[backdated to our visit on Saturday]
Today was not a typical hike, by any stretch of the imagination! While a light snowfall whipped across the featureless arctic landscape of Moffen Island – a tiny islet three hours’ sail north of Svalbard’s mainland at 80ºN – we walked across the southern spit to photograph a group of walruses that had hauled out of the sea for a long nap.
As regular readers know, I have been making a point to get out for a hike every weekend – indeed, today marks my 27th consecutive weekend hiking. The challenge, this weekend, is that I’ve been aboard a ship for an eight-day winter cruise around the fjords and islands of Svalbard, high above the arctic circle [see my pre-trip post]. Due to the intense cold, winds, and icy shores, we did not anticipate any landings – and perhaps only a few Zodiac cruises among the ice floes around the ship. But today, the expedition team thought the forecast might allow the open-sea passage to Moffen Island and, if lucky, a chance to board Zodiacs and go on shore. (Two of the expedition team had visited Moffen before – ten visits among them – and never had an opportunity to land, due to the rough seas.)
Today was our lucky day. Although a light snow was falling – correction: snow was blowing horizontally in the stiff wind – the ocean was willing. The guides were excited; the conditions were perfect for a landing and for photography. We donned our whole-body safety suits, designed to keep us alive for six hours if we were to fall in the icy water, and climbed into the Zodiac for the short trip to shore.
There, on the other side of the island, about two dozen walruses lay napping. We quickly pulled our cameras out of dry bags and snapped photos. The snowstorm made for tricky focusing – I had to focus manually, difficult when wearing heavy mittens! But, with the right exposure, the images give a sense of the conditions in which these walrus live.
I stepped down onto the far shore, and into the shallow waves washing ashore. The suit kept me warm and dry, even with water trickling into my boots. I watched a massive walrus lumber toward the stony shore, slip into the kelp swirling at the edge the surf, and then casually let the waves roll him over into the sea. [Watch the video!]
The island is not very big! In the two maps below you can see the track for our boat arriving at the southern tip, and our short walk over to the opposite shore where the walrus were hauled out. You can also see how the ship drifted around its anchor before and after going ashore. On shore, I recorded our location as 80°0’33.1499″ N 14°28’39.0121″ E… approximately 600 nautical miles (roughly 1,100 kilometers or 690 miles) from the Geographic North Pole.
Be sure to check out the gallery for more photos and videos, including a clip showing a large walrus nudging others aside to find a warmer spot to rest. And, I promise, I’ll share more photos from the trip in a few weeks. (I have to sort through more than 12,000 photos!)
David Kotz 