Day 6 – A Beer in Barentsburg

17.03.2015
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I don’t know who said it, and he or she was probably paid by some producer of breakfast cereal, but I think it’s true. This morning the restaurant was more or less packed with people. With more and more tourists arriving for the eclipse this is to be expected, and when the weather promises to be excellent for outdoor activities everyone wants to get going early.

Today we were going to Barentsburg on snowmobiles. With a temperature of -13, clear skies and light winds, the conditions were ideal. The sun was shining on the mountaintops. We set off over Longyearbreen where we were walking three days ago, coming down from Sarkofagen. Our guide, Tobbe, lead the way and everybody followed in line. Today’s route was a little more technical than the one to Tempelfjorden. Both driver and passenger would have to use their bodyweight somewhat to steady the vehicle when going perpendicular to the slope.

After a lovely drive of maybe two hours through U-shaped valleys and over glaciers and frozen rivers, we cruised into the Russian town of Barentsburg. In large parts owned by a Russian state-run mining company, this is the main Russian settlement in Svalbard. We parked right next to the new brewery and I thought it might be a good idea to test this local brew. Me, Rūdolfs and Alīna went to the bar while the others waited in the hallway. They had three kinds of beer, Belgian blonde, amber and dark. For 15 NOK I bought a 33 cl glass of blonde and we all shared this and also got some small samples of the other kinds of beer. They were all only 2,5% alcohol. For light beers they were quite allright!

Next, we took a walk around the town, our guide pointing out different buildings. Some were from the soviet era, some were newer, all looked completely different from the ones in Longyearbyen. The school was painted with pictures of animals, buildings and historical figures. There was a sculpture of Lenin in a park and behind it a big sign that read “Our aim is communism”.

On the way back we stopped for lunch beside a pingo mostly covered in snow and ice. There was a small hut built on top of it. Pingos consists of ice covered in earth and can form when there is a steady supply of groundwater that may freeze and lift the above earth layer. I was happy to have the opportunity to climb it and have a walk around on top of it.

For the last part back to Longyearbyen we took a different route through some narrow passages. At one point you really had to shift your weight to one side while going up an incline. Unfortunately, Edgars and Alina weren’t able to counter the sideways slope and rolled over. Both escaped this incident without injuries though.

Safely back in Nybyen (the furthest part of the Longyearbyen town where our guesthouse was), Juris and Agnese rushed away to a free lecture about the sun and the northern lights held at the university. When they came back they had brought two kicksleds. Apparently they were provided by the city and free to use by anybody. Juris an Kristine were soon out on the nearby road, trying one of them out. Me and Rudolf joined them in just a while. I had a few downhill races against both Juris an Rudolf and in my opinion I was clearly the winner. Except maybe one time when I forgot to shift my bodyweight and rolled over!

Day 4 – the whiteout and the blackout

15.03.2015
The morning is overcast, with strong wind about 14m/s. The travellers at a well set breakfast table are rather quiet, maybe they all are hoping silently that the weather will improve, and the day will be nice and sunny.

The plan for the day is to go by snowmobiles to Tempelfjorden. Before the trip the Arctic Adventures company gives us detailed safety instructions, dresses us up in special suits and boots. Of course the helmet, the goggles and the gloves are provided. A short instruction on how to drive a snowmobile and … let’s go … :) The journey has started. At the beginning everyone very cautiously tries out the accelerator, then the brake, and in a couple of minutes woohoo … the pedal to the metal as much as that’s possible when going in a line one after the other.

We start the drive to Tempelfjorden. On the way we stop several times and take some photos and videos. The drivers switch and the relaxing/chill-out has started. That’s because when driving the snowmobile you concentrate on the road but when sitting at the back you can enjoy the nature by observing the leisurely reindeer.

