Our main mission in Woodfjord was to visit the hot springs at Vulkanhamna. Frances loves hot springs and once Snow Dragon was comfortably anchored, she was ready to go ashore. Krystina is far less fanatical but none the less she rushed up the hill ahead to check them out. Upon reaching the top of the colorful sinter terraces, she found three small lukewarm pools, barely large enough for an arctic tern to bathe in. Frances was disappointed but took it in her stride and we turned our attention to the fjord’s other features.
The area above the hot springs was rich in vegetation, unlike the rest of the fjord. Including several varieties of plants and flowers that we had not seen before. After exploring the mountainside, we took to the beach, walking on colorful pebbles below the red sandstone mountains.
The large amount of wood that washes up on shore from the vast Siberian rivers, gives the fjord its name. Seeing so many logs on the beach makes it easy to forget that Svalbard is above the arctic tree line. During our wander through the area we examined several pieces of drift wood. All of which showed evidence of being milled or cut, almost none of the wood was from uprooted trees.
Along with the drift wood which has been an important resource for building shelters throughout Svalbard’s history. Large amounts of trash also wash ashore in Woodford and many other areas in Svalbard. From what we could tell the trash originated in Russia, Norway and the UK. A large portion of it was fishing debris including line, floats and nets but there were also milk crates and yogurt containers. When we burn our trash on the beach, we try to add some of the shore trash. Doing so makes us feel better but it is only a very small contribution.
For more photos of Woodfjord please click on Woodfjord Album.
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