Last week I was up north, in our archipelago in the Arctic
at 78 degrees North. The archipelago is
basically the continental shelf lifted above sea level. It’s one and half times the size of Denmark,
and more than half of it covered by glaciers. The rest of the land is free from
snow and ice in the summer.
One week away from the modern world, away from cell-phone
coverage and wireless networks. It was the last week of midnight sun, and still
light around the clock. We stayed in a nice and comfortable ship that took us
around in the fjords. When I woke up one morning and pulled the curtains to the
side, the first thing I saw was a Beluga playing outside of the window.
It’s cool to hike around with geologists, because they know
everything about the landscape we pass; how and when it was made. Layer-cake
mountains and rivers, valleys and fjords, carved by the glaciers of the ice
ages. Present-day glaciers flow slowly
from the mountains to the fjords. Sometimes ice bergs break off the front of
the rugged ice, and exhibit the bluish ice core.
In the morning we went by Zodiaks to work, from the red and
white ship to shore. There were smart and shy students, and loud professors
with big egos, and everything in between. All of them were nice people. We had a great time.
We hiked over shorefaces and plains with scares flowers,
into the valleys, and up in the mountain sides. At interesting exposures we
stopped to study the rocks, and to get a lecture by an expert. The outdoor
classroom, as stunning beautiful as it can possibly get.
Polar bear scouters armed with rifles were ahead of us and
out to the sides. This is the kingdom of the polar bear. It’s his home, we are
only visitors. We must behave according to this.
The polar bear is the perfect raptor, waiting patiently by
the seals breath holes, climbing vertical cliffs to get to the bird nests, and
running twice as fast as Usain Bolt. The polar bear is the king of the Arctic,
and one of the few raptors that hunt humans.
The Arctic is magic, the Arctic is addictive. I had to get home before I got stuck. But I’ll be back >:)
(I took more than a hundred pictures last week. Above are just a few of them)
Oh wow, those pictures are gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteYou described this so beautifully. I felt caught up in the landscape but also a bit nervous I'd run into a polar bear! Hope your journey was polar bear free. :)
I imagine a trip like this would feed the mind, but also expand the soul.
Thanks. It's a fantastic place. I've been there 3-4 times before, at different times of the year; spring, summer and fall. And I can't wait to get back. The Arctic really is addictive >:)
DeleteA Beluga whale? That would be wild to see. The photos show a beautiful landscape.
ReplyDeleteYes, the whale. Quite an amazing view when you wake up in the morning.
Deletegorgeous photos. I was unplugged for a week myself but nearly as isolated.
ReplyDeleteThanks. Nice, isn't it, to be unplugged for a while. Life runs at a slower pace. But you get a hard hit from full mail boxes when you get back.
DeleteOMG, I must go there...This sounds wonderful. Love the pics and hiking bits.
ReplyDeleteYou should go there. I'm sure you would love it. You can go on organized trips, or on your own. If you go on your own, you need to rent a rifle for polar bear protection. It's a real danger.
DeleteYou lucky, lucky man. It's still gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteI know. I feel quite privileged to be able to do this kind of things, and I do appreciate it >:)
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