One of the stops was at a frozen waterfall. Cool. Turns out we have driven on a frozen river rather than it seemed to me – along a valley between hills! When Tempelfjorden has been reached a wonderful view to Tuna and Von Post glaciers and the bay can be seen. We don’t see any seals or bears, but the view is nevertheless lovely.

We stop for the lunch in Fredheim where Hilmar Nous spent 26 out of his 38 winters in Svalbard. It is also possible to see the only ship hotel which is frozen in the ice – Noordenlicht. The lunch is rather tasty taking into account that it’s in a pouch, and require addition of water, something similar to Rollton instant noodles!

Us on snowmobiles

Us on snowmobiles

When we have eaten and drank some tea or syrup-water which is very popular here, we leave for the return trip. The wind is already much stronger, the snow is falling thoroughly and it is blown right into our faces. At some moments it is not even possible to see anything. Every minute I need to clean the snow from my goggles to be able to see the lights of the snowmobile driving in front of us and it would be possible to see where I should drive. With the other hand I need to hold the straight course and the accelerator! We cannot lag behind the snowmobile driving in front of us as then you can be left alone who knows where, as everything around is white and it is not possible to understand where the ground ends and the sky starts!

Approaching the town of Longyearbyen the blizzard calms down but instead it starts raining as the temperature is above zero. Where it was not possible to suspect a river in the morning, now the water already starts to accumulate in some places.

We have successfully finished the route of today. But do you think that the adventures of today have finished?! No! While preparing dinner in the evening (it will be vegetarian dinner this time, pasta with cheese), we notice that the wind is whistling behind the window. And then suddenly, puff – there is no electricity! A silence; the first idea – the fuses have been blown out as there were several kettles on. But no, turns out there is no electricity in the entire village! We find different torches, which happen to be taken along by some of us, we turn them on, pour the hot water in flasks, we also pour the cold water in some empty bottles as we realise that the water is not being renewed in the tap.

We are sitting around the table and playing the board game Uno. From time to time somebody tells some black joke, like about the last text message which we could send since the phones also will stop working soon. From time to time someone goes to get something warmer to put on as the warmth gets blown out of the house gradually. Whoops, the electricity is back for a moment, everyone is happy, but that’s just for a moment…

It’s quite late, somebody is rumouring that this is not a normal situation and, if the electricity won’t be renewed for too long, we will need to evacuate the island! Hmm… just it’s not really clear in which way as in this wind (around 24m/s excluding gusts and blizzard) it cannot be believed that any plane will lift off! But we are calm and a we have a thought of a brighter tomorrow, so we go to sleep with woollen socks on as that’s safer! :)
Will see what tomorrow will bring!

Day 3 – Mountains attempt to take their part

14.03.2015
The day started just like the last 858 days of my life – with a run. And yet this turned out to be very different day indeed. The first full day here in Longyearbyen! The post office happens to be located 2.4 km from our living quarters – ideal for running down to it to send a postcard to my sister back home in Valmiera and then running back uphill to collect the so necessary five kilometers – minimal amount per day set for us by Alina. The weather is really nice today – sunny and without wind. This naturally means the default running outfit for me – just a T-shirt and shorts. I don’t know the temperature, but since my ears started to get cold in the way back, I estimate it to be slightly colder than, say, -5°.

First full day comes with the first breakfast offered by the guesthouse. I was a bit worried about whether there will be also something edible or just toasters with jam and chocolate, serials and other poisonous food. No worries, my dear reader – there were plenty of real food available including but not limited to two kinds of cheese and four kinds of meat, as well as some cucumbers and even pate.

9 o’clock and we are ready to go! Today we are expecting a hike outside the city over some minor mountains. It is said to be over in 5-6 hours, so a half-day trip. We are provided by the necessary equipment – snowshoes, walking poles and windproof gloves if needed – and we are to be guided by two official guides – the main guide Katja, originally from Germany, and her helper Luise. Katja also carries a rifle in case of polar bear attack, which happens quite rarely in this area, but the probability of encountering the king of Arctic is certainly not equal to zero (and, of course, also not negative, as you may remember from your math lectures). Our guides are assisted by the most inspiring member of our little team, who hiked all the way completely barefoot and also without any other clothing than that of his own fur. The dog even enjoyed laying back in snow and waiting for us, other members, now and then.

