Exploring Northwest Spitzbergen
The Inuit have a saying “Polar Bears become ice,” and it is said amongst the oldest hunters, that if a Polar Bear does not want to be seen, it will not be. For days now we have been searching out this symbol of the Arctic, the Isbjørn. In patches of mist and ice, it has been lost to us, but not today.
Last night leaving Hornsund, we headed north; up the west coast of Spitzbergen, draped in a coat of fog, but this morning as we all awoke with bated breath (what would today bring?); the sun was shining, and the glacier carved mountains of Spitzbergen rose off of our starboard side. Entering between Danskøya and Spitzbergen, we slowly cruised into the aptly named Bjørnfjorden (the bear fjord). Focusing on the many guillemots, little auks, and occasional puffin as we sailed through, leave it to the sharp-eyed naturalists to find a Polar Bear over a mile away! Slowly, slowly we approached land, our first sighting turning to two bears, a mother and her yearling cub. As they casually cruised the shore, we all watched in awe as these great white bears paid us no mind. Within minutes another bear was seen sleeping on the hillside, perhaps resting after a large meal, or just taking a cat nap. Our last glimpse of the morning, the one which is perhaps most ingrained in our minds, was a mother and two cubs of this year. Spotted by an eagle-eyed guest, this was a rare and spectacular sight for all onboard Endeavour. As the mother and cubs lazed away on land, curled up together, at first glance one could not tell where one began and the other ended. Then the cubs slowly moved, separating from their mother, standing as tall as they could to investigate us, both parties becoming spellbound. To see a wild animal in its natural habitat, is something that cannot be described, except by those who have actually seen it. This morning we all were caught between the fairy tale notion of these bears being so adorable, you want to give them a huge cuddle, and knowing that these are beasts of the wild.
Leaving the bears behind, we steamed onward, entering into Leifdefjord in the late afternoon. Arriving at Monaco glacier, the theme was ivory, ivory, and more ivory. Ivory being the color of the glacier we gazed at; ivory the color of the beluga whales that happily swam around the front of the glacier; and ivory the color of the gulls plunging into the water, capturing the tiny shrimp that were forced up to the surface by the freshwater melt stream at the base of the glacier.
We continued to steam northwards into the evening, passing 80ºN around 2330, perhaps the farthest north some of us will ever go. Today has been a day that has truly encompassed all Spitzbergen has to offer. We have explored the deep fjords, gone to the highest latitudes, studied the landscapes, and seen the Isbjørn.
The Inuit have a saying “Polar Bears become ice,” and it is said amongst the oldest hunters, that if a Polar Bear does not want to be seen, it will not be. For days now we have been searching out this symbol of the Arctic, the Isbjørn. In patches of mist and ice, it has been lost to us, but not today.
Last night leaving Hornsund, we headed north; up the west coast of Spitzbergen, draped in a coat of fog, but this morning as we all awoke with bated breath (what would today bring?); the sun was shining, and the glacier carved mountains of Spitzbergen rose off of our starboard side. Entering between Danskøya and Spitzbergen, we slowly cruised into the aptly named Bjørnfjorden (the bear fjord). Focusing on the many guillemots, little auks, and occasional puffin as we sailed through, leave it to the sharp-eyed naturalists to find a Polar Bear over a mile away! Slowly, slowly we approached land, our first sighting turning to two bears, a mother and her yearling cub. As they casually cruised the shore, we all watched in awe as these great white bears paid us no mind. Within minutes another bear was seen sleeping on the hillside, perhaps resting after a large meal, or just taking a cat nap. Our last glimpse of the morning, the one which is perhaps most ingrained in our minds, was a mother and two cubs of this year. Spotted by an eagle-eyed guest, this was a rare and spectacular sight for all onboard Endeavour. As the mother and cubs lazed away on land, curled up together, at first glance one could not tell where one began and the other ended. Then the cubs slowly moved, separating from their mother, standing as tall as they could to investigate us, both parties becoming spellbound. To see a wild animal in its natural habitat, is something that cannot be described, except by those who have actually seen it. This morning we all were caught between the fairy tale notion of these bears being so adorable, you want to give them a huge cuddle, and knowing that these are beasts of the wild.
Leaving the bears behind, we steamed onward, entering into Leifdefjord in the late afternoon. Arriving at Monaco glacier, the theme was ivory, ivory, and more ivory. Ivory being the color of the glacier we gazed at; ivory the color of the beluga whales that happily swam around the front of the glacier; and ivory the color of the gulls plunging into the water, capturing the tiny shrimp that were forced up to the surface by the freshwater melt stream at the base of the glacier.
We continued to steam northwards into the evening, passing 80ºN around 2330, perhaps the farthest north some of us will ever go. Today has been a day that has truly encompassed all Spitzbergen has to offer. We have explored the deep fjords, gone to the highest latitudes, studied the landscapes, and seen the Isbjørn.
