Friday, July 10, 2009

Relicts of a whaling station...


from a bygone era were discovered at the conclusion of a long cross-country hike on the eastern side of Bear Island. In addition to the metal boiler you may note the large whale bone in the lower right part of the image (click to enlarge.)

No polar bears were encountered hence my group refers to this as "bare" island. No worries as we'll likely be in pack ice at the southern end of Svalbard by tomorrow morning which will increase the potential for sighting the great Arctic predator.

2 comments:

  1. What IS the protocol for a trip leader if you encounter a polar bear???

    Also, I thought the sun was supposed to shine every day during your Zegrahm expedition. You were probably getting spoiled by all those perfectly sunny days!

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  2. Hiya geogal...

    1. Gather members of the group closely in a wide huddle to look large.
    2. Fire a pen flare.
    3. Fire a flare gun.
    4. Fire a shotgun loaded with a slug.

    Lastly, run like hell. You don't have to outrun the bear, just the slowest member of the group. (Just kidding about this last bit.)

    Weather update: Wonderful. Sunny. Lucky.

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