To The Land Of The Ice Bears

Svalbard Islands, Above the Arctic Circle

Paul and Grace Pitzer on the

MS Endeavor, Lindblad Expeditions

July 2003, the Photography Expedition

Expedition Leader and Photographer Ralph Lee Hopkins

Polar Projection
Svalbard is located east of Greenland and north of Norway, just south of the polar ice cap. It is half way between the Arctic Circle and the North Pole.

We flew Portland to Minneapolis to Reykjavik, Iceland to Oslo, Norway. We left in the morning and arrived about noon the next day.

We flew from Oslo, Norway to Longyearbyen, Svalbard. There was a "city" tour which included a visit to two museums and some driving around to see what is left of the coal mines.

Longyearbyen is the main city of the Svalbard Islands. It is built here because the Gulf Stream keeps the entrance ice free all year. There is much coal that has been mined here, although only one of its seven mines remains open.

Part of the tour was a drive up the fjord with a chance to get out and take pictures. The bear crossing sign caught Paul's eye. We were allowed to board the ship about 4:30 with immediate activities like the life boat drill and briefings before the welcome aboard and dinner.

The first night we headed south along the west side of Spitsbergen, the largest island of the Svalberg group. The next morning we headed into Hornsund, the farthest south large fjord. It was overcast for a while. We found one of the smaller fjords blocked with ice and we couldn't go very far into it.

We went on up Hornsund to the end were a large glacier enters the sound. A little opening appeared in the cloudy sky and stayed above us with misty rain all around, but not on us, producing this rainbow which lasted at least two hours. It is one of the most photographed rainbows ever.

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Glaciers is what it is all about in Svalbard. We looked for them and there were some very spectacular ones. Sometimes we saw them from the ship and sometimes from Zodiacs, or both.

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Grace had the opportunity to kayak along this glacier. Again, Paul wasn't interested but Fred was eager to go along. The picture is taken from the kayak of another one close by.

At any time of the day or night we would get a call that there was a sighting. This time it was a walrus on the ice. If we were in bed, those interested would grab clothes and head for the deck.

This walrus looked us over, but seemed unconcerned. After we all had a good chance to look and photograph it, the captain continued on our way.

It was about 10:30 at night when the call came that there was a bear sighting. (Remember, this time of year it is never dark in this area North of the Arctic Circle) This bear was originally looking at a hole in the ice hoping for a seal to pop up. Eventually he became interested in us and walked along the ice edge and checked us out. Eventually we left him alone to go back to his hunting/waiting.

At a number of places we had the opportunity to get off the ship to take hikes on the tundra which was often very soggy for a few inches above the permafrost. Before we could do this, the spotters had to make sure there were no polar bears in the area. Paul took the "long" hike up into the tundra.

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Those on the long hike got to see the small herd of reindeer feeding on the tundra grasses. There were remains of their antlers scattered in the area.

One special stop allowed us the chance to watch a large group of walrus resting on the beach. As you can see on the middle person, a staff member, a rifle was carried by every staff person leading a group ashore, just in case there was a bear.

Our naturalist Dr. Steve MacLean was very quick to point out all of the little groups of plants in the tundra. Although they were small, many were very colorful. This mound was about the size of a man's big hand.

Of course, it would not be a trip without Grace having her picture taken with her NCCE bag. This is from a computer conference group she has worked for for many years. Note the ship in the background.

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By now we are way up in the Hinlopen Strait between Spitsbergen and the second largest island, Nordoustlandet (Northeast land). This large island is almost completely covered with a glacier. The glacier wall comes out to the sea. There were many waterfalls from melt water coming from it.

Captain Slog had a lot of fun this day as he guided the ship slowly right up to the falls, and washed off the bow. There was a lot of fast scurrying of passengers who hadn't quite understood the briefing when they were told they could get wet.

The last day of the trip we tried out Hornsund Fjord again. This time it was a beautiful day and the kayakers had another chance. This time Grace boarded a photography zodiac.

On the ride around the fjord there was lots to see. These small birds were just sitting on the blue ice.

This seal didn't seem to be bothered as we, and other zodiacs, cruised around and got in close for some good pictures.

We left so that the next zodiac could come in for a good look.

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For what happened next I don't have any pictures of, but the story is worth telling. The zodiac near us announced that they had two seals on a piece of ice. As they watched, taking pictures, someone noticed that they had been joined by a polar bear in the water. Stephan, the very savvy naturalist/photographer driving the zodiac told everyone to keep their eyes, and cameras, on the seals. Next thing they knew, the bear had gone under water and exploded up onto the ice where the two seals were laying. He grabbed one, but it managed to twist and get away. Of course the other one got away also. The bear they came back up onto the ice and stared at the group in the nearby zodiac. He stomped his foot as if to say, "You are the reason I lost my lunch!" He went back into the water and started his slow swim toward shore.

