September 23 Barentsoya and Edgeoya – I think

 (I have to say that the place names were difficult to remember - and pronounce - so some of the places and names have become mixed up in my mind but the pictures speak for themselves – we were very remote). 

Reindeer in the distance dwarfed by this magnificent landscape

We were heading south and west to eventually reach Longyearbyen on the island of Spitzbergen. Today however we were to spend some time around the island of Barentsoya.  This morning we were to land at Sundneset where reindeer had been sighted but which was also a good place to hike – for those who chose. We could see reindeer from the ship and the expedition team (and us) were hoping that we would get a closer look at the animals on shore. By the time a couple of zodiac loads of passengers had landed and started walking towards where the animals were grazing, however, they had moved off. So we only saw them from a great distance.  

It was fairly rugged terrain and many took it at a gallop missing tiny plants 

We discovered this frozen pool with a lacy fringe of icy froth 

We always had an armed guard. This guy was actually our group leader this morning

There was some confusion about what we were supposed to be doing – wandering I thought, but we were herded into a group which took off up the hill towards a higher plateau. It was steep and stony and not something either of us would have chosen to do had we been given an option and there was no going back (we have to keep together with our armed guards in case of bears). So we clambered up a cliff lagging behind the leader and many in the group. It was tough going but in the end the view out over the lakes, grazing grounds and mountains was rather beautiful.  The walk was typical of many – people seem to be treating them as just another ‘polar’ walk to tick off and as exercise. Me? I wanted to wander and look at the plants and rocks – actually to simply enjoy it all, explore the place we had travelled so far to see. The pace they set meant that by the time we had caught up with the group who were resting, they were heading off again. 

We made it back to the landing beach which was littered with driftwood and bones

Not as enjoyable an outing as we had hoped for despite the view from the top of a small ridge. When we came back to the ship we discovered that we could have stayed close to shore and beachcombed. Oh well, so much for being obedient but I did see some wee plants dwarfed by the frigid temperatures but hanging on for dear life. A number of different saxifrage species including the Spider Saxifrage which populates by sending out tendrils (more like an octopus really), Mountain Avens, Dwarf Willow, birch, many species of grass, lichen and moss. Apart from one man from the UK, there seemed to be no one interested in plants and it seemed that none of the expedition team had any local plant knowledge. Rather a pity given the special nature of flora in the Arctic region. That so many species survive alternating freezing and thawing, their ability to flourish and keep fruiting means their biology is pretty amazing.

This Saxifraga flagellaris survives in stony ground and produces beautiful wee flowers

Stunning place

That afternoon we landed at Kapp Lee on Edgeoya. This was a safe harbour and was used by Russian whalers, trappers, oil explorers, etc., a long time ago. 

L: old Russian hut. R: old expeditioner in front of one of the oil explorers' huts

A desolate graveyard beach - the scale of the area dwarfs the bones that are scattered 

The Russians built a hut here and it is still standing 100-odd years later. Some time after the Russians left (probably having wiped out local populations of walrus) two other huts were built. This time they were erected by Caltex when they were exploring for oil in the area. 

Quite tricky walking on ice

The wee creeks and pools were frozen and extremely slippery

It was a gruesome testament to an earlier perhaps needy time.

The remains of the marine animals killed mostly by the Russians remain scattered right along the shore. The bones were mostly those from walruses which for me made it all the more distressing to see.

Lindsay inspecting a bone fragment - maybe from a flipper

A scapula from a marine mammal

This arrangement of skulls and bone is rather macabre - more recent I suspect

A jawbone

Frozen remnants of life

The landscape was quite beautiful but it was a sobering place to visit. History is not always pretty and Svalbard got its full share and more of opportunists. The day however ended with glorious colour across the sea.

The map traces our route through Svalbard. The large circle is where we will be tomorrow

Sometime during the night our route took us past a tiny island. There a member of the science team on board retrieved the buoy they had attached on the Arctic ice floe last year. As with the one they attached to the ice at the North Pole this year, this one was planted last year and drifted with the floe ending up on this island (it sends signals that the team were able to pick up). A small recovery party went ashore in the dead of night (when we were passing the spot). These devices measure a number of sea ice properties and track the North Pole ice flow.  Very exciting for the scientists, and the enthusiasts, on board.