Our latest journey took us to the island of Spitzbergen in the Svalbard archipelago. This lies far above the Arctic Circle (66 degrees, 33 minutes and 44 seconds north) at 78 degrees north and about 300 miles away from the northernmost coast of Norway.As some of you know, we hoped to glimpse the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) from this location, and perhaps to spot one of the 3,000+ resident polar bears, which outnumber people, on this trip.
Outside the ‘mall’ in longyearbyen
I will save you the suspense and tell you now that we accomplished neither of those goals and yet Svalbard has moved to the top of my favorite places list. In fact I am plotting a return for as early as next year, and I have returned home exalted with discovery, not at all despairing in failure.
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Getting There
Perhaps surprisingly for such a remote spot on the planet, Svalbard, through its most major settlement, Longyearbyen, receives at least one daily flight, on some days two, from the Norwegian mainland. That doesn’t however mean that it is exactly easy to reach. It took us the better part of two days to make the trip due to flight schedules and connections. We left Atlanta on Delta Airlines flight 32 to Amsterdam, a trip of about 8 hours, hardly enough to really get good sleep despite the flat bed seats. An apparent cost cutting measure eliminated the warmed nut service in flight, which peeved Tim a bit, but I didn’t really care since I don’t care too much for the nuts anyway. I was, however, deeply annoyed that the usually tasty meal service had been changed out for something “inspired” by Southern cuisine that involved grits and other crap that in my mind really isn’t food. “Southern” is polite code for White Trash (and I can say that like some folk can use the “N” word with impunity) and Business Class travelers really expect something a bit higher class, especially for the fare of over $3,000 each! Thankfully on the return they were back to decent food since Amsterdam apparently doesn’t cater “Southern.” And yes, I know I am spoiled. Who knows what foil covered atrocity they were flinging about in back, in coach class.
We had a rather long lay-over in Amsterdam since Oslo apparently isn’t a city frequently served by our partner airlines KLM Royal Dutch. That flight was all of about an hour or so but by the time we arrived it was dark. Fortunately, we were staying at the airport Radisson to which we could easily walk. A word to the wise about Norway; it is easily one of the most expensive countries in all of Europe. Norwegians are paid well, from all the oil wealth, and they pay high prices because of it. Norway was once one of the poorest countries in all of Europe and had high rates of emigration because of it, but with the discovery of all the delicious North Sea oil it has really turned around with enlightened government policies including cradle to grave social welfare along with development and investment for an oil-less future. But it is expensive! Try $3.50 minimum for a can of Diet Pepsi! Or $18 for a beer. How about $75 for dinner for two in a diner without table service. Yeah, expensive. Svalbard, despite its remoteness, is actually slightly cheaper because there is no taxation.
We had a decently timed flight out to Longyearbyen airport on Sptizbergen island in Svalbard (henceforth all mention of place will simply be Svalbard in accordance with Norwegian behavior). Two airlines, SAS and Norwegian, fly to Svalbard, but Norwegian is about half the price and doesn’t require a stop in Tromsø. Norwegian started life as a regional carrier for SAS. When SAS canceled all their contracts with the company, not named Norwegian at the time, it was promptly reorganized to compete with the monopoly on Scandanavian flights held by SAS. Norwegian is a low-cost type of airline, so you pay for seat assignments and other “extras” but the prices are excellent, the service was fine, and they now have an extensive network throughout Europe with hubs in Oslo, Stockholm, Copenhagen, and even Helsinki, a city where SAS was not a major player. We were very pleased with their services and prices, about half of what SAS wanted. Oslo we discovered is essentially a self-service airport. There are kiosks where you print not only boarding passes, but also baggage tags. You tag your own luggage and take it to self-service drop off points where you scan the bar code, from which your bag is automatically weighed and whisked away. And it works!! Let’s just hope for the sake of thousands of US-based airport employees that US airlines are not looking too closely.
