August 20-22, 2008
I feel like my first two days were really just one long day, so I will start by combining them for my first entry. Before I start, I’d like to thank Jess for posting the blog again for me. As some of you may know, Jess recently had another baby. She is now very busy with two children under 2, the renovation of their new house, and all of the other things that come along with being a mom, a column writer, and the unofficial “Mayor of Eastport”….so thank you Jess for posting these so that I can stay in touch with the world and people can follow along with my adventures.
The flight to Svalbard was long, but I did manage to get some rest along the way. I flew first to London, then to Oslo, and finally to Longyearben, Svalbard (or Spitsbergen if you prefer). The flight to Longyearben was fantastic. At about 9 pm we witnessed an incredible sunset…and then….the sun came back up! Svalbard is at 78 degrees plus, and is known as the “Land of the Midnight Sun”. In fact, the sun has not set at all for the past few days. So the sunset we saw must have been from closer to Oslo – amazing.
Since there were no hotel rooms to be had in Svalbard, a few staff members and I were taken to the ship, which arrived to the dock around 1 am. By around 2:30 am we all had beds because all the passengers from the previous cruise were leaving at 4 am so they were off the ship and headed to the airport. It was all very strange because it was still light out and it all seemed normal to see that much activity happening at such an odd hour.
The next day, the official first day of the cruise, was hectic, but great. We had a staff meeting in the morning and then I had about an hour and a half to wander around the town. We then met for Polar Bear training, i.e. rifle and flare training. Hannah, our expedition leader, asked us at the staff meeting who was comfortable and capable of carrying and firing a rifle. I told her that I had done some riflery at camp and that I was really good at this shooting video game in the bar…not really qualifications to be carrying a gun and shooting Polar Bears just in case they happen to charge. Let me quick interrupt this story for a small sideline – the chances of us seeing a Polar Bear on this cruise are very very slim. And the chance that they actually charge humans is also slim. They typically scare off pretty easily. We are also more likely to see one from the ship than from shore. However, it is still Polar Bear country, and we still have to be prepared. Anyway, I told her that I would carry a rifle if needed, but I was probably more comfortable not. So it was off to the shooting range to practice and for Hannah to see our abilities. Can you guess what happened…..yes, I kicked some rifle butt. But wow – they sure are loud! Anyway, my four shots were clustered just above and to the right of the bull’s-eye. Not too shabby! I was proud of myself and really held my own with the boys (I was the only girl besides Hannah to shoot). So…guess who is carrying a rifle?? Yes, me. Not always, but some of the time. Please do not worry family and friends, I am going to be very cautious. I didn’t get the nickname me “safety girl” for nothing. I guess in the end, if I have to be hiking in Polar Bear country, I’d rather be in charge of my own safety and have a rifle, then not have one and only have flares.
After the rifle range, it was back to the ship in a hurry to start embarkation. Embarkation was super fun. We were not at a dock, so I got to drive zodiacs and pick passengers up. It was a great way to start an expedition! Once we got all the passengers to the ship, we loaded the luggage into the zodiacs in big nets and hoisted it all aboard. It was quite a smooth operation considering the conditions.
Then it was introductions, dinner and off to bed…my first real sleep since Wednesday.
Lori practicing her shot
The flight to Svalbard was long, but I did manage to get some rest along the way. I flew first to London, then to Oslo, and finally to Longyearben, Svalbard (or Spitsbergen if you prefer). The flight to Longyearben was fantastic. At about 9 pm we witnessed an incredible sunset…and then….the sun came back up! Svalbard is at 78 degrees plus, and is known as the “Land of the Midnight Sun”. In fact, the sun has not set at all for the past few days. So the sunset we saw must have been from closer to Oslo – amazing.
Since there were no hotel rooms to be had in Svalbard, a few staff members and I were taken to the ship, which arrived to the dock around 1 am. By around 2:30 am we all had beds because all the passengers from the previous cruise were leaving at 4 am so they were off the ship and headed to the airport. It was all very strange because it was still light out and it all seemed normal to see that much activity happening at such an odd hour.
The next day, the official first day of the cruise, was hectic, but great. We had a staff meeting in the morning and then I had about an hour and a half to wander around the town. We then met for Polar Bear training, i.e. rifle and flare training. Hannah, our expedition leader, asked us at the staff meeting who was comfortable and capable of carrying and firing a rifle. I told her that I had done some riflery at camp and that I was really good at this shooting video game in the bar…not really qualifications to be carrying a gun and shooting Polar Bears just in case they happen to charge. Let me quick interrupt this story for a small sideline – the chances of us seeing a Polar Bear on this cruise are very very slim. And the chance that they actually charge humans is also slim. They typically scare off pretty easily. We are also more likely to see one from the ship than from shore. However, it is still Polar Bear country, and we still have to be prepared. Anyway, I told her that I would carry a rifle if needed, but I was probably more comfortable not. So it was off to the shooting range to practice and for Hannah to see our abilities. Can you guess what happened…..yes, I kicked some rifle butt. But wow – they sure are loud! Anyway, my four shots were clustered just above and to the right of the bull’s-eye. Not too shabby! I was proud of myself and really held my own with the boys (I was the only girl besides Hannah to shoot). So…guess who is carrying a rifle?? Yes, me. Not always, but some of the time. Please do not worry family and friends, I am going to be very cautious. I didn’t get the nickname me “safety girl” for nothing. I guess in the end, if I have to be hiking in Polar Bear country, I’d rather be in charge of my own safety and have a rifle, then not have one and only have flares.
After the rifle range, it was back to the ship in a hurry to start embarkation. Embarkation was super fun. We were not at a dock, so I got to drive zodiacs and pick passengers up. It was a great way to start an expedition! Once we got all the passengers to the ship, we loaded the luggage into the zodiacs in big nets and hoisted it all aboard. It was quite a smooth operation considering the conditions.
Then it was introductions, dinner and off to bed…my first real sleep since Wednesday.
Lori practicing her shot
posted by Lori | 12:55 AM
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