Travel story of kayaking and hiking raid in Spitsbergen

You will find on this page a rough summary of the stay in polar land carried out in the Arctic, northern hemisphere (I specify because one often confuses the Arctic and Antarctica).

This unusual sporting trip because in a hostile territory where polar bears are more numerous than humans was for me a life-size test. I was indeed attracted for a long time by these wild, cold and magical lands, without knowing if I will be able to acclimatize myself there. The stay took place in tents but without roaming, and punctuated by daily outings either by kayak or on foot in the tundra or on the glaciers.

When did I do this raid in Spitsbergen? It was summer, in August, the perfect time to visit this part of the world.

Paris - Longyearbyen

I Arrived in Longyearbyen at midnight, it was cold and there was still daylight! We were transferred to the campsite, on foot, because it was 100 meters below the airstrip.

Given the excitement and the permanent day, difficult to find sleep then accompanied by a small group, I went to discover the surroundings and in particular the wildlife. At around 3 a.m., we forced ourselves to go to bed to be in good shape the next day.

Longyearbyen

Visit of Longyearbyen, its ancient mining activities, its scientific activities and its many stories about the polar bear.

Longyearbyen - base camp

We first embarked for a polar cruise of a few hours to our camp.

Once the tents were pitched, we were ready to discover this arctic land, but not before the safety instructions relating to the polar bear:

Prohibition to go out without a permimeter delimited by clearly visible cones.

Obligation to wear at all times on oneself a sort of small alarm "pen" that produces a fireworks-like explosion if triggered.

When sleeping, a person should always stay awake and watch the camp, with relief scheduled every 2 hours.

When we go hiking, the first is the guide (armed with his rifle) and the last must always have the alarm pistol.

The surroundings of the camp revealed some tracks of polar bear in the frozen ground. Despite the danger it represents we were all eager to meet its route!

Days 4 to 10 : base camp

A mix of hiking in the tundra, on the mountains surrounding our camp, on the Svéa glacier and sea kayaking trips. During our outings we wore a neoprene suit as well as a cap and sleeves that protected us well against the biting cold at the water's edge.

What a joy to move among the icebergs, to hear the clicking of ice cubes against the boat, to observe birds and seals move freely.

And what a joy to hear this glacier rumbling, cracking constantly ... It was also during a kayak trip that we observed the polar bear . While looking for seals, we saw a funny shape evolving in the water. We then approached and there amazement and excitement, the shape seemed white and rather imposing. Immediately we made signs to our guide (but without speaking so as not to scare away the bear) who was evolving in a single-seater kayak.

After joining us, she asked all the kayaks to assemble, she took out her rifle (as a precaution) and we began to observe this fascinating animal. The trouble is that he hunted and did regular dives during which he was lost to sight for 2 to 3 minutes. It was quite stressful because we didn't know where he was going to reappear but the excitement and curiosity won so well that no one let worry or fear overcome him.

Finally his only goal seemed to keep us at a safe distance, and the more we advanced towards him, the closer he got to the banks which he eventually reached after ten minutes. Then he snorted and climbed a hill, turning around regularly to make sure we weren't following him.

Our goal was achieved, we had seen the polar bear!

Day 11 : base camp - Longyearbyen

New polar cruise this time to Longyearbyen for the last day of our arctic adventure.

Day 12 : Longyearbyen - Paris

Back to France.