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:


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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.