Remember, this was a photography expedition, and unfortunately it turned out, there wasn't a single digital camera in that zodiac. Ugh. Maybe pictures will surface somewhere, someday

After the incident with the seals, my zodiac was able to see him and follow the bear for a while. Eventually we had to leave and go back to the ship to let another group of very anxious passengers have a chance to see the luckless bear.

.

After everyone had a chance to see the bear, by then walking along the shore, I had a chance to go back out. We went better than a mile along the fjord to catch up with the bear. He had covered a lot of territory. I am in the front row of this zodiac. The picture was taken by Paul, whose zodiac was just heading back to the ship.

This is the bear in the other picture, right above the right person's head. By now he must have been pretty pooped, as all our attention had forced him on a long walk he hadn't expected to take that day. We finally left him alone and went back to the ship. I'm wondering if he was the bear they ran into at a landing then next week a short distance from here?

Since we were way above the Arctic Circle, the sun never set, or even got close to the horizon while we were there. On a calm clear evening the reflections were spectacular.

As one would expect, the food aboard the MS Endeavour was great. Here I am loading up at the breakfast buffet.

Return to Top

Captain Leif Slog was again our great navigator. He could put the ship exactly where he wanted it, and even maneuvered carefully allowing us to follow fin whales on our last last night at sea. The bridge was always a friendly place.

Back in Longyearbyen after we got off the ship, it was time to pick up that stuffed polar bear to go with the penguin from Antarctica from our trip down there in 2002.

Paul was fascinated with this sign that pointed to many locations around the world and told how far it was away. It was over 7000 KM to Las Angeles.

As we came, so will we left on a chartered Braathen Airlines plane. Since it was a charter, and a very clear day when we left, our expedition leader asked the pilot if he could fly low over the island of Spitsbergen. He did, and we could see the glaciers and mountains clearly from the 4,000 and 6,000 feet. Then it was on up to the regular 33,000 ft. for the flight to Oslo. We were only overnight in Oslo at the Radissan Hotel right at the airport.

The next day we went on to Iceland for the five day extension.

