Exploring by Land: Hiking through History

When not zodiac cruising, we had two type of landings that the expedition team would arrange. With both, the preparation involved was a bit different than by zodiac and different than a shore landing in Antarctica (if you have had the opportunity to do so!) This is because any shore landing had to be preceded by an expansive sweep of the area by the team to ensure no polar bears were in the vicinity. This gave us ample to to adequately layer up for the very chilly temperatures and gather in the mudroom for our time to load up.

Type 1 was a fixed perimeter that was set for guests to wander freely within. This was typically in the vicinity of historical sites, trapper huts or old mining areas that had been cleared of polar bear activity so that we could explore. This included visits to the shores of Kongsfjord and Billefjorden. Another landing had us exploring the remains of an abandoned Gypsum mine site from 1918 at Skansbukta.

Type 2 Landings were actual hiking opportunities. During these landings, we were tasked with determining our own activity level: Chargers, Medium Fast, Medium Slow, and finally Contemplative for those who wanted a slower or relaxed pace. I chose the chargers group in order to get my blood pumping and stretch my legs at every opportunity possible while on shore. Our hiking group was always sandwiched between two expedition team members, each carrying a rifle, as required in case of unexpected polar bear encounters. I will not say that the chargers group was easy, in fact it was a full fledged workout. We saw our numbers drop at every landing, but those of us who remained covered miles of ground, often post-holing across flat land still covered in winter snow, trudging up steep hills to summit mountain peaks, and snagging incredible views of the scenery below us. My favorite Chargers hike was up a steep peak above Camp Mansfield with sweeping views of the shoreline and panoramic views of the land all around us. We trudged down the mountain after our summit, with enough time to explore the hits at camp Mansfield before returning to the ship for a hearty dinner and an early night.  Another Charger hike took us up the hills flanking Midhusen Sound where we wandered amongst a herd of reindeer, spied two arctic fox, and trekked up a mountain under swarms of Little Auks.