June 6 - Svalbard — DIANE TUFT

Video by Bill Megalos

I have fallen in love with my Hasselblad 5D. The photographs are amazing and I can truly paint with my camera!

Each day we wait for the weather to clear so we can fly over Svalbard.

We finally left Longyearbyen to cross the Isfjorden Fjord at 3:00 and tried to chase the Sun, arriving home at 10:00.

After 3 hours we stopped to refuel at Austifjordes where Ragnhild Rossenland and Frode Skar have been given the privilege of living in this Trapper’s cabin for a year. They have just renewed and will be staying one more year.

They are completely self sufficient, living on seal, reindeer, fish and birds that they have hunted. By using salt and smoke to preserve their food, they are able to have food throughout the winter when it is dark 6 months of the year.. A small wind generator gives them electric and a team of Greenlandic Huskies keep the Polar Bears away and are used to pull their sled.

*From left to right: Henning (our pilot), Ragnhild and Frode (the trappers), Angela, Diane, Bill*

Images of Svalbard:

Tomorrow is our last day in the A Star Helicopter. We hope for sun.