A Bit About Svalbard
It takes about 3 hours to fly to Svalbard from Oslo, landing at the only commercial airport, located in the major settlement and “capital” Longyearbyen. Svalbard itself may have been discovered by the Vikings, it is debated by scholars, but Longyearbyen is named for an American coal miner. For many years Svalbard was a no-man’s land with anyone who wanted to coming to hunt whales, seals, and bears, or to mine coal. Eventually, Norway established the right to administer Svalbard but the treaty that governs the land, dating from 1920, allows any signatory nation to operate facilities there and for its citizens to have right of free immigration. Since Svalbard is what is termed a free economic zone, legally anyone can immigrate there (provided they can satisfy Norwegian immigration requirements since entry through Norway is the only realistic option unless one is employed by the Russian state coal mining company and is thus transported by them on to the island) and seek employment. This is the reason that the second largest ethnic group on Svalbard is Thai. Thai citizens can come to work, most often as maids, where they earn on a six month contract about the same as they would for six years of work in Thailand. Tim and I could move to Svalbard legally, but we would have to find a way to make a living. There are some on Svalbard who are essentially stateless because they arrived in Norway claiming asylum, from such places as Afghanistan or Sudan, and while waiting, flew into Svalbard. Their asylum claims were later denied but since Svalbard isn’t legally Norway for immigration purposes, they can stay. But the only way off Svalbard is by flight through Norway, (barring charters for mining staff from Russia) and they would be arrested and deported on landing in Norway proper (and they are not likely to afford a cruise ship passage during summer, which would land them in Norway or Britain) so they are pretty well trapped. But as long as they can support themselves this isn’t an issue. If they lose employment and cannot support themselves, the Governor can tap a fund for returning such luckless souls to Norway, come what may. Apparently at least several people a month find themselves in Svalbard with grand plans but no job and they are forcibly deported back to Norway.
Norway became deeply interested in Svalbard more because of location than for any other reason. They were already mining coal before they became formal administrators, but so were several other nations, including the Soviet Union at that time. Times were tense after World War II and the Arctic islands became more valuable as listening and launching posts for the military than ever before. Although Norwegian administration has been established long before this, the value of the stakes went up. The Soviets had long had at least two major mining bases and these became more and more militarized at a time when the Norwegians didn’t even have a helicopter for transportation and were relying on dog sled. Formal militarization is banned by the treaty but the advanced transportation equipment possessed by the Soviets alarmed the Norwegians. Tensions rose, but nothing ever actually happened and the relationships between the western and Russian locals remained amicable. The Russian mining bases remain to this day and we visited the one at Barentsburg, but more on that later. Coal was and remains the reason for the development of Svalbard and the coal is of high quality. Svalbard has the only coal deposits in Norway, no longer so important with the discovery of oil, but coal is still mined and exported. About half is used to power the local community and the hot water it generates is used for the free heating of all inhabited buildings, including the local university, and for keeping the fresh water and sewage pipes from freezing, allowing for the luxury of running water and modern toilets, perks that northern Alaska communities might really like to have!
Arrival and Looking About
The airport is perfectly modern if not exciting and we took the local bus that runs to all the hotels when a flight arrives. If you look carefully, you will notice that all buildings, including the airport, are built on pilings buried in the ground; nothing is built directly on the surface of the ground except pavements. This is because the ground is permafrost and the transferred heat of a building would melt it, causing structures to sink and distort. Building on pilings, which are allowed to freeze into the ground and which frequently include heat-transfer or cooling devices, prevents this problem. Similar structures are built in other Arctic locations including Alaska. The airport runway has a highly technical insulation structure to prevent heaving from freeze-thaw cycles.
The town is relatively small, with a population of 2,000, but it has every amenity you could really wish for in a short visit and it clearly suffices for those who live there permanently as well. There is a post office, a bank, a grocery store, lots of sporting goods outfitters serving the new number one business of Svalbard, tourism of course, with over 100,000 arriving by air in 2011 and as many as 60,000 by cruise ship in 2008 during the ice free summer months. Numbers of tourists have consistently increased over time
We chose to stay at Basecamp Trapper’s Lodge which proved to be an excellent choice. It is constructed of driftwood (the islands are well above the tree line) and other “debris” such as would be traditional in a local trapper’s cottage out in the wilderness and the effect is very warm and attractive with all the exposed wood. It is strictly a shoes off space and you will see a collection of mostly boots near the door on racks provided for the purpose. The tradition comes from the days of mining when boots would have been covered in coal dust and the only hope of keeping floors and interiors clean would be to take off boots. Every room is unique and there is a glass ceiling observation lounge on the second floor. Our room could have slept three to four if the loft bed was used, accessible by ladder. Our room was roughly L shaped with the short end being the entry with loft above and the long end holding the two beds, situated such that the heads were together with the feet making yet another L shape to take advantage of the room layout. The bathroom was small but perfectly modern, even if it felt odd that the entire room was the shower. You just squeegeed the floor when done! The breakfast was included and suited Tim perfectly since he really enjoys Scandinavian style breakfasts rich in cold cuts, fish, and eggs. The hotel would also arrange adventure outings on request with local tour providers. It was amazingly comfortable, very atmospheric and one of our best hotel choices of all time.
