Up at 9. All are up, except Peter who had a party with the locals until 5.
I trace maps until 12 o’clock lunch. Glorious warm weather, the helicopter makes flights all day.
A small Swiss aircraft investigates us closely and refuses to communicate over the radio – very impolite.
After lunch I continue to trace maps from air photos. After 3 o’clock coffee Ulla Asgaard and I go up onto the hill to the east with our big white husky. Ulla’s feet still sore, so we wear tennis shoes but only get our feet slightly wet. We see no lemmings, although at lunch some of the others caught one with Finn Surlyk’s shoe and kept it in a box for a few minutes and photographed it 25 times each!
A long-tailed skua pair dive on us, or rather the dog, but I get no photos.
We walk in sunshine and sit and stare at the fjord. Then I try to photograph the pink-footed goose in sunshine, while the dog is not too near. As we approach, the male flies off noisily and lands ahead of the dog, who chases it. It flies short distances, with much noise, and leads the dog on a long wild goose chase. The female stays on the nest and looks coy. I come no nearer than 2 feet – this is a great privilege!
Back for supper at 6, joining Tove Birkelund returning from her walk for the last stretch of the airstrip. After supper, sit reading Perry Mason in glorious hot sunshine, waiting for birds to sit in front of my telephoto lens – none do. A very battered third Land Rover appears!
Coffee at 9. Then Ulla and I have a shower and read a little more.
Bed at 12
Mestersvig Base
