It is 22 July, Day 82 of our expedition. Thomas and I are still camped at Cape Barents, an incredibly fascinating place!
Today we have exploring our nearby environment. We have found many kinds of bones, even reindeer antlers. This is actually quite striking, because there are no reindeer here in Franz Josef Land. Or more accurately, there was once a reindeer population, but no one knows when it died out. Neither Nansen nor any of the other Arctic explorers who visited these shores in the early 20th or late 19th centuries reported seeing reindeer. Hence these antlers must be older than that. So far we have found three or four of them.
In addition we have found many bones of polar bears, and bones of whales and walrus, so there has clearly been a lot of life and activity at this cape. It’s incredibly lively now as well – absolutely amazing! Up on the birdrock there must be thousands of gulls, razorbills and other seabird species, all making a loud ruckus. In addition there are colourful patches of lichen on the birdrock, and on the stones down here, making the landscape into almost a painting. It’s beautiful!
Today we heard an airplane, for only the second time in three months. It’s a powerful reminder that there actually is a very world beyond what we are seeing here. There is ongoing human activity here in Franz Josef Land, in the form of a military station northwest of us – I believe the place is called Alexandra Land. A few hours later, we heard the airplane returning. It was a propeller plane, so it probably landed to let off people or supplies.
Ice is gathering on the sea beyond the cape, drifting in from the north. There is almost no wind now and the weather is good; it has stopped raining and the sun is trying to break through. Since we’re camped on the southeastern shore of Northbrook Island, and have merely to continue paddling our kayaks along the island’s southern shore, the ice is not going to pose any problems for our progress.
We may well continue tomorrow, if the weather holds. It should take us no more than a couple of more days to reach Cape Flora. It seems incredible to us that our expedition is about to reach its conclusion, at least the chapter of Franz Josef Land.
What an amazing accomplishment!