Heres a gallery of 16 photos, as well as a travelogue from my recent trip to Nunavut: irameyer/baffin BAFFIN ISLAND: THE CANADIAN ARCTIC Sunday, July 20, 2014 My flight being early tomorrow, I’ll be spending the night at a motel near the airport. Quite fortuitously, I called Air Canada to check on something, only to discover that my outbound flights to Toronto and Ottawa had been reserved, but not booked. This got straightened away, though… and I averted the hassle of arriving at LAX at 5 a.m. and having to deal with ticketing. Monday, July 21 Uneventful, smooth flights. Arrive Canada’s capitol city at 6:15 p.m., and catch a cab to the majestic old Chateau Laurier, where I’ll be spending the night. Meet up with fellow staff member Katie Murray for thoroughly enjoyable dinner. (Both the food and company.) Tuesday, July 22 Off to the airport for our 9:15 a.m. flight to Iqaluit, Baffin Island, Nunavut. Keen to get up to the Arctic, board the Akademik Ioffe, and venture out into the realm of ice… and ice bears. But this wasn’t to be today, as an announcement was made while we were waiting at the gate that our flight was cancelled due to fog. So about 35 passengers and staff members gathered our bags and went back to try and get on the 11:15 flight, only to find it, too, had been canceled. Spent the next several hours at the airport while our company dealt with the logistics of rebooking us all, as well as arranging our accommodations for the night. Arrive back at the Chateau Laurier around 3. Wandered the nearby farmers market, getting some bread, cheese and fruit, then spent a leisurely night at the hotel. Wednesday, July 23 Arrive at the airport to be told there’s a 50/50 chance our flight will go. Sitting waiting, we are all encouraged when an airplane actually pulls into the gate. Awhile alter, the flight crew is warmly cheered when they board the plane. Our take-off is delayed, but we eventually get in the air, Iqaluit bound. Arrive three hours later, on a gray, damp day. Jump on a bus which takes us over to the waterfront, where Zodiacs await to ferry us and our luggage to the ship. So nice to finally be here. The remaining passengers are (hopefully) inbound on flights from Ottawa and Montreal. By 7:30, we’re all onboard, the engines are running, the anchor’s lifted… and we set sail into Frobisher Bay. Thursday, July 24 Up at 4:30, I brush my teeth, get dressed and head to the bridge. A foggy 42ºF/ 6ºC morning, with smooth seas. Much to my delight, I immediately see some icebergs on the horizon. Awhile later, there is some sea ice. I scan it with a pair of binoculars, thinking what a sweet beginning to the day (and trip) spotting a polar bear would be. But none are to be seen. The weather soon began to change, getting colder, windy, and foggier still. Heading toward the mouth of Frobisher Bay, we also were losing our protection, with the sea causing the ship to gently undulate. Never having had a problem with motion sickness, I was surprised to find myself felling ever so slightly queasy for a few moments. But this quickly passed. Not so for a fair few of the passengers, though. We’d hoped to launch our Zodiacs near Monumental Island, but 30 knot winds and very limited visibility, along with a hefty swell made the seem not prudent. So we continued north: our next destination the artist’s village of Pangnirtun, some 240 miles away in Cumberland Bay. Friday, July 25 Early morning found the seas calm, the temperature 46ºF/ 8ºC, and the sun shining through broken clouds. Zodiacking to shore, we were met by some government tourist representatives, as well as the mayor of Pangnirtun. As it happens, we’re the first ship to stop here this season. Tours were arranged of the artists co-op, as well as the museum and Park Canada headquarters. (There’s a national park nearby.) As I’m wont to do, I wandered off on my own. Spent some time in the weavers and print makers studios, though early morning found them largely devoid of the artists. Then wandered off to the cemetery… and was somewhat surprised to find pretty much every grave had a cross. (I guess I really hadn’t considered that the Inuit had all adopted Christianity.) Off to the community center, where we were going to get to sample some local cuisine, and be treated to a dance performance. As some of you know, I haven’t eaten meat for many decades. Still, I decided it would be interesting to sample seal or whale if it was offered. And, sure enough, there was beluga whale chowder, as well as some very small pieces of raw beluga. Thought to try the latter, until I asked a passenger who had done so how it was, and got the reply “completely revolting”. Hearing this I decided to pass on that cultural experience, settling for a bit of salmon and bannock (somewhat similar to a biscuit). Someone asked me if I’d tried the beluga, offering me a morsel from her chowder. Cooked, it had quite a fishy taste. Soon another staff member told me they’d tried it raw… and it wasn’t bad. So I went back and got a morsel. Not sure I’d ever eaten something so non-descript before, as it was basically tasteless (though slightly rubbery). Back to the ship, where we headed back out of Cumberland Bay on a day getting increasingly lovely. Spent some time in the sauna before dinner, also jumping into the sea water filled “plunge pool” (which must have been about 38ºF/ 3ºC). Refreshing, indeed! While eating a bowl of soup, an announcement was made that four bowhead whales were breeching off the bow. So we all abandoned our food, running to the bow and bridge. Though we missed their main “performance” we spent the next 30 minutes watching four leviathans swimming along about 100 yards from the ship. Always stimulating having these type of encounters. Saturday, July 26 Sailing out of Cumberland Bay into the Davis Strait, we see an expanse of sea ice and decide to sail over to have a closer look, as this is prime polar bear habitat. Much to everyone’s pleasure, we spot a healthy male snoozing on the ice. Of course, it is quickly aware of the ship’s approach, getting up, looking, and sniffing the air. We spend a half hour or so watching him from probably 150 yards away… and everyone arrives at breakfast afterward in a state of mind