Today started in the middle of the night, Sheatie calling to the
tents at 230am, "polar bear, polar bear...do you want to see the polar
bear?” I’m confused, the sun is low on the horizon and after just getting to
sleep I finally realize what’s happening and throw on my boots.
The backdrop is a dreamscape - pastel blues and whites of the
mountains, the fog shading its peaks and curves. Next to the iceberg a polar
bear is peacefully marching along the ridge, curiously looking over us,
disappearing below the cracks, then peeks his head up over a large chunk of
ice, staring at us, slowly sliding over, nose in the air smelling our scent as
he circles around. Our Inuit guides quietly stand back, with their rifles,
watching his actions and constantly assessing. The bear is just as curious as
us, wandering off in the distance I go crawl back into bed.
After a delicious breakfast it's finally time to hit the floe
edge! The fog has been continually rolling in and out; the mountains clear as
day one moment and zero visibility the next. I feel as though the rest of the
world doesn't exist and we’re the only existence.
The convoy of sleds arrive at the edge, a scene from frozen
planet, the sky is amazing - white cloudy fog over the ice, but over the open
water, it’s a dark grey - both reflecting that which is below. Flocks of birds
stream across the sky, seals popping their heads in and out of the water
watching us, going about their business. The day camp is set up like its a day
at the beach, lawn chairs to line ourselves along the edge, an area filled with
snacks, coffee and tea, a heated tent in case we get cold and need a warm up,
and finally, a lone bathroom tent. Totally impressive.
I've quickly learned that in the arctic, it's a "hurry up
and wait" game. There’s a lot of time waiting for the action, although it
passes with pleasant conversations with fellow travelers and our guides. I
really enjoy chatting with our local experts about how they live, grew up,
their thoughts on things like global warming, schooling, the knowledge that has
been passed down by elders.
Its not long before we get our first narwhal sightings, their
camouflaged grey and white skin surfacing gracefully, you can hear them
breathing as they move along, and finally I see a tusk project from the water!
A while later I see what looks to be a piece of ice, with a closer look its a
polar bear swimming about 50 feet from us, watching the shore as he slowly
disappears into the fog.
The kitchen crew arrives on their sleds with a full spread ready
for us - hot soup, fresh cheeses, salami and crackers - the food here is
amazing and everyone is overly impressed including Heather and Bea from London
who are vegan - they were expecting to eat rice and vegetables all week and
have been blown away from the chefs creativity...we’re all a little jealous of
their special meals, dumpling soup, Indian curries, and chocolate brownies.
Late in the afternoon a group of us decides to walk back to
camp...the fog rolls in once again and it's like we're walking into heaven,
sheer whiteness, our feet crunching along breaking the sound of the silence
breaks as we follow the snowmobile tracks. Our Inuit guide Jeffery is with us, Jane
with her rifle...safety precautions. The ice is flat in some places and quickly
changes to little hills and chunks of ice, a perfect place for a bear to be
chilling out. The walk takes us over an hour – daily workout…check.
It's down time and some people take advantage to have a nap
(probably a good idea). Its too beautiful out so I find a comfy spot to chill
out, listen to music and observe (people watching in the Arctic, maybe?)…a few
of the guides are pumping out water from around the tents where it looks like a
small mote, Sheatie’s team is busy tuning up the snowmobiles and the kitchen
crew prepping for dinner.
Another tasty meal of marinated flank steak, fish, grilled
zucchini, beet and carrot salad, it's back out to the flow edge.
The wind has completely disappeared and the water is like glass.
Perfect setting for an abundance of narwhal! Alas…the evening is quiet and we
spend more time watching birds and seals. The silence is deafening. The sound
of the birds flapping as they swoop by is crystal clear, even in the distance
one can hear them clearly as they land and lightly glide above the water.
Time
to head back and we ask for 15 more minutes…that passes and I switch out my
lenses, just as Andy announces last call for the bathroom before he takes it
down - "narwhal!". Of course! Frantically switching back my lens and
juggling to get the camera back on the tripod, the whale stays with us for a
few minutes and I'm able to get some good tail shots as he takes a deep dive.
All and all no complaints for today. We're all hoping for the fog to be gone
tomorrow, and looking forward to more sightings.
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