Last night National Geographic Explorer left the edge of the Arctic pack ice and headed south toward our destination for the next day, Jan Mayen. This smallish island, which is 34 miles long and is spoon shaped, sits by itself in the Arctic Ocean, 450 kilometres east of Greenland, and 550 kilometres north of Iceland. The one very distinctive feature of this remote piece of land is the 2,277 meter high Beerenberg Volcano, which dominates the topography of the island. This strata volcano is covered in glacial ice, with some of it reaching the surrounding sea as tidewater glaciers.
Our destination this particular morning was the Norwegian base, which is a weather station that is manned year-round and governed by Norway through the Norwegian Armed Forces. We were planning on arriving about 6 a.m., picking up several base staff to give us an onboard briefing, and then do a landing after breakfast. The first few steps worked, but it was a struggle at the landing site near the base, so the decision was made, for safety reasons, to reposition to the other side of the island in hopes of finding more protection from the sea, and calmer conditions for a landing.
Just before lunch Explorer arrived at the new anchorage and found much calmer conditions to attempt a landing! So, as soon as lunch was over, and the staff had made it safely ashore, Zodiacs filled with guests made the short transit to the beach for an assortment of hikes. There were long, medium, and short walks offered, with the majority of the hikers opting more a longer “leg-stretch,” and some even went for a long run to the other side of the island. There was even an option to walk-on-your-own, because there are no polar bears on the island at this time!
There were amazing features on this volcanic island, which we learned about from our resident geologist. There’s also a long history of whaling, sealing, and foxhunters associated with this isolated land, with many remains of whalebones scattered around our landing site. Even an old trapper’s cabin was just a short walk down the beach!
Soon it was time to return to the ship and head toward Greenland, our next destination. But first the cptain took us for a scenic cruise along the shoreline of this northern dramatic island. The seas and the weather cooperated, and we had spectacular views of the unique piece of volcanic landscape, including stunning looks at the Beerenberg Volcano which uncovered from its cloud curtain for incredible opportunities for long last look, or stunning photographs! Another amazing day in the Arctic North!
