There are days on an expedition that genuinely feel like three days stitched together.
Today was one of them.

We woke up after a proper night’s sleep, listened to Expedition Leader James’ 0800 announcement, and headed for breakfast. The pace this morning felt almost civilised after the polar bear adrenaline of yesterday.

When our deck was called over the PA, we made our way down to Basecamp and boarded the Zodiac for the morning landing. The water was cold and glassy still, with beautiful views of Resolution as we headed for shore. The landing itself was a wet one onto a small beach, where you swing your legs around and step off into shallow water. This is exactly why Arctic muck boots are essential, and the ship will hire you a pair if you don’t bring your own. From there it was a short scramble up an icy ridge, with a metal step from the Zodiac and a couple of the crew offering the sailor’s grip to help you up.
Slick, safe, and reassuring.

We then set off on a casual hike along the snowy water’s edge. Our group of around 15 was led by Ash, a geologist by trade, who pointed out the glacial geology as we walked. Our second guide, a biologist, was beachcombing along the gravelly stretches and could identify which marine mammals various bones and vertebrae had once belonged to. Genuinely fascinating, and exactly the reason I keep choosing these slower paced hikes. I grabbed some beautiful reflection shots of the ship before we headed back to let the other half of the guests have their turn ashore.

Back on board we relaxed until lunch, which turned out to be the most spectacular on ship barbecue. Burgers, ribs, salads, a huge amount of choice. The pièce de résistance though was the donut selection. Crème caramel, KitKat, Ferrero Rocher. Almost too beautiful to eat. Almost.

After lunch came our second activity of the day, a Zodiac cruise for the whole ship at Alkefjellet, the great seabird cliffs whose name means “mount of the guillemots”. The cliffs are home to over 60,000 breeding pairs of Brünnich’s guillemots, rising to around 100 metres of basalt columns with a darker dolerite intrusion running through them. As the molten rock intruded, it recrystallised the limestone in the contact zone into marble. A geologist’s dream and a wildlife watcher’s paradise in the same frame.

Each Zodiac had its own National Geographic guide, and we spent the cruise learning all about the guillemots. There were over 100,000 birds wheeling above our heads. Astonishingly, not a single guest got pooped on.
A small miracle of timing and angles.

Mid way through I noticed Resolution sailing off into the distance. I asked our guide where she was going, and the answer was perfect. Heading into the wind in a Zodiac is uncomfortable, so the ship repositions to spare guests the bumpy ride back. The level of thought that goes into everything on this trip continues to amaze me.

Back on board we were greeted with a warming milky banana drink, exactly what was needed after a couple of hours in the open air.

At 1800 we headed to the Ice Lounge for the daily recap. A series of short, fascinating talks covering the highlights of the day, including underwater footage from some of the crew who had gone diving to observe the guillemots swimming below the surface. Quite remarkable to see.

Dinner followed in Two Seven Zero. Sashimi to start, then a delicious pork main. I have stopped being surprised by how good the food is here, every dish is equisite.

After dinner we headed straight up to the Bridge, because James had hinted at another activity tonight. During dinner the ship had come to a stop within a large ice sheet, so we had a fairly strong suspicion an ice walk was on the cards. Up on the Bridge our suspicions were confirmed, and we even helped scan the ice for polar bears as part of the safety check. One bear was spotted, but miles and miles away, so the landing was deemed safe to go ahead.

Back to the cabin to layer up, and we listened for announcements while watching the first party of crew step off the ship from our balcony. A surreal little moment. In no time our deck was called and we were heading down to walk on the sea ice.
It was incredible. We were guided around a circular walking track marked by National Geographic guides. The slush on top of the ice was easy enough to walk through, and by the end of the loop a lot of us had sat down in the snow simply to admire the ship and the view.

There were snowball fights.
There were snow angels.
There were a fair few guests, myself included, completely lost for words.

One of the most epic things I have ever done on any trip, anywhere.
We were back on board around 22:00, and headed straight up to the Bridge to watch the ship sail back out of the ice. We ended up staying for around two hours as Resolution broke through sheet after sheet. Ice as far as you could see, the odd seal, a few birds, fresh polar bear tracks crossing the floes, but sadly no bear today. Watching the ship work her way through is mesmerising.

An absolutely extraordinary day.
Three separate opportunities to step off the ship: a morning landing, an afternoon Zodiac cruise, and an evening sea ice walk.
I am not sure I will ever have another day quite like it.

If you had to pick just one, would it be the morning beach hike, the seabird cliffs, or walking on the sea ice?

#Svalbard #HinlopenStrait #NatGeoResolution #LindbladExpeditions #arcticexpedition