We spent the evening of our arrival stocking up on sparkling water and soda at the CO-OP Grocery, pulling down cash at the ATM and just looking about us. The weather was amazingly warm, hovering pretty consistently around 0-1 degrees Celsius, or just above freezing, warmer by far than it was at home in Georgia at the same time. Since the sun never came over the horizon, the temperature didn’t vary much between “day” and “night” although there was plenty of light to see and move around by from about 10am to about 4pm daily. It was no longer polar night at this point but neither was it full daylight either.
Getting Out There
The town itself won’t keep you occupied for long but there is enough shopping, galleries, and museums to keep you busy for about a day if you look at absolutely everything there is on offer. Other than that, you really need to get out there and go adventuring! And so we did.
The most popular and practical method of sightseeing during the winter season is by snowmobile. Snowmobiles seemed to be about as common locally as cars, if not more so, and all you need to operate one is a valid driver’s license from any nation. You could snowshoe or cross-country ski, but there really wasn’t adequate snow in most places for that and most people choose the snowmobile option as we did. Neither Tim nor myself had EVER been on a snowmobile, much less operated one, but we signed up with a new outfit, Better Moments, to try it out on a nighttime trip of about four hours that would take us far enough out of town to get a good view of the night sky without light pollution, ideal for seeing the northern lights if they should appear. In reality, there was a snowstorm on with near whiteout conditions, but we went for it anyway since the tour went regardless of most weather conditions and no refunds! There were five of us in the group, including a couple from Singapore (she identified as being from Singapore and her male companion, status unrevealed, but noted as being from Malaysia) with a female child of about 8. We went through a short briefing about snowmobile safety and about Svalbard in general. The woman, who had originally planned on operating her own snowmobile with her or the man carrying the child, chickened out and chose to ride behind her male companion, forcing the guide, Niklas, to carry the child behind him, along with the mandatory gun, for polar bear defense only.
There are more bears than people on Svalbard, and although they usually stay to the east, where the ice and the seals are, they can be found literally anywhere. And bears do not fear people and have on occasion literally eaten them. Most recently this happened to a college-age girl out walking near the settlement about two years ago. Her companion managed to escape but the girl was killed and eaten by a young and desperate male bear, most likely recently weaned after about two years with his mother bear, and he likely wasn’t a good seal hunter yet resulting in him being quite ravenous. He was fearless enough to charge the helicopter than brought the gunmen who would kill him. It is strictly illegal to hunt, track, or harass bears and the gun is strictly for self-defense. Guns are first fired to frighten the bear and then to shoot at it only if absolutely necessary. Each such incident is carefully investigated but happens about once or twice each year. The risk is real and so the rules are in place and must be followed. No non-resident can leave the settlement with an armed guide and even residents must be armed when leaving the settlement.
Snowmobile Virgins
It turned out that driving the snowmobile, for us, was quite easy, although I admit that even before we arrived at the base of the tour agency I was apprehensive about driving a snowmobile since I had never done it before. But I decided to embrace the fear instead of running away from something that I might enjoy and I am quite pleased that I ran towards my fear instead of away from it. It was a sort of personal triumph for me to not only to be able to drive the machine, but to also enjoy it and be competent at doing it. I don’t advocate taking foolish risks, but sometimes embracing something we fear can be good for us provided that we remain sensible, and I had read of the adventures of a 70+ year old woman who went on a 5 day snowmobile trek and figured if she could do it, then damn it, so could I!
Of course, to be fair, I should admit that it really isn’t complicated to operate a snowmobile. There are two handles and no other relevant controls. The handles are heated to boot! You use a simple thumb accelerator with the right hand and when you want to slow or stop, assuming you are not headed straight down hill, you just let up on the accelerator and you stop quickly. There is a brake on the left hand but you won’t really need it. And not to worry about being cold either! We bundled up in all of our gear only to discover that the agency gives you a huge one piece snow suit that covers you more than adequately from ankles to neck, plus insulated boots, balaclava, lower face mask, and helmet with goggles. All you really need is a base layer and something on top of that. Any more gear and you would suffocate!
