson & Lilliana Starsiak, Nora Huffines, Ethan, Guests; Photos: Cotton Colson, National Geographic Photographer
