interest

I seem to be losing motivation for keeping this blog going. I might just start using it for picture updates whenever I take a trip. I'm not sure yet.

morocco and a crazy person

I think I'm going to try this trip in September or October, if I can find a reasonably priced flight. It should provide a nice contrast to the glacier, and I've been wanting to go on a camel caravan for a while. This trip doesn't quite involve a caravan, but there are camels.

On a different note, there was a crazyman on the train today. He looked like a scraggly, unkempt Norwegian in his 40s, possibly homeless. I didn't notice him until the train was pulling up to my stop. He was by the door, waiting for it to open, and holding a magazine curved in front of his face as if he were hiding from someone. He couldn't see anything, and as soon as the doors opened, he ducked out and headed to the right, instantly running into a woman. He's still holding the magazine in front of his face, so he didn't know which way to move to get out of her way, and she seemed confused. He reached out and felt where she was and where there were openings, and then moved around her.

He kept the magazine up and could probably see where his feet were, because he found his way to the exit ramp. He still couldn't see in front of him, though, and so ran into some guy there. The guy was kind of pissed, and yelled at him. He kept going, though, and last I saw of him, he had run into the back of a staircase and was feeling his way around it. Despite all that, he made good time getting out of the station.

night

Summer seems to be on it's way out already. It's 11:30 pm right now and it's almost completely dark outside. A couple of weeks ago at this time, it would just be about dusk now.

pics

Ok, the full set of glacier pictures can be found here.

A handful of video clips are here.

back

I'm back from Svalbard. It was cool. I have 800 pics or so to sort through and edit, so it'll take some time to post them. I'm also tired, so the description of the event will also come later.

In the meantime, here are a few select photos that probably best convey the highlights.

fourth

Here are pics from a July 4th celebration in Oslo.

North

I've been wanting to climb a glacier and kayak amongst icebergs for a while now. I had wanted to do it in Antarctica, but seeing as how I'm closer to the North Pole right now, I've decided to head to the northernmost extreme of Norway in late July. It's an island called Svalbard.

Here's some info.

Here's a map:


View Larger Map

And here's a description from the brochure of the 3-day camping trip I'll be on:

Day 1 (Friday)
After breakfast, at 7.30 am, you will be picked up by the guide at your choice of accommodation. After a short briefing, we will pack the personal safety equipment to bring along on the trip. The guide will take us to the harbour where the boat awaits, and we will head for Ymerbukta, where we will be set ashore at our camp by zodiacs. We settle in the camp and get ready for a kayaking trip. Dressed in dry suits and life vests, we will take place in our steady double kayaks and prepare for a trip along the shoreline to the Esmark Glacier front. Before start, the guide will teach us kayaking techniques and provide supervision. The kayak is the perfect vessel when our goal is to get really close to nature and experience the silence while looking for seals and sea birds. We will find a suitable spot to go ashore to have our lunch while enjoying the view of the glacier front. Back in camp after an active day, we will prepare our dinner, and if weather permits we will round off the day around the bonfire.

Day 2 (Saturday)
After a sound breakfast, we will pack the glacier equipment and head for the Esmark Glacier with its impressive front. Wearing crampons, harness, and ropes, we will hike onto the glacier. With supervision from the guide, we will hike on clear blue ice, over deep crevasses and snow bridges while linked together by rope. We will have our lunch on the glacier with a beautiful view over the mighty glacier formations and the inlet ahead. Back at the Camp, we will prepare our dinner while we let the impressions sink in. This is a relatively long day during which we will spend approximately 8 hours on the glacier. The hike from the camp to the glacier will last 40 minutes in easy terrain.

Day 3 (Sunday)
We will clear the camp and then take a hike in the surrounding areas before the boat picks us up to take us back to Longyearbyen via the Russian community Barentsburg. We will enjoy a hot lunch onboard, then get a guided tour of Barentsburg. We will also get to visit the museum before the boat sails back to Longyearbyen after an hour and a half in Barentsburg. Estimated arrival in Longyearbyen is 8 pm.