Return to Top, Return to Index

Polar Projection Svalbard is located east of Greenland and north of Norway, just south of the polar ice cap. It is half way between the Arctic Circle and the North Pole. We flew Portland to Minneapolis to Reykjavik, Iceland to Oslo, Norway. We left in the morning and arrived about noon the next day.	We flew from Oslo, Norway to Longyearbyen, Svalbard. There was a "city" tour which included a visit to two museums and some driving around to see what is left of the coal mines.
Longyearbyen is the main city of the Svalbard Islands. It is built here because the Gulf Stream keeps the entrance ice free all year. There is much coal that has been mined here, although only one of its seven mines remains open.	Part of the tour was a drive up the fjord with a chance to get out and take pictures. The bear crossing sign caught Paul's eye. We were allowed to board the ship about 4:30 with immediate activities like the life boat drill and briefings before the welcome aboard and dinner.
The first night we headed south along the west side of Spitsbergen, the largest island of the Svalberg group. The next morning we headed into Hornsund, the farthest south large fjord. It was overcast for a while. We found one of the smaller fjords blocked with ice and we couldn't go very far into it.	We went on up Hornsund to the end were a large glacier enters the sound. A little opening appeared in the cloudy sky and stayed above us with misty rain all around, but not on us, producing this rainbow which lasted at least two hours. It is one of the most photographed rainbows ever. Return to Top
Glaciers is what it is all about in Svalbard. We looked for them and there were some very spectacular ones. Sometimes we saw them from the ship and sometimes from Zodiacs, or both.	Return to Top
	Grace had the opportunity to kayak along this glacier. Again, Paul wasn't interested but Fred was eager to go along. The picture is taken from the kayak of another one close by.
At any time of the day or night we would get a call that there was a sighting. This time it was a walrus on the ice. If we were in bed, those interested would grab clothes and head for the deck.	This walrus looked us over, but seemed unconcerned. After we all had a good chance to look and photograph it, the captain continued on our way.
It was about 10:30 at night when the call came that there was a bear sighting. (Remember, this time of year it is never dark in this area North of the Arctic Circle) This bear was originally looking at a hole in the ice hoping for a seal to pop up. Eventually he became interested in us and walked along the ice edge and checked us out. Eventually we left him alone to go back to his hunting/waiting.	At a number of places we had the opportunity to get off the ship to take hikes on the tundra which was often very soggy for a few inches above the permafrost. Before we could do this, the spotters had to make sure there were no polar bears in the area. Paul took the "long" hike up into the tundra. Return to Top
Those on the long hike got to see the small herd of reindeer feeding on the tundra grasses. There were remains of their antlers scattered in the area.	One special stop allowed us the chance to watch a large group of walrus resting on the beach. As you can see on the middle person, a staff member, a rifle was carried by every staff person leading a group ashore, just in case there was a bear.
Our naturalist Dr. Steve MacLean was very quick to point out all of the little groups of plants in the tundra. Although they were small, many were very colorful. This mound was about the size of a man's big hand.	Of course, it would not be a trip without Grace having her picture taken with her NCCE bag. This is from a computer conference group she has worked for for many years. Note the ship in the background. Return to Top
By now we are way up in the Hinlopen Strait between Spitsbergen and the second largest island, Nordoustlandet (Northeast land). This large island is almost completely covered with a glacier. The glacier wall comes out to the sea. There were many waterfalls from melt water coming from it.	Captain Slog had a lot of fun this day as he guided the ship slowly right up to the falls, and washed off the bow. There was a lot of fast scurrying of passengers who hadn't quite understood the briefing when they were told they could get wet.
The last day of the trip we tried out Hornsund Fjord again. This time it was a beautiful day and the kayakers had another chance. This time Grace boarded a photography zodiac.	On the ride around the fjord there was lots to see. These small birds were just sitting on the blue ice.
This seal didn't seem to be bothered as we, and other zodiacs, cruised around and got in close for some good pictures.	We left so that the next zodiac could come in for a good look. Return to Top
For what happened next I don't have any pictures of, but the story is worth telling. The zodiac near us announced that they had two seals on a piece of ice. As they watched, taking pictures, someone noticed that they had been joined by a polar bear in the water. Stephan, the very savvy naturalist/photographer driving the zodiac told everyone to keep their eyes, and cameras, on the seals. Next thing they knew, the bear had gone under water and exploded up onto the ice where the two seals were laying. He grabbed one, but it managed to twist and get away. Of course the other one got away also. The bear they came back up onto the ice and stared at the group in the nearby zodiac. He stomped his foot as if to say, "You are the reason I lost my lunch!" He went back into the water and started his slow swim toward shore. Remember, this was a photography expedition, and unfortunately it turned out, there wasn't a single digital camera in that zodiac. Ugh. Maybe pictures will surface somewhere, someday After the incident with the seals, my zodiac was able to see him and follow the bear for a while. Eventually we had to leave and go back to the ship to let another group of very anxious passengers have a chance to see the luckless bear. .
After everyone had a chance to see the bear, by then walking along the shore, I had a chance to go back out. We went better than a mile along the fjord to catch up with the bear. He had covered a lot of territory. I am in the front row of this zodiac. The picture was taken by Paul, whose zodiac was just heading back to the ship.	This is the bear in the other picture, right above the right person's head. By now he must have been pretty pooped, as all our attention had forced him on a long walk he hadn't expected to take that day. We finally left him alone and went back to the ship. I'm wondering if he was the bear they ran into at a landing then next week a short distance from here?
Since we were way above the Arctic Circle, the sun never set, or even got close to the horizon while we were there. On a calm clear evening the reflections were spectacular.	As one would expect, the food aboard the MS Endeavour was great. Here I am loading up at the breakfast buffet. Return to Top
Captain Leif Slog was again our great navigator. He could put the ship exactly where he wanted it, and even maneuvered carefully allowing us to follow fin whales on our last last night at sea. The bridge was always a friendly place.	Back in Longyearbyen after we got off the ship, it was time to pick up that stuffed polar bear to go with the penguin from Antarctica from our trip down there in 2002.
Paul was fascinated with this sign that pointed to many locations around the world and told how far it was away. It was over 7000 KM to Las Angeles.	As we came, so will we left on a chartered Braathen Airlines plane. Since it was a charter, and a very clear day when we left, our expedition leader asked the pilot if he could fly low over the island of Spitsbergen. He did, and we could see the glaciers and mountains clearly from the 4,000 and 6,000 feet. Then it was on up to the regular 33,000 ft. for the flight to Oslo. We were only overnight in Oslo at the Radissan Hotel right at the airport. The next day we went on to Iceland for the five day extension.