Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. – Margaret Mead We have been reflecting on the power of the word “community”. Both the community that we have created through Hearts in...

I can’t hear what you are saying, what you do speaks so loudly. – Ralph Waldo Emerson Having a link to the “outside world” to communicate has been the cornerstone of Hearts in the Ice. Last July, two days before Sunniva left Canada for Svalbard she received the 2nd...

Life here has been all about pattern disruption. The way we lived a year ago is worlds apart from the way we have lived here at Bamsebu for the past 9 months. There is no excess here. No excess distraction, no excess consumerism, no excess waste and no excess use of...

Saturday May 2nd we rode our Lynx snowmobiles for 6 hours from Bamsebu to the town of Longyearbyen for a quick resupply of food, equipment, several interviews and a few meetings. Ettra running free with her head held high inhaling the fresh air, her bushy tail...

Those who dwell among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life. Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. Rachel Carson, “The Sense of Wonder” In February we shared...

“The sky knows when its’ time to snow,
Don't need to teach a seed to grow.
It's just another ordinary miracle today” - Sarah McLachlan Right now we all seem to be living on our own “little islands”. Communication in the virtual sense being nearly the only way to...

“March Madness” happens every year in North America as the best college NCAA basketball teams in the league battle it out. The spring equinox month in 2020 has given brand new meaning to the words “March Madness”. It is unfathomable to grasp what is really happening...

The quest for certainty blocks the search for meaning. Uncertainty is the very condition to impel man to unfold his powers - Erich Fromm Wilderness is the great teacher. Our Arctic overwintering at Bamsebu has illuminated the depths of who we are; our strengths,...

Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom – Viktor Frankl From our tiny trappers cabin “Bamsebu” a storm is whipping around us with violent winds and snowdrifts...

She’s a Lady, whoa, whoa, whoa, she’s a lady…. Talking about her…she’s a lady! Sung by the legendary Tom Jones How to turn a 1930 trappers’ cabin built for beluga hunting into a female friendly place? Simply put, it isn’t easy. The trappers' cabin “Bamsebu” was built...