Magdalenefjorden and Gravneset

By Glen Bruels
This is part of a series called Nordic Sojourn 2022
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Our first landing of the trip was at Gravneset that is rated as one of the most beautiful fjords in Svalbard.  It is surrounded by tall mountains and glaciers.  It’s also one of the largest burial grounds (over 130 graves) in Svalbard dating from the early 1600s to the late 1700s — the whaling period in this area.   Much of this area is protected behind fences because over the years (starting in the 1800s), tourists have basically ransacked the place and disturbed the graves. They also took lots of souvenirs, including whale, walrus, and yes, human bones.  With Deb’s camera, we were able to get some visibility into the site.  We also could see the blubber ovens that are also protected, as well as the former Governor of Svalbard’s cabin for supervision.  We had limited areas that we could walk to avoid further damaging the moss tundra that is beyond the sandy beach.  We did see a lot of nesting Skuas, Arctic Terns, and Guillemots.  It was in the low 40s, but it felt much colder because of the dampness.  What is interesting, however, is that the Gulf Stream hits this fjord nearly dead on and, as a consequence, it never freezes.  That’s one of the big reasons this area was so popular as a whale processing area.  Anyway, this was a great way to start the trip.

Coming into Gravneset, things were looking a little foggy and grim. But that didn’t stop us!
We were starting to see more sea ice
Into the Zodiacs we go, ready for our first beach assault!
We both made it safe and sound!
Because of the potential of polar bear attacks, every landing included not only guides, but also security personnel who were armed with both rifles and handguns. Hopefully they won’t be needed.
This is what is left of one of four blubber ovens in the vicinity. This is where the blubber would be cooked down into oil. If you notice the charred black area around the edges, this is, in effect, asphalt that was created when mixing the hot oil with the surrounding sand under significant heat.
This cabin looks in pretty good repair. That’s because the current Governor and/or his representatives use it to come up and “inspect.” Apparently, the inspections happen quite a bit more in the summer months.
These are the remains of the graveyard that once was here, holding at least 130 graves. As described for Longyearbyen, when the permafrost did its thing and raised the graves to the surface, either the polar bears or the tourists took care of the rest.
And speaking of tourists, in addition to grave robbing, they left lots of graffiti.
We had lots of birds zooming around including the Arctic tern…
… and the pesky skua.
There was a surprising amount of green around and also a lot of multi-colored algae.
An artsy feather.
As we were leaving, we got a peak at the glacier coming down to the fjord.
This entry was posted in Cruising, Norway, Svalbard, Travel
Glen Bruels

I am a traveler and sometimes clay sculptor, following a long career working in consulting. My work allowed me to travel the world extensively and I was hooked. Today, I travel with my wife/best friend to explore new places, meet new people, and learn new things.

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