Gruvefjellet hillside, Sarkofagen and Moraine Cave

Trip Start Aug 03, 2003
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Trip End Jun 05, 2004


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Sunday, March 7, 2004

We have decided to put together these three entries in order to avoid making a big mess with them, and also because they were only three half day trips. We climb up the Gruvefjellet for two main reasons, to see from a close-up what had been ¼ of our landscape for some time, and would continue being it for long; and also to have a nice view of the Longyearbyen valley from one of its laterals. It resulted in a nice walk, as we also had the opportunity to ski down the lower part of the hillside (the upper part is a bit too steep for our skiing abilities). We also took some pictures when we arrived to the level of the mine.
Sarkofagen is the closest "mountain" (only 600 meters above sea level) to the student barracks of Nybyen. An easy ascent, but a nice view over the Longyearbyen Valley. The 2 glaciers that finish in the valley (Larsbreen and Longyearbreen) are separated by Sarkofagen.
The moraine cave digs its way into the Larsbreen glacier, and runs for some tens of meters inside. You can follow the river of ice going uphill and find extremely nice structures where the sediments embedded into the ice show clearly the patterns of flux followed by this. But you can also behave as a child and have some fun, as we did (just check the pictures).
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