On Patrol
Witnessing the environment changing has been inspiring Bjarki Kaldalóns Friis for years, and it's a phenomenon he enjoys explaining to others. Just watch out for the polar bears!
JOHN BURFITT
Witnessing the environment changing has been inspiring Bjarki Kaldalóns Friis for years, and it's a phenomenon he enjoys explaining to others. Just watch out for the polar bears!
Over recent months, Bjarki Friis has been transfixed by the view from the living room window of his home in Reykjavík, Iceland.
Only 30 kilometres southwest of Bjarki’s home, the Fagradalsfjall volcano has been erupting and spewing red-hot lava since March 2021. The glow of the constant blasts has lit up the Reykjavík sky, and was foreshadowed by a series of earthquakes that shook the city of 130,000 in the lead up to the eruptions.
But having an up-close view of the ferocious full force of nature changing the environment in this part of the world has been keeping the acclaimed geologist and Hurtigruten Expeditions team member fascinated for years.
“This year has been a little crazy with everything that’s been happening, and I have been keeping a close eye on it to see how it changes,” says Bjarki. “What’s really interesting is the eruptions seem to be increasing, and that usually means there’s something changing. We’re all watching closely, every day.”
The Danish-born, Norwegian-raised Bjarki, 47 – his mother is Icelandic and his father is Danish – has spent the years dividing his time between Denmark, Norway, Greenland and the archipelago of Svalbard, before now calling Iceland home.
He has kept a well-trained and protective eye on this Arctic part of the world through the five years he spent in the Danish army and navy, including three years in the military Sirius Sled Dog Patrol. On patrol, he spent months guarding the most isolated areas of northeast Greenland, usually with only the 14 dogs and one colleague as company for months on end.
Since 2009, he has been showing off the breathtaking landscapes of the region as an expedition team member with Hurtigruten Expeditions, delivering lectures on the evolving nature of the environment as well as leading trekking excursions at stops along the way. His guide work has also taken him to the other end of the world, leading tours through Antarctica.
“I have just always loved having that connection to nature and the experience of being there,” he says. “When you are up there, amid the beautiful scenery that runs from little hills up to the mountain ranges of the highest alpine areas, the dramas of the rest of the world seem so very far away and don’t seem to matter so much.
“That feeling I have always had in these areas is what I attempt to share with other people when guiding a group. I want them to enjoy it as much as I always have, but to also understand what they are seeing and experiencing so they recognise why these lands are so very special.”
Bjarki is currently waiting on the lifting of the current COVID-19 travel restrictions so he can again welcome guests with Hurtigruten Expeditions, and show off and explore his favourite corners of the world.
But with the way the landscapes are changing throughout the region due to climate change, he stresses that time is of the essence. The region has undergone rapid change over the past decade, with the melting of the permafrost, a decrease in snow levels and a dramatic reduction of sea ice.
“People should visit soon as they need to see these changes to understand what’s going on,” he says. “In northeast Greenland, it’s far more prominent and our cruise ships can now go into fjords which were not accessible 15 years ago. It’s all still beautiful, of course, but it’s just very different.”
He notes awareness of climate changes has increased in recent years among visitors on the expeditions. “It’s interesting how much more enlightened people are about what all this means for our region,” he adds.
For the time being, Bjarki is keeping close to home in Reykjavík, spending time with his wife, Anna, and three-year-old daughter, Katla. “She’s named after one of the fiercest volcanoes in all of Iceland, and at times, she truly lives up to that name,” he laughs.
While his Hurtigruten Expeditions tours have been on hold due to the pandemic, he has been busy with his work as Natural Hazards Specialist with the Iceland Meteorological Office.
“I work with anything that is a hazard to nature, which is why I have been so busy with the earthquakes and volcanic eruptions going on,” he explains. He had previously been employed as an exploration geologist with Store Norske, a coal mining company on Svalbard.
One thing that he is certain will never change when trekking on tours in Greenland and Svalbard is the rush of adrenalin that hits when coming face-to-face with a polar bear.
“Our aim is always not to meet a polar bear when we’re on land, but it becomes a matter of knowing how to cope,” he laughs. “You gather the group and move away, but if the bear approaches, you scare it with a flare gun and it will retreat. It’s never been a problem, but it is something people in the group talk about forever afterwards!”
While Bjarki has stared down more than a few polar bears in his time and claims it is never a big deal, snakes are another matter altogether.
“One day I would love to visit Australia, but I am not sure how I would cope with all the snakes,” he says. “Snakes are small and I don’t like that, while polar bears are big and I know how to handle them. Give me a polar bear any day!”
