Bear Destroys Kayaks, Stranding 2 Norwegians
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OSLO — Two Norwegian adventurers spent 12 days stranded on an arctic island because a polar bear destroyed their two kayaks.
Jens Abild and Simen Havig-Gjelseth set off in mid-June on a roughly 700-mile trek around Spitsbergen in Norway’s far north Svalbard archipelago, the Nordlys newspaper reported Tuesday.
On Aug. 9, they were unloading supplies into a borrowed cabin when a polar bear caught scent of the dried food in their kayaks and ripped the craft apart to get the free meal.
Luckily, the men had food and other supplies in the cabin, 125 miles from the nearest settlement, Nordlys reported..
On Saturday, a Norwegian coast guard helicopter spotted the two.
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