Northern Highlights — Svalbard
Part 3 of 3
Towards the end of 2018, my friend and business partner Ranga and I set out on an incredible adventure to the northernmost reaches of our planet. In addition to mind-blowing landscapes, psychedelic skies, and frigid oceans, we happily experienced the local food and drink, as well as music and people.
This is the last of a 3-part account of our experiences in Longyearbyen, Svalbard — the world’s northernmost town.
Written by: Ranga
Photography: Gautam
October 28th, 2018 — Over the Barents Sea, Svalbard
“Isjfjorden. Or Ice Fjord, as you would call it in English!” Kelsey, our guide for the cruise was from the US, but spoke fluent Norwegian. She was giving us an idea of where we were on the Barents sea.
We were looking forward to this cruise, not just to catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights, but also to traverse through the choppy waters of the Barents Sea, something we had read about so much in the books of Alistair Maclean. The weather wasn’t being very kind to us today, though. It had started off cold and cloudy only to dip to minus 15˚C.
That didn’t stop us from venturing out to check out the Polar Permaculture Farm. Founded in 2015, this farm is the source of all fresh food in Svalbard that is not imported from the mainland.
We also went back to Svalbar for lunch before heading back to the guest house and resting for a bit.
Kelsey picked us up from the guest house around 6 PM. There were only four guests for the cruise, including us and a retired Norwegian couple. Standing on the deck of the cruise boat, we exchanged stories from across the world as we sailed past the old, abandoned Russian coal mining island. The place continues to be visited by hikers from Longyearbyen, who spend nights at the abandoned houses, braving the ghosts of the past. Dinner included grilled whale steaks, lamb, fish and salads.
From the deck of our boat, we could see the play of lights on the dark sky through our camera. It wasn’t quite the Northern Lights, but magic was certainly in the air.
We came back to shore around 11 PM. Thankfully we did not have to walk home, as the cruise organisers gave us a lift back to our guest house.
October 29th, 2018 — Platåfjellet, Longyearbyen
“You are in the bloody Arctic, what do you expect?”, Nanna berated me gently. Nothing had prepared us for the stinging cold of a blizzard as we struggled to hike up Platåfjellet, or Plateau mountain.
The day had started off brightly. Longyearbyen was covered in a blanket of snow as we woke up. The temperature had eased up to a pleasant(!) minus 5˚C. Right next to our guest house was a small hill. We decided to hike up the hill as practice for the evening hike. As much use as playing book cricket to prepare for the World Cup finals against McGrath and Warne!
Nanna, our hike leader, picked us up around 7 PM for the hike. There were a total of 8 people on the hike — an Australian couple, a Chinese couple, two Englishmen and us, not to mention Krum, Nanna’s fearless Siberian husky.
Nanna offered us a final get-out-of-jail card, but the group bravely insisted on going ahead with the hike. We equipped ourselves with spikes, headlamps and hiking poles as it had started snowing.
The first part of the hike involved climbing up to the bunker used by soldiers to defend Svalbard against invading forces during World War 2. That was the easy part. As we climbed further up Platåfjellet, the snowfall started getting heavier. Combined with strong winds, we were assaulted by snowflakes that pierced the skin on our faces like needles. For Nanna and Krum, of course, this was a walk in the park. But for the rest of us, it was an ordeal by cold.
Nanna was bemused when I asked her if we should turn back. As she rightly pointed out, we were in the bloody Arctic.
Eventually, she decided that we had been Arctic-ed enough and decided to take us back downhill. The snow had, by this time, turned into a full-blown blizzard. We took shelter in the bunker, fortifying ourselves with hot drinks and biscuits that Nanna had brought along. Krum, of course, stayed out in the snow, enjoying the nip in the air and wondering what all the fuss was.
Once the snow had let up a bit, we headed back down, tired but exhilarated. Still no sign of the elusive Northern Lights, but what a spectacle!
Next stop, Tromsø!
We caught the airport shuttle immediately after breakfast, where I was picked out for a random bomb test. Fortunately, all was well and we boarded the flight to Tromsø. It wasn’t the smoothest of journeys, but we made it to Tromsø without much fanfare.
Northern Highlights — Svalbard Part 1
Northern Highlights — Svalbard Part 2
All Photographs are by Gautam Rao and are licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