So we suited up and off we went. Or tried to. Apparently snowmobiles are about as common in Singapore as they are in Georgia because the couple really couldn’t get the hang of it. They did a start and stop routine pretty constantly. We finally made our first official stop out on the old airport runway for Niklas to check in and we had already encountered a problem. Snowmobiles CAN run over ice and pavement but it isn’t really good for them both because it tears up the skis and because snowmobile motor cooling is accomplished by the snow running over the track and cooling the motor. Pavement and ice don’t help with this cooling and the machines were overheating to the point that the plastic tracks were melting onto the drives. We helped Niklas kick them off and we continued on to better snow in a valley away from town lights. Never mind that it was snowing and we could barely see Niklas much less anything else; we found it simply exhilarating once we could get away from the Singaporeans (who for some reason Niklas insisted for several days on referring to as Indians) and really speed up. There is an incredible sense of freedom and motion on a snowmobile that nothing else I have operated can equal.
We stopped at the mid-way point of the journey at a teepee-like structure that the agency had set up and Niklas started a fire. He made coffee and carved slices of a mystery meat for us to try while encouraging us to guess what it came from. I was correct in guessing reindeer but I failed to guess that it was reindeer heart. I confess that had I known what it was I might have not eaten it but it was too late to stop, eaten it was. It honestly tasted like jerky, which made sense given that it was smoked, and it was very rich to the point of being almost gritty which was no doubt due to the blood cell content. It wasn’t terrible but suffice it say that at the next opportunity to eat it, I declined.
Niklas told us stories of Svalbard history and development and later we would drive past the riggings for the coal cars that carried the coal down to processing and shipping, although they have long since been defunct. The miners have exhausted the coal from several seams close to Longyearbyen and now are forced to move farther and farther back, now at Mine Number 7. The ride back was simply a repeat and was uneventful except for the frustration of following Singapore…start…stop…start…stop. Back at base I found it telling that Niklas was quick to offer us additional tours while no such offer was given to the Singapore couple. I think even Niklas had had his fill!! We agreed to think about it and call with our decision.
Shall We Sign Up For More?
Our two choices were either an 8 hour trip to Barentsburg or an 11 hour journey over to the east coast in search of polar bears. In the end, we opted for both at rather great expense! We decided to do one the next day, Friday, and then take Saturday off from snowmobiles and go east on Sunday. After mis-dialing some poor soul at late night on mainland Norway, Tim finally got through to Niklas and we agreed to head out for Barentsburg the next morning. We could leave later in the morning since we didn’t require briefing; we could simply suit up and ride!
Barentsburg
We took a different route out of Longyearbyen that went right up and over the mountains creating the valley the town sits in. The ride down was incredible!! Niklas trusted our ability to ride and he really opened up the speed on the flat valley floors and along the coast. On the way down Niklas spotted local reindeer that we thought were only rocks. Svalbard reindeer are not the same species as those farmed by the Sami on the Scandinavian mainland. These are smaller and only found on Svalbard. Only local residents with a permit can hunt them, and even then they can only take one per year per hunter. The reindeer lose up to 60% of their body mass in winter so they really stock up in summer. They forage along the hillsides where the wind tends to blow the snow off the remaining grasses so they can find it easily. Along the coast we would see more reindeer and also find enormous whale vertebrae. The seas around Svalbard use to simply teem in the summer with whales but whaling ended that and now whales are still seen but nowhere near in the numbers they once were, but this is generally true around the world. The route to Barentsburg rounded out along the coast and then back up hill to avoid river valleys and ravines, dropping down on to the road to town from the port facilities and the communications array.
