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The Adventure Continues....

Date Posted: September 25, 2009

Photographer: Michelle Valberg

There is something unreal about boarding a zodiac smack in the middle of the arctic ocean. Black arctic water … an endless horizon of water and sky … and a sky only interrupted by the occasional whisp of a cloud. Yet the only way to get to Lady Franklin Island  was via our huge, rubber rafts, so board them we did. I was struck by our isolation.

We were told that the island we would be circling has a couple of distinctive features: it has rarely been visited by anyone; and it is the most likely place to see walrus. Armed with our cameras, we headed out to the island and slowly began to circle.

Our eyes were fixed on the massive island cliffs, hoping for some kind of movement that would lead us to a walrus colony. What we saw, however, was quite surprising.  Climbing up the cliff and walking along a jagged ridge were two polar bears.  Our cameras went into overdrive as the two white, furry creatures went about their daily business, oblivious to the fact that they were stars in our individual arctic movies.


Our return to the ship was quiet. We were all struck by the isolation, combined with the stunning realization that we are one of the few people in the world to see polar bears in a habitat that is so remote it is barely acknowledged on a map.  A stunning experience.

The following day’s stop was in Kimmirut, a small town with a population of about 400. We had heard of the way the Inuit offer a ‘welcome’ to visitors and experienced it for the first time when we hauled our zodiacs on to the shore and were led to the school’s gymnasium.  There to greet us were most  of Kimmirut’s residents. We were treated to some Inuit sports demonstrations and a heart-felt welcome by  the town’s leaders. We were happy to be able to recipricate by inviting the town’s children to gather around the 15 hockey bags filled with equipment that we had brought with us on our ship. The children were completely surprised and their smiles made our Project North campaign truly worthwhile.


Our welcome was not over until we all headed outdoors to witness an elder slice open a seal and offer its meat to all of us. It is a traditional offering that the residents were proud to make. We received this delicacy with our heartfelt thanks.

The excursion ended with a hike up the large mountain which looms over this tiny town. While the mountain trail was beautiful, it wasn’t until we rounded the corner at its peak that we expereinced one of the more breath-taking sights on this adventure to date. A vista of huge red, burnt umber, orange and bronze-coloured rocks that were interrupted  by five or six bright blue lakes, located at various levels of the mountain. A sight that Michelle and I enjoyed in total silence, quietly acknowledging to ourselves that we are extremely lucky to experience some of the world’s most beautiful sights.

Written by Joan Weinman




Comments

There are 2 comments on this blog.

 

"i'm from Kimmirut... and its awosme there ...lol"

Milu Akavak
December 2, 2009

 

"A privilege to see it, even (in my case) vicariously, and good on ya for bringing the sports equipment. That was the priority."

Barry B
April 8, 2010

 

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