For all those who didn’t get their fill of winter, you might check out
Chris Moss’
account of a boat trip WAY up high into the Norwegian Arctic. There, he heads to the Svalbard archipelago and
encounters not only the bleak whiteness of the region, but also catches a glimpse of some of the local fauna, including
the white-furred Arctic fox “a cheeky little scavenger” as well as walruses and monster polar bears, who catch whiff of
the passers-by and needless to say contemplate a little human hors d oeurve. Moss captures the spirit of the place
nicely, and peppers the piece with fascinating hiistory, including notes on his visit to Smeerenburg or “blubber town”,
where blubber ovens and whale bones are scattered like refuse over the landscape.