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2019 Wild Norway & Svalbard Field Report

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2019 Wild Norway & Svalbard Field Report Wild Norway & Svalbard May 17 - June 2, 2019 SVALBARD ARCHIPELAGO Smeerenburg Magdalenefjorden SPITSBERGEN Longyearbyen Poolepynten Van Mijenfjorden Storfjorden Hornsund Bear Island ARCTIC OCEAN Skarsvaag/ North Cape LOFOTEN ISLANDS Trollfjord Stamsund Tromsø Kjerringøy Reine CLE Røst ARCTIC CIR Husey/Sanna Runde Geirangerfjord Bergen NORWAY Sunday, May 19, 2019 Bergen, Norway / Embark Ocean Adventurer Unusual for Bergen, it was a dry, warm, and sunny weekend when we arrived here to begin our travels in Wild Norway and Svalbard. Bergen experiences only five rain-free days a year, and this exceptional weather was being fully enjoyed by the locals, especially as this was also the Norwegian National Day holiday weekend. We set out on foot early this morning, for a tour of the old wharf-side district of Bryggen with its picturesque and higgledy-piggledy medieval wooden houses, their colorful gables lit up by today’s bright sunshine. Next, we boarded coaches which took us to Troldhaugen, the home of Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg for over 20 years. The hut where he did much of his work still stands on the lakeside at the foot of the garden. We were treated to an excellent piano recital of some of Grieg’s music before we went to lunch. All too soon, it was time to return to Bergen where our home for the next two weeks, the Ocean Adventurer, awaited us. Once settled in our cabins, our Expedition Leader, John Yersin, introduced us to his team of Zodiac drivers and lecturers who would be accompanying us on our journey over the next two weeks. Monday, May 20 Geirangerfjord Our Expedition Leader woke us this morning and encouraged us to rise with the news that we were entering the long fjord leading to Geiranger and that the views were ‘simply stunning.’ And he was right! Vertical cliffs rose straight out of the still waters of the fjord and up to high snow-covered mountains beneath a deep blue sky. We took in these views over breakfast and then moved into the lounge for the first presentation of our lecture program from historian T.H. Baughman who regaled us with the story of the remarkable life of the ‘greatest Norwegian,’ Fritjof Nansen. Geirangerfjord is the innermost arm of the long and sinuous Storfjorden and situated about 45 miles from the coast. So, by the end of T.H.’s talk we were entering this spectacular waterway, a World Heritage Site since 2005. Over a glass of Norwegian gløgg, we sailed past long thin veils of waterfalls tumbling over the cliffs from the melting snow on the mountains above as we approached the head of the fjord and the settlement of Geiranger and its cascade of white water tumbling through the town. Once anchored and ashore, we ventured out on a variety of excursions. The fittest among us hiked a steep trail to an abandoned farm at Skageflå high above the fjord, affording us some wonderful views. Some took an easier boardwalk and stepped (330 of them!) trail in Geiranger and visited the Norwegian Fjord Centre, while others boarded coaches which took them high above Geirangerfjord to some stunning viewpoints of classic fjord coastal scenery. By late afternoon we had all returned from our adventures and as the Ocean Adventurer negotiated her way back through the fjords to the coast. We donned our finest and prepared for the captain’s welcome reception and dinner, hosted by the Master of the Ocean Adventurer, Yury Gododnik. Tuesday, May 21 Runde By this morning our ship was anchored near the small island of Runde, not far from the entrance to the fjord complex in which we had sailed yesterday. This allowed our birders to set out early for a Zodiac cruise below the seabird cliffs for which Runde is renowned. Puffins were their primary target species today and in this they were successful, spotting some of the island’s 100,000 breeding pairs, so they returned to the ship a happy bunch. While these early risers caught up with breakfast, the rest of us disembarked by Zodiac to land in the attractive small harbor on Runde where our first port of call was the island’s new Environmental Center. Here, local ornithologist Alv Ottar told us about his work on the white- tailed sea eagle before we divided into our various hiking groups. Some set out on a steep hike in search of views and more birds while others opted for a more leisurely morning, a stroll to the rocky shore in search of seaweeds with local foragers. Back in the center, we enjoyed sampling their dried seaweeds and were amazed at the variety of flavors from the different species, before we moved on to the Norwegian cakes and a welcome cup of coffee. Once back on board, as we sailed north, we were informed