That is already two months since I travel throughout the archipelago of Svalbard, but today is the end.
The end of an extraordinary season, the four corners of this magical and mesmerizing Spitsbergen! Obviously I can only keep one memory in mind, but only the sum of several making the equation just insoluble amazing spectacle of the cliff Alkefjellet and thousands of guillemots, the tiny island Rossøya extreme point of Europe just before the pole, my first blue whale at the entrance of Horsund the sixty polar bears observed Kvitøya the mysterious island, the sea ice in the Strait of Hinlopen or enthusiasm and the smiles of all those people who came to share with us our passion for the Great North! I think only the super light Palanderbukta during our last evening, and could conclude this season ...
Event on Wednesday evening while we were making our traditional meeting of whale watching, since a huge amount has suddenly appeared on the surface: the blue whale!
The whale is not only the largest living animal on earth, but it is also possible that it is more important in terms of size, the largest known dinosaur! Blue whales in the South are usually larger than those living in the Northern Hemisphere. The figures speak for themselves: 30 meters long and weigh up to 200 tons! It is easily recognizable by its long body, blue (if the light is good), with a small dorsal fin at the rear of the body and breath, reaching 9 meters high.
The current world population is estimated at 11,000 people, which represents only 15% of the population known before the era of the whaling ...
Extraordinary meeting in any case, in a mysterious composed of low lights and some fog. Were also observed in white beaked dolphins, fin whales, and last week of humpback whales and a sperm whale. Superb location in any case that this area of shoals off the west Hornsund!
Entering the Bay of La Madeleine, whatever the weather, remains a highlight! What strikes me most is its sharp mountains, a kind of fortress that surround this small fjord. It is also noticed that the Dutchman Willem Barents in 1596 when he entered the Bay of Madeleine during his journey in search of the Northwest Passage is. He also named this island until then unknown named Spitsbergen, translate "pointed mountains". It then another browser Henry Hudson sail in the waters around Spitsbergen (still believing in passing that this land was connected to Greenland), referring in his diary, that whales are as numerous as "carp pond." That phrase too, the whalers are rushing around Spitsbergen; the Basques, the Netherlands and the English Going to the new Eldorado. Baie de la Madeleine bears traces of this history of whaling, no less than 130 graves are present. In most cases it was men died of scurvy or accidents related to the hunt itself. There was not much installation whaling station, except a large encampment. When a whale was spotted, boats each with five men aboard, was launched from a main vessel. Of these five men, four were the rowers, the fifth harpooner. It was their job, aiming at better once harpooned whale dived to try to escape his pursuers. The harpoon was attached to a rope that would not only keep in touch with the whale, but also about where and when it would resurface before being harpooned again! Once the unfortunate dead of exhaustion and / or drained of blood, the men took her back to the bay to cut it into pieces. The main interest for them was to melt the fat in order to derive a fuel for street lighting especially in many large cities. To transform the fat, cut the pieces were mixed with water in a large pot, itself embedded in a large stone oven. The process is capable of obtaining the oil free of impurities (gravel, salt, invertebrates ...) it was sufficient to collect on the surface of the pot. Once in the barrel, the oil was then exported by ship.
These are also the remains of the past that add a bit more charm to the Bay of La Madeleine. Even if they refer to a dark period for whales, they are these truths that we owe to the men, their struggles, their sufferings and their hopes ...
I was the first time Hyttevika August 12, 2009 and I remember that after leaving this magical place, located at the northern entrance across from Hornsund bird sanctuary island Dunøyane what I n 'had only one desire, to return as soon as possible! It's done now, so I will try to share with you this morning exceptional. Imagine you are at 77 degrees north, just inside the entrance of a vast fjord called Hornsund. It is 11 ° C, the wind is absolutely zero, not a cloud in the sky just the sun at its zenith almost ... To approach the landing beach, there is one kilometer to go surrounded by ice and the whole game lies in the fact to clear a path through this maze. Gradually the sand beach is in sight, you put your foot to meet a trapper's cabin and lived from 1932 to 1937 a woman Woldstand Wanny. Immediately behind the shack, a talus with huge boulders appears to you after a few minutes walk straight, you're at the top and the view takes your breath away, left a huge meadow tundra green, yellow, orange with small rivers in the middle. Some reindeer graze quietly, mixed with barnacle geese and pink-footed geese. Right below you is the famous cabin and off the sea out of sight partly covered with ice, with a plate off a bear hunt. Farther right, a huge glacier flows into the sea to a cathedral of ice. Finally, above you, thousands of little auks you shave his head so close that you feel the rustling of wings. Flocks of birds take wide turns over the sea to return to the top of your head ... I took a few photos, an Arctic fox appeared, I have to sit in front of the legs sawed this magical place, it is too ... I felt this feeling once, in June 2007 when in the night sky polar Adelie danced the aurora australis. Thank you Mother Nature, thank you a thousand times this morning which I will not go unscathed (again)!
The island is just Lagoya located on the 80 degrees north, north-west of the second largest island of the archipelago of Svalbard; Nordaustlandet. When we set foot on this island, it includes everything away that she could not have a name other than this one, which means "flat island". Lagoya is diamond shaped, with numerous small lakes from the melting of snow and a few high points in more than 10 m above sea level
It is difficult to find specific details about the history of this island, some works are, however, refer to the Norwegian trappers who settled there in 1908 and killed no fewer than 30 bears during their winter!
But Lagoya is very interesting from a faunistic point of view, walruses bask regularly on the banks of pebbles or gravel. The small lakes of melting are often the refuge and breeding area for many birds, so are the observable red-throated loon, arctic terns and many eiders. But today there was more sumptuous red phalarope, Sabine's gulls with no fewer than four individuals observed (knowing that there would be a dozen couples known in Svalbard) and purple sandpiper .
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Mimi Ticho in moments of life on the world