On this trip, we were able to make an unusual landing. The wind had been blowing from the north-east for days, pushing the ice in Hinlopen southwards, so that the entire eastern side as far as Torellneset was almost ice-free.
The day before, we had been cruising around a bit in the pack ice here and even spotted a large, beautiful polar bear.
We anchored overnight to see how the ice situation developed, and in the morning we saw that the ice had drifted even further south. A small remnant of broken pack ice still lay in the southern bay, but the pebble beach to the south was free of ice, so we ventured to land.
Piles of crushed ice were heaped up on the beach. They lay in single or double rows one after the other, like a labyrinth of piles of ice bricks. The gaps were filled with freshly drifted snow, or the wind had blown clear paths between them. The hills made excellent lookout points.
The flat plain and the gently rising beach ridge behind it had been blown smooth; depressions were filled with snow and flat areas cleared by the wind. Consequently, the wind-exposed sections were easy to walk on, whilst some of us preferred to manage the snowy patches using the snowshoes we’d brought with us.
The landscape seemed completely frozen. Only the wind could be heard and seen in the numerous snow swirls along the coast. The ground at knee height was constantly being scoured by drifting snow crystals, driven along by the strong, cold north wind.
A fairy-tale realm of frozen castles, swirling snow spirits and dark grey snow clouds over the sea. Everything in black and white, except us, surely visible from a distance only as colourful dots. Everything seems so small in this icy expanse. The Quest lay there, tiny, as if lost amongst bands of soft pack ice.
In the silence that we were able to enjoy together at the end, the sound of the ocean surf reached us on the hill despite the distance. On the way back, we leaned into the cold wind. We walked along the shore over fist-sized, round, polished diamonds of clear ice. We raced against the bands of pack ice, which were slowly being pushed towards the landing site by the changing tides. But thanks to the northerly wind, we were faster. How quickly two hours pass, despite the freezing cold.
Please note: Depending on the lens used for a photo or video shot an animal may appear to be closer than it is. We always follow strict wildlife guidelines to ensure that we do not cause any disturbance.