Barentsburg is a miniature Russian town owned and operated by Arktikugol. The purpose of the town is to house coal miners who work on six-month or longer contracts from mainland Russia and Ukraine. Niklas assured us that while it might seem like a harsh life, the wages compared to homeland wages more than made up for it. Where Longyearbyen is a town of low-rise buildings and cottages, with even the bigger hotels no more than 2-3 stories high (the new residence hall for the University is much bigger than anything else in town but it isn’t finished yet), Barentsburg is full of large scale structures reminiscent of Stalinist architectural theory (big buildings remind people they are small compared to the State). Everything is big, despite a population of only about 500, and it all is being refaced and remodeled since much has deteriorated in the local conditions. Niklas says it is all just re-facing but we could see that the interiors had been worked on as well. The town boasts its own greenhouses, dairy, and pig farm to help keep it operating independently if shipments from Russia are delayed or simply don’t arrive. The will to keep this outpost working is not always strong since Russia has many other energy resources. It largely seems to be a matter of tradition and pride that keep it going, especially since the coal mined isn’t even exported. Their other major settlement, Pyramidin, has been largely abandoned and it staffed, if at all, at last count with 8 people who are mostly engaged in salvaging what they can and moving it to Barentsburg. The local population from Longyeabyen has heavily vandalized Pyramiden in search of souvenirs and curiosities, even though this is strictly against local law.
We were treated to lunch in Barentsburg in a large facility that could feed hundreds during the summer cruising season. There is also a hotel with at least 5-6 floors which is being remodeled as well, although it is reported that only rarely do people actually stay in Barentsburg instead of day tripping as we were. In summer, access from Longyearbyen is strictly by boat as no roads leave the local settlements, much less connect them. Lunch was interesting in that I have no idea what it was. There was a soup and then some slow cooked meat of some sort. We didn’t ask. And in accordance with Russian tradition there was something like Spanish tapas or Turkish mezzes on the table which included fried fish and something that looked like hamburger patties that upon tasting I believe were potentially liver. Suffice it to say that I wasn’t over full when we left but the hostess, who spoke no English or Norwegian, was charming and attentive. Niklas stayed inside with another guide to watch the Olympics on Russian satellite television while we went to the souvenir shop over by the building housing the, heated of course, Olympic-size swimming pool. Things were very pricey and included improbable to get home safely tea urns, or samovars. I settled on a military cap covered in Soviet military medals and Tim sent a postcard from this little piece of Russia to his grandmother back in Kentucky.
We had to detour on the way back due to road construction but we blazed a new trail back to the road and on out to a broad valley, moving fast, up to 78 kilometers per hour, or about 50 mph, which feels a whole lot faster on an open snowmobile! It was a bit icy and I had to fight some times to stay on track but overall it was manageable and I felt triumphant that despite frequently having pain in my limbs I was able to do this! I felt capable and competent, not a feeling I have often anymore, and it was simply wonderful.
We took breaks here and there to see things and for Niklas to describe the surroundings. The most wonderful things I can remember are the stark colorations of this wilderness of only white and black. It might sound boring but in fact it is truly majestic and otherworldly in a way that no other landscape I have been in can compare to. And then there is the sheer silence of a frozen land without even birds to break the quiet. You can literally hear your heart beat and in our over-connected world that is a rare moment of self-repose and reflection. The imposed isolation of goggles and helmet on a racing snowmobile gives itself over to thinking interior thoughts since you can’t talk to anyone else regardless and the landscape invites reflection. It is, in a word, physically and emotionally, stunning.
Our route back took us up a glacier and you really can’t connect with a glacier until you literally drive up it. It is an amazing feeling to simply stop and think about what you are doing. Sadly, it started to snow and of course our little bit of light was fading but what a wonderful way to return to town. At one point, I had slight heart failure when I could no longer see Tim’s headlights! What to do?? I couldn’t stop Niklas but eventually he looked back and noticed, and so we turned about to check it out. Turns out that Tim was driving the same machine that the Singaporeans had driven and they had burned out the drive belt with their inadequate driving skills, but fortunately Niklas was prepared and snowmobiles come stock with replacement belts packed in a compartment under the hood. Two other drivers would come across us (there are recognized snowmobile routes around the island and this was one of them) but by that point we were well on our way back to moving. About 15 minutes later, we were underway again and all too soon the lights of Longyearbyen were blinking back at us.
