Days of blue dream

We have had perfect weather here lately, over some weeks of time in April. April is absolutely one of the best time in Svalbard! Then we don't get anymore dark at night time and weather is pretty often good and stabile. I'm always feeling almost quilty if I'm staying inside during those beautiful days.

This is what Svalbard is for me: Sunshine forever.

This is what everybody is dreaming about in Svalbard:  A polar bear mummy with two cubs.

I guess this cabin is one of the most photographed, it's a trapper Hilmar Nøis old cabin in Fredheim.

A sight over Templefjorden, about 60 km from Longyearbyen. You can see a sailing boat Noorderlicht in the right corner. It's a boat frozen on the ice and it's used as a hotel.

A glacier front, a perfect place for a cup of hot chocolate and some snack.

Ice sculptures in the front of the glacier are really amazing.

Just quick visit on Noorderlicht.

It's also nice to have some activities beside driving the scooters. Here some climbing in Brattlidalen.

Predators around

We were planning to make our weekly walk to Varden. Before we started to walk we decided to drive and have a look if our polar bear were staying on where he used to be. But he was gone. We heard he had disappeared earlier on the morning and haven't been seen since. Mhhh... Trip to Varden isn't that long, so we left anyway. But even the walk is pretty short, we had a signal pistol and weapon with us... just in case...

On the way down we met a smaller predator. He was just curious and very hopeful if we had some food with us. But he didn't get anything from us.

Lazy days in Svea

Not any lazy days for me, but the big boy seems to have good time. He has been laying on the mountain side for a week now. It looks like he's not having any hurry for anywhere, so why he should be then moving himself. His food doesn't look any meaty but I hope he's having it enough that he doesn't decide to sneak in the settlement and get some fresh supply.

We got a little reminder that autumn is getting closer when mountains got a thin layer of snow on the tops. Picture is taken in Svea Nord. You can see the tunnel openings to the coal mine.

Polar bear attack

Unfortunately not all the meetings with polar bear go fine, but usually those situation ends up with a dead polar bear.

One British boy lost his life and four other campers got injured on a polar bear attack. That happened by von Postbreen, about 40 km from the town. Injured were taken to the hospital by a helicopter. Usually helicopter is landing on the airport, wherefrom an injured one is taken to the hospital by an ambulance, but this time the helicopter landed directly by the hospital. It looked like they didn't want to loose any time.

The flag is at half-mast because of the funeral of Johannes.

Good morning, Svea!

To be honest, I'm not yet totally woken when we're driving little bit before 7 am to work. But one morning I woke up quickly, when we saw a white fellow coming towards us and the town.

We got another exciting experiment when we found a nice spider on a container. Can't believe that big guy is living permanently in Svalbard! He must have got an involuntary lift from the mainland up here with a boat. I can't really say that lucky guy...

White on the fjord

The fjord got filled with drift ice.

On the other side of the fjord in Hiorthamn had a polar bear good time. It looked like he was eating a bloody dinner.

The first day in Svea

The flight to Svea is just so beautiful. We had perfect weather for flying with just a little wind and almost no clouds. I think I'll never get tired of those snowy mountains!

The work started fine. We also got a nice start for our new work when a polar bear passed by. It was nice to see the big animal walking past undisturbed by people.

Wandering polar bears

We had Friday evening a walk to Hiorthhamn over Advendfjorden with dogs. Next morning we heard that there have been a polar bear visiting the dog yard. He were chased to the fjord. On that evening we didn't have our trip over the fjord, but day after we were back on our normal routines. Then we saw that the polar bear had followed our spoor from Hiorthhamn all the way over Adventfjorden close by Snøskooterutleie (SSU) and turned then to the dog yard. Here in the picture you can see our steps on left, a track of a dog on the middle and our white companion on right.

Spoor of our friend.

His footprint is on a respectful size.
Ammunition cal 30-06.

Closer to Hiorthhamn we saw that our unseen companion weren't the only bear around - there were also the bigger fellow around.

"Our bear" goes towards the town, the other track continues to the Advendtdalen.

After that first bear there have been several bear observations around. A bear has been chased away from Bjørndalen and once more from the dog yard. Now there is a polar bear track just some hundred of meter from SSU. And it's not only Longyearbyen in Spitsbergen-island where bears have been visiting: Also our Russian neighbours in Barentsburg have got a visit. There a bear broke a traffic sign warning about polar bear danger. Isfjorden Radio have also got a white-fured visitors. In Hornsund a passer-by killed one dog and two got injured.

Even though we know there is scrappy wanderers around, we go anyhow outside of the town on our trips. But of course, now we're extra observant for unwanted visitors. Usually we're having only with a signal pen on our short trips outside of the town, but now we're happily carrying also signal pistol with us as an addition for a rifle. Anyhow, we're also having dogs with us, so we're counting for that they notice first spooky things in the darkness.

A polar bear visiting the town

Then we got the first polar bear visit for this year. He was close by the dog yard when he got observed the first time. He weren't allowed to hang around the town, so he was chased out to the Advendfjorden.

It was kind of nice to get a reminder that our white friend is around. But, we needed to reorganise our trip with dogs because of that: We're having almost every evening a tour to Hiorthhamn with our dogs over the delta or ice in Adventfjorden. Today we didn't do that...

The polar bear in the picture isn't todays bear, but a furry fellow we met last year, having good time in Petuniabukta with newborn seal pups.