The midnight sun!

It's time for midnight sun! And that's lasting all the way until 22nd of August. Jihuu!

Dog on sick leave

At the moment he's not running anywhere...

My dog is on sick leave. His paw is still painful. We were today at the hospital with him but he was just totally panicking and we couldn't do much with him. So, we're trying again on Wednesday and then he'll get some sedatives before we go there. They are doing brilliant work at the hospital - and giving good service even we're talking about "just" an animal - but I could wish we had a real veterinary surgeon here.

Preparations for Easter trip

We'll spend Easter in a cabin. This time we got a cabin in Vindodden, which is around 50 km away from Longyearbyen. We're planning to drive some trips from the cabin, so today we drove a depot of fuel and also some firewood to the cabin.

We had just perfect conditions for driving.

When we were already out on the trip, we had little extra driving around. Now it's time to see some seal cubs on the fjord ice.

He seems to have good time.

Everyone isn't as lucky with start of the new life...

Hard life

We enjoy our time with snowy conditions, but for reindeer winter isn't easy time. There isn't much to eat, but you just need to survive. Sometimes cheating is allowed:

Two males eating in a muck hill beside the stable.

A calf want to get his portion of straw as well.

He tries to find something to eat on the tundra.
Straw isn't actually that good food...

A hectic month

April is one of my favourite months here in Svalbard. We don't have any more dark in the nights and from 19th of April there is the midnight sun. Usually it's the best month for scootering in every way. Weather is pretty stabile and snow situation good. Everything is just perfect.

But April is also one of the most hectic months here in Longyearbyen. It's busy at work and town is full of tourists. And in the same time every available minute uses for some activities. You are feeling almost guilty if you aren't outside on your free time. Sleep is something which we're lacking constantly. Everything over six hours is counted as a long sleep and you're counting to survive with shorter hours for a while. In May everything is over for a while, so you just don't want to complain about the lack of sleep. We can sleep later :)

An injured animal

You don't want to get injured in Svalbard. We are having a good hospital, but there is some limitations what they can do there. People with some bigger injuries are send to Tromsø for to get treatment. But it's long way to Tromsø...

Situation is even worse for animals. We don't have any vet here. The hospital can help also animals with small injuries, but otherwise also they need to get treatment in the mainland.

Our dog got injured. We are thinking his paw is only sprained (which is painful enough!), but as we don't have a vet here, that is only our own unprofessional diagnose. We contacted a vet by telephone and he send a prescription to the pharmacy. So, he's getting now some painkillers and if his paw doesn't get better in five days time, then we need to think if we need to take him to the hospital or in Tromsø. So, now he's jumping around with his three paws and we're just hoping that he's getting soon better again.

Trappers trail

Last weekend there were a sled dog race Trappers trail. Almost hundred dogs run from Longyearbyen to Kapp Laila, where they were overnighting. The day after they run home, completing about 70 km race.

Teams are getting ready for race. There is a dog which won't join the race.

He's left behind - how miserably is that!

Barneo - the gate to the North Pole

Now it's again April and it means that flights to Barneo, the ice base beside the North Pole, are starting. The easiest way to reach the North Pole is through Barneo. And on the way to Barneo you need to have at least a stop-by in Longyearbyen. Our town is getting full of tourists again...

Pictures are from last year.

Welcome to Barneo!

The Ice camp. It's made of tents.

Sleeping facilities are actually pretty comfortable. A travel bed and a sleeping bag in a heated tent.

A group of skiers getting prepared for an attempt to reach the North Pole by skiing.

An easier way to reach the pole point: A helicopter lift.

If you need to go, then you need to go, no choices.