Saturday Shopping
Saturday was given over to shopping at every store the town had to offer, which really didn’t take long. They have something that passes for a hardware store as well as the grocery which has a housewares section inside it. There is a great deal of very expensive sporting goods for sale, which are presumably actually a bargain for Norwegians since there is no tax to pay on Svalbard (you go through Passport control on reentering Norway, even if you are Norwegian, since it is technically outside of the Schengen Zone) but to our minds it was beyond belief pricey. I wondered how much we could get for our unused cold weather gear if we sold it locally! Of course there wasn’t time for that but it was tempting. The type of snowsuits we used sold for about $900+ dollars so we guessed that Better Moments had one hell of an initial investment outlay with all the gear for people to wear to say nothing of the machines themselves. They must have a monster loan! They have just started out, this is their first season, and they will also offer ship tours in the summer, while also continuing to work free-lance for other tour agencies in town. They were wonderful to us and we wish them all the best.
We did manage to find a few things to buy here and there, including the traditional bookmarks for the kids. We sent more postcards to Tim’s grandmother and to my great-aunt in Missouri. We stocked up on more drinks as well and found the obligatory t-shirts, socks, etc, here and there around town. Dinner was at a popular local place, Husset, a 25 minute up-hill walk from our lodge, that featured an all-you-can-eat steak buffet and we were happy to mill with the locals in our stocking feet. This was a different restaurant from where we ate all our other meals (there are limited choices) which was Kroa, which was outstanding and conveniently connected to Basecamp Trapper’s Lodge so we could simply walk over without suiting up at all. Reservations were basically mandatory as it was by far the most popular place in town with a simple menu but excellent food.
Off to the East
Sunday was the day of the big ride and the big adventure! We had a new guide, Eivind, who we would come to find out is the manager of Better Moments and also a co-owner and investor. He was really fantastic, personable, knowledgeable, and had a great command of even idiomatic English that rivaled my own. We left on the same route we had taken on the first night but soon left that behind and rose up mountains and across ridges. Again, the sense of freedom and exhilaration was amazing as was the feeling of competence and ability in riding the machine. We quickly left behind the established routes and were off trailblazing on a route that had been tested the week before for passability, at which time it had been fine. We topped a ridge and met another local couple out for a ride and the discussion in Norwegian was all about the weather which had turned snowy. Eivind was concerned that if it didn’t clear up it would be wise to turn back since one doesn’t press forward in bad weather with poor visibility since one wouldn’t necessarily know what was as little as 5 meters ahead, including hungry polar bears! But there were soon glimpses of clear skies and sunshine and we lucked out and it cleared up nicely as we charged across ridge top plains. We stopped at a pre-arranged point from which Eivind would go forward slowly to check the route that would take us up over a ridge, slightly sloped to the north, that would open on to the glacier which we would ride down and out on to the sea ice to look for bears and to get up close and personal with the glacier face before looping around and up another glacier to eventually retrace our route back to town. Since he was leaving us, he explained how to use the emergency beacon in the event that he had not returned within an hour. Now I KNEW we were adventure traveling. I assure you no guide with, say, Holland America cruises, ever leaves you with an emergency beacon! If needed and once activated, the beacon would be picked up by satellite in anywhere from 15 minutes to 2 hours and Longyearbyen airport would pick up the alert and send a rescue squad and helicopter for us. Since they would only get a distress call and no details about what the emergency was they would send the full cavalry! Depending on logistics, we could be waiting up to 4 hours. It was, I admit, quite thrilling to think about. Eivind took off and Tim and I chatted in wonderment and excitement. Shortly, we noticed Eivind’s taillights flashing and we realized he had left his shovel behind and we boarded my machine, with Tim driving and me riding behind, to try to reach him and help out if we could.
We didn’t get far, going very slowly, before over to the left we went! Now, I fear that at this moment at least one reader will essentially stop and focus on this mishap to the neglect of the fact that no one was even remotely injured nor would it have really be possible to hurt oneself falling over into snow that was at least 4 meters deep! The snowmobile is heavy, about 300 kilos (well over 600 pounds) but the handles keep it from crushing you and Tim easily got out from under and was able to lift it enough for me to remove my trapped left leg. I beg of you to not get bogged down in this moment! We practically laughed and considered it part of the adventure and it in no way detracted from the exhilaration, freedom, and wonderful feelings of competency and capability that were so central to the overall experience. It was a slight mishap with no negative consequences and now we have a story to tell.