sweetly altered by our first encounter with Nanook of the North. Our next destination is about 20 miles up the coast, where the current ice charts show a heavy concentration of sea ice. Encountering dense fog en route, we hope It will burn off… and meander along. However, the fog endures. Just before dinnertime, we are treated to an amazing triple fogbow. By dinner’s end, the skies have largely cleared. Many of us gather on the bow as the captain navigates around a lovely iceberg. A glorious orange sun is setting upon the water, made mystical by some thin fog on the horizon. No sooner than it goes down, we are again immersed in heavy fog. Sunday, July 27 Before breakfast we spot a polar bear swimming in the same direction as we are. Moving at 12.5 knots, we soon overtake it. But it’s astounding to see just how fast and seemingly effortlessly a creature this size can move through the water. (Polar bears dog-paddle, yet can swim 6 miles/ 10 kilometers per hour for as much as 10 hours without stopping.) We make our way north of the Polar Circle, where we Zodiac to shore on a beautiful day in the Sunneshine Fjord. Our first time onshore outside the Inuit village, Baffin Island’s mountainous terrain is covered with rocks, moss, grasses and small butterflies and abundant ground flowers. We spot a small-tailed weasel scampering around looking for something to eat, as well as scat from what must be Arctic foxes. Spend a little bit of time sitting on a rock drinking in the stillness of region. A pleasant, albeit not all that stirring excursion leaves me once again noting how much more stimulated I generally am in the Antarctic than here. A barbecue lunch on the ship’s stern is chilly, but delicious. Now we sail north for another 4 hours to the Akpai National Wildlife Area, where we board Zodiacs to go to the rocky cliffs which are home to a quarter-million thick billed murres and kittiwakes, as well as assorted other birds. The spectacle of thousand of birds constantly flying to and from the cliffside is a marvel, indeed. Back onboard , where we immediately lift anchor and head south. Monday, July 28 Morning finds me out on the bow photographing distant clouds mirrored in absolutely still water. Soon the wind picks up a few knots, and the reflections cease. We’ll sail all day to our next destination. This is one of the main differences between this trip and Antarctica, where there are a much greater abundance of spots to explore. Spent a few hours out on the deck and bow capturing images of the blueness of the Davis Strait on a lovely, calm day. We arrive at Monumental Island in the late afternoon, immediately launching our Zodiacs for a cruise around it. Someone spots a polar bear atop what must be 1000 foot high mountain. It couldn’t have been 20 minutes later, on the back side of the island, that we see him 50 yards or so up from the water. Spend 15-20 minutes observing him from 150 yards away. Then we sense from his behavior that our presence is disturbing him… and head out to have a good look at a magnificent iceberg about a mile or so offshore. Back to the ship for dinner, after which we’re treated to yet another delicious sunset. Tuesday, July 29 We sailed south to Akpatok Island, home of hundreds of thousands of thick-billed murres. Located in Ungava Bay, logic would make it seem a part of the province of Quebec. Yet we are still in Nunavut. 40 knot winds from the north prevent us from launching Zodiacs to cruise the bird cliffs. So we set out for the south side of the island, where we expected to find a lee. But this was not to be, as the wind was blowing light gale force there, as well. So we head out across the Hudson Strait to slowly make our way back to Iqaluit. Wednesday, July 30 Waking up at 4 a.m., it is already 54ºF/ 12ºC. Our morning island is at High Bluff Island. Arrive to find it somewhat blanketed in purple fireweed. Head off on a hike towards the top of the island to see an 8-10 foot (nearly 3 meter) tall inukshuk. This cairn-like stacking is thought to be over 1000 years old, possibly used by the Inuit as a navigational guide. A fabulous walk on soft mossy terrain, with temperatures soaring to about 70F/ 21ºC. This has to have been the loveliest place amongst the dozen or so I have ever walked in the Arctic. Should likely mention we met our first Arctic mosquitoes here, and they were unlike any others I have ever encountered. Big and slow, they swarmed me… while not seeming to have all that much interest in my blood. We landed in the village of Kimmirut in the afternoon, home to a bit over 400 souls. Once again, we are their first visitors of the year. Many of the people, and most of the children came out to greet us. Saw a man skinning a young ringed seal with amazing deftness. Joking with him that it didn’t look like the first he’s done this brought a smile to his face, as well as the reply: I’ve been doing this all my life. What seemed like no more than 10 minutes later, fully skinned, the seal was being butchered as a celebratory offering to us. A bloody mess, it didn’t look at all appetizing. Several passengers partook, all expressing it was tastier than the beluga whale we tried last week. So I had a small piece. Feared it might be revolting, but that concern was allayed. I was taken by the friendliness of the people of Kimmirut far more so than those in the few other Inuit villages I have visited. Thursday, July 31 We Zodiacked through the channels of the Lower Savage Islands on a wet, gray day. A tapestry of rocks, reflected in the calm waters. Held on to hope we might find another polar bear, but all we saw were some ringed seals. Returned to the ship, where I immediately jumped into the sauna to warm up. We set sail into Frobisher Bay, heading back to Iqaluit to disembark the Ioffe tomorrow morning. We’ll have sailed 2100 miles (3350 kilometers) in 8.5 days. Distances and adverse weather conditions limited the number of excursions we went out on, and bears were at something of a premium. A good trip, nonetheless. For me, the Arctic doesn’t seem to measure up to Antarctica. But then, it may well be unrealistic to expect anything to.
Posted on: Mon, 04 Aug 2014 13:11:49 +0000
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