View to Longyearbyen

View to Longyearbyen

10 o’clock and off we go! We are heading the big mountains very near the guesthouse of ours. Walking in snowshoes is quite easy, although this is the first such experience for me. Snowshoes provide extra surface area for us not to sink deeply in loose snow, as well as a protection from slipping down the cliff because of their spikes. Soon enough we have reached the foot of the mountain and start to incline a bit. Let me just run a bit ahead of the story by stating that the hike was spectacular. It was just perfect and certainly one of my most memorable hikes I have ever done! Although our pace was really slow and we made breaks really often, the magnificent views around us made me think of what an amazing adventure I am in.

Katja had explained before that the weather can change quite a bit rapidly in winter, and we noticed some changes right away. The morning sun had left us alone, and wind had appeared instead. As we progressed more towards the peak of the mountain, wind gathered in force and sometimes blew really hard. I was happy to be part of it all and to feel the raw strength of nature. It was not cold, however, because of several layers of clothing, only my fingers started to get cold now and then, but it was a quite easy-to-solve problem by just swinging the arms sparingly to induce better blood flow to fingertips.

At one point it was stated that we are now on a glacier – also the first time in my life. Yeah, today is the day of many first times, and I think not just for me. I think the name of this glacier was Larsbreen, which means in Norwegian the Lars Glacier (but I may be wrong, don’t put all your money on this). Then there was a second glacier towards the end of the hike – Longyearbreen. Between the glaciers we reached the highest point of the trip – the Sarkofagen mountain ridge. The weather on the ridge was really windy and thus quite cold (particularly, if you want to take some pictures with your touchscreen, which requires removing your glove). It was also snowing a bit, so the panorama around us was quite dim, but something was seen anyway, and that was really beautiful – the mountains were (and still is) majestic and looks even a bit surreal covered in snow and ice. The peak was a bit more than 500 meters above sea level, so we had ascended by some 450 meters or so.

Then there was a tea (or coffee, or water and some cookies, or a strange syrup) break a bit lower from the ridge, where there was a bit less windy, and then the final stretch back to the civilization. Outside the civilization we met only a couple of other groups, smaller than ours, and one solo traveller, as well as we got lucky to observe some reindeer from a distance. Our furry colleague was always first to notice the presence of reindeer sniffing the air towards them and wanting to catch some, and Katja tried to convince him (although unsuccessfully) that this is not his dinner.

On the way back Agnese offered a more fun way of getting down the slopes by laying on your back and being pulled head first by two people pulling by your walking poles. Where is fun, comes a sorrow, and this was a place I left my mobile phone by letting it accidentally slip out of my pocked. I noticed it only at the end of our journey, so what to do – mountains, however much inspiration they give, also take their part back. Like everybody of us – they give and they take, and you are not always allowed to choose, what is given and what is taken. It was a clear sign for me that I must reconsider the role of stuff and things in my life – maybe I still own too much. I must, however, mention that after the discovery of the loss Katja and Alina went back by a snowmobile to this place, where I was pulled, and found my phone already covered with an icy skin, but still working. This is, however, a different story that does not go well together with my version of giving and taking, so this is not a part of today’s tale.

The journey is now ended, but the day is still on. Alina and Juris walked down to the city centre to see the church, while the rest of us rested at home. The rest of us rested – what a word play! But also other parts of this story were actually described with inaccurate words. The mountain we hiked was actually just a small hill, the big journey was actually just a small walk (we covered only 8.5 km in just over four hours), and the home we rested at was just a cozy guesthouse. But this is the life – when you are placed in a so different environment from usual, everything seems unnaturally amazing!