It turned out that Eivind was completely and hopelessly stuck. He could see the tracks from the previous expedition but they were buried under almost 2 meters of blown soft snow into which a snowmobile would sink like quicksand. Eventually, before the winter season really got going strong, teams of men from all the tour operators in town would work together to shovel a path but there was no way for us to pass. It was rather devastating to not be able to go where we had planned but it was impossible and not safe to try. It was even more heartbreaking later when Eivind showed us on the map that we were maybe 25 kilometers, approximately 15 miles, or less than 30 minutes, from the eastern shore. Damn! I admit that I was pretty bummed by this development but Eivind had alternative plans and we turned back and then north to some really stunning rock canyons that house large bird populations in summer and literally frozen in place waterfalls in winter, which we could actually walk behind! We ate a light lunch of excellent hot soup and coffee with reindeer heart on offer for more protein if desired. Neither of us partook. From there we rode out to the shoreline of a fjord to a trapper’s cabin at which Eivind regaled us with stories of trapper life and he was a wonderful storyteller to boot. Another group came up later and we realized how fortunate we were to be out with a new operator and on an essentially private tour since the groups can have up to 30 riders and there would be no way that the level of personal attention we were receiving would have been remotely possible. We were very fortunate indeed.
The ride back was fast and sure and familiar at some point by the old airport, nearby which was the scene of a terrible Russian aircraft disaster that killed 141 people in 1996. When we returned to base I was tired but still thrilled. We asked about other, longer, journeys that we had heard about and Eivind was quick to offer us great prices, if we came back, on multi-day, up to 3 day, trips that would really cover the island and include stays at some fantastic back country properties, many run by Basecamp, that included a ship intentionally allowed to freeze into pack ice! Eivind outlined the routes on the map and I confess that mentally I started planning my return for as soon as next year before he finished talking. I was that much in love with the experience. I don’t know if I would love snowmobiling as much in another environment but I am more than willing to try. But I am pretty serious about going back and heading out for 3 days. Eivind says he would pick us up at the airport and take us straight to base, no need even to check into a hotel since we already know how to ride…
Returning Home
The next day was departure which was sad as I was really enjoying the feelings engendered by the whole experience more than most any vacation I have ever had. But leave we must do and so back to Oslo we flew on an uneventful Norwegian flight. We again overnighted in Oslo but fortunately checked with KLM about upgrades only to discover that there was a problem with our tickets which prevented printing boarding passes. The agent was only a contractor for KLM and did what she could, which got us on the plane back to Amsterdam but it took the actual KLM agent there over 30 minutes to straighten out whatever had gone wrong and that had been made worse in Oslo. It was nerve wracking waiting, but eventually we had our boarding passes and off we went back to familiar territory with Delta.
What wasn’t familiar was that my suitcase failed to arrive in Atlanta when we did. We arrived on Tuesday and it would eventually arrive on Friday morning around 3am. Apparently, the tag was torn off and ridiculously enough for such frequent fliers, we do not have our names and addresses in our baggage or even tagged on it! They were able, in Amsterdam, after sending the bag to Manchester, England for reasons unknown, to identify it by the description of contents and the unique, but blank, name tag from China that was affixed to it. I give absolute top marks to Delta and KLM lost baggage handling for returning a bag that was not adequately identified by us in the first place and was especially pleased since it contained absolutely all my souvenirs plus what amounted to over $600 of unused cold weather clothes returned for refund! But honestly, the real hero of the whole misadventure was Tim who weathered my panic and distress, talked to numerous agents multiple times while tracking the bag down. Kudos and more to Tim, I would be literally lost without him and I don’t really understand how he does all the wonderful things he does in crises as well as in routine daily life. I couldn’t dream of a better partner in life or travel.
Home we are with all belongings and lots of wonderful memories and some decent photos. We mostly used the iPhones for pictures because it is really just easier and perhaps there are not as many photos as usual because you can’t really photograph anything moving at 70kmph over snow and ice. But, it was simply wonderful not only for the scenery and the people but also for the rare feelings of ability and competence that I felt while riding the snowmobile. That was a priceless sensation for someone in my position and I hope I can recall it at a gut level for a long time to come. Svalbard is marked with a pin on our travel map as a favorite destination and don’t be a bit surprised if we go back, making it one of the few places we have ever explored twice. Svalbard is wonderful and I encourage anyone who thinks they might enjoy the wilds of the Arctic to give it whirl! I don’t think you will be disappointed!