and entertained by lectures from two of our expedition staff. Ornithologist Jim Wilson described the birds we would see as we sailed along the coast of Norway and geologist Tom Sharpe told us about how the rocks of mountainous Norway were formed and how ice had carved the deeply indented fjord coastline. Wednesday, May 22 Husøy / Sanna Continuing on our way north this morning, our day began with marine biologist Madalena Patacho’s presentation on cod and its importance to the maritime nations of the Atlantic, especially Norway. She was followed by T.H. who told us of the life and adventures of Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, man of both poles. By lunchtime we had arrived at the scattered archipelago of Træna, close to the Arctic Circle, and this afternoon we went ashore to explore two of the islands. On Husøy, our birders went off on their quest while others visited the town, with its museum on the history of these islands and the fishing industry. A short walk to a chapel on the west side of the island allowed us to see work by the Norwegian artist Carl Erek Harr as well as affording us spectacular views of the neighboring mountainous island, Sanna. That island was the destination of our hikers today, and we visited an enormous, raised former sea cave, Kjerkhelleren, with a long history of human occupation and use. Our walk continued, passing through a tunnel to Gompen, a high point which offered wide views of Træna. As we sailed from Træna, we gathered on the back deck for drinks and after dinner, we marked our crossing of the Arctic Circle by sounding the ship’s horn. The position of the Arctic Circle is always changing due to variations in the tilt of the earth’s axis of rotation, and today it lay at 66°33’47.6”N. Thursday, May 23 Kjerringøy, Lofoten Islands / Røst It was a beautiful, still morning as we took our Zodiacs in to land at the attractive little marina at Kjerringøy and walked a short distance to the old merchant’s center set on a lovely bay backed by high mountains. Now preserved as an open-air museum by the Nordland Museum, the settlement here was an important and wealthy trading center through the 19th century, buying fish from Lofoten and northern Norway to sell in Bergen and bringing food, equipment, and supplies back for sale to the fishermen. We wandered amongst the restored buildings as costumed museum staff demonstrated traditional crafts and activities such as cleaning eider down, weaving, and baking flatbreads which we were able to sample with sour cream and sugar. Meanwhile our kayakers enjoyed a different perspective on the site as they paddled gently around the bay past the trading station. Over lunch, the Ocean Adventurer sailed west to the island of Røst, the most southwesterly of the Lofoten Islands, and in preparation for our Lofoten visits, our archaeologist Terence Christian explained to us what it meant to be going a Viking! Soon we were anchored off the small island of Vedøy near Røst and in fine weather took to our Zodiacs for a cruise along its west coast. Guillemots, razorbills, and puffins were in the water and in the skies around us, but a highlight was a group of six white-tailed sea eagles soaring and wheeling above the cliffs, at times chased by ravens and a peregrine falcon. Friday, May 24 Reine / Stamsund / Trollfjord Overnight, we had sailed a short distance within the Lofoten Islands to Moskenesøya and the little fishing town of Reine which sits below precipitous rocky peaks. Reine is at the heart of the Lofoten cod fishery and all around the harbor area were many thousands of cod, hanging on wooden racks to dry in the wind, a process unchanged since Viking times. We had time to wander amongst the cod racks and the turf-roofed houses before boarding coaches for a drive north across the islands. Our drive took us over bridges and through tunnels as we traveled from Moskenesøya across Flakstadøya to Vestvågøya, with scenic stops at the little onion-domed church of Flakstad and the wide beach at Utakleiv as we headed for the Lofotr Viking Museum at Borge. Here we enjoyed a hearty lunch of lamb soup in the wonderful setting of a huge reconstructed Viking longhouse while we heard tales of Viking life. Suitably fortified, we set off for the museum’s nearby activity area where we could test our skills at archery and axe-throwing, much to the amusement of our fellow Vikings. During our day ashore, the Ocean Adventurer repositioned to the small harbor at nearby Stamsund where we got back on board and sailed for Trollfjorden. Our time in the Lofoten Islands was brought to a fitting conclusion by an evening cruise in this spectacularly narrow fjord which slices into the east side of Austvågøya, with rugged mountains rising steeply over a thousand feet above on either side.
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