Arctic Safari 2012

Story by Allister Pedersen Photos by Daniel J. Catt

Adventure Canada Presents:

Adventure Canadas

Arctic Safari 2012

From Kangerlussuaq to Resolute aboard the Clipper Adventurer Story by Allister Pedersen Photos by Daniel J. Catt

905-271-4000 or 1-800-363-7566 www.AdventureCanada.com

Adventure Canada 14 Front St. S. Mississauga, On L5H 2C4

July 30 - Kangerlussuaq Greenland Excited is the best description of most, if not all, of the passengers congregating in the lobby of the Sheraton Gateway Hotel at Pearson Airport at 5 AM on the morning of July 30, 2012. It isnt every day that one awakes to a travel day that holds the prospect of new and exotic lands, new experiences and the prospect of new (and/or renewed) friendships among 128 fellow travellers. This, our log, reflects some of our experiences during 11 days aboard the Clipper Adventurer. From the outset, the trip offered a very special feeling for us. How often does a travel experience provide that personal touch with an Order of Canada Geologist describing the terrain of Northern Canada and Greenland on-the-fly as we winged our way over Northern Canada? Once again at Kangerlussuaq Greenland there was the personal touch! After landing, our aircraft was met by 3 busses that came onto the airport tarmac to pick us up for a tour of the town. After one more personal touch, the Greenland Customs official coming on to the busses, we were off for a tour of Kang.

The raging Watson River that borders the town of 550 had severed a bridge that connects the town to a road leading up to an area occupied by airport navigational aids. The roaring silt-laden waters that surged through the narrows underlined the fact that nature is boss in this part of the world. Speculation about the cause of the high waters ranged from ice-dam blockage upstream the previous weeks to a recent excessively high warm spell over the entire Greenland Ice Cap or perhaps a combination of causes. A drive around town and a visit to the museum underlined the strategic importance of Greenland during World War II when the Sondre Stromfjord air base provided a critical link for aircraft flying from North America to Europe. It was a truly beautiful day with a few clouds and a light breezethe thermometer hanging in the shade of the museum indicated 19 degrees Celsius (66F)!!! After the last passengers had boarded the ship, a short Zodiac ride from shore, the Clipper Adventurer started her sail down a dramatic fjord surrounded by sharp towering peaks of multi-coloured rock reaching skyward. Once again, after we had enjoyed our first meal onboard, our geologist provided a turn-by-turn commentary as we made our way southwestward down the fjord which is located on the Arctic Circle.

July 31 - Itilleq For those passengers located in cabins near the anchor chain locker, Day 2 started at 0554 when the Clipper Adventurer anchored just off shore of the community of Itilleq. At the official wakeup call at 0630 local time we learned that the temp was +9C, the seas were calm and skies were overcast. The tiny village of Itilleq was just a short Zodiac ride from the ship. Visibility decreased at one point and Itilleq disappeared from view. While some thought it was foggy, truth be told, a magical, mystical mist had descended with Mother Nature reminding us once again that she was still the boss. Itilleq residents visited the ship and, along with Adventure Canada staff, provided an overview of the community prior to our trip ashore. Many passengers went ashore to wander freely about the community, visit the cemetery and hike further afield while the soccer (football) field was being groomed for an international tournament featuring Team Canada from the Clipper Adventurer and Team Greenland from Itilleq - population of 133. In an extremely well-fought match Team Canada was able to exultantly shout at the end of the game: Were number two, were number two. Attendance was at an all-time high; at one point there were more than 70 people including 48 players who were on the field at the same time. Sled dogs howled in the background possibly at the almost goals scored by

Team Canada members. After the game, many residents accepted the invitation to visit the ship. And then it was back to the dining room and lunch where one passenger described the morning as an absolutely great experience. The afternoon featured Expedition Staff members providing three presentations; Nunatinnut Tunngasugitti: Welcome to our Land, Photography Tips for Arctic Cruises and Archeology of the Eastern Arctic as we sailed north towards Ilulissat. The Daily Recap summarized a busy day and our Expedition Leader outlined the logistics for our visit to llulissat. Not long after dinner, although the seas were calm, the ship was rocking up a storm with some accomplished musicians on the guitar, saxophone, piano and cahone drum which is the most widely used Afro-Peruvian musical instrument since the late 18th century. August 1 - llulissat The wakeup call on our itinerary was listed for 0630 hours. However, at 0445 when your scribe stirred in anticipation of our llulissat visit, the decks were far from empty. (I wondered whether those on deck were getting an early start or perhaps they had just left the rocking bunch in the forward lounge). The wakeup weather summary noted mostly sunny, flat calm,

no wind with a temperature of 9C. Now, an attempt to describe the indescribable. At 2300 hours the previous evening (night time was no longer part of our vocabulary) there was no sea ice to be seen. In the morning we were surrounded by sea ice and large icebergs-some of them absolutely massive. One passenger showed me a video he took at sunrise (or was it sunset?) of all the ice painted in infinite shades of red, orange and yellow. There is a quiet majesty in the bergs that in some cases dwarf the Clipper Adventurer. Our hour-long Zodiac cruise amongst the bergs was undoubtedly the highlight of a great day. The textures of the icebergs ranged from smooth to rough, the shapes from towering pinnacles to squat but massive tabular bergs. Some are pure white, others gray/black and dirty with rocks, gravel and sand embedded in them probably from scraping the bottom of the fjord and then perhaps flipping over after they became unstable. Our Zodiac drivers glided and banged their way through the brash ice and bergy bits to a small dock in the heart of the harbour leaving the Captain to ponder the problem of getting the much larger Clipper Adventurer through the ice and small bergs to the dock for re-provisioning. The remainder of the day offered free time to tour the town of llulissat and/ or hike 3kms along a boardwalk to an observation point overlooking the 56km-long fjord made famous as the largest generator of icebergs in the northern hemisphere. Some passengers opted to take a helicopter tour

of the enormous glacier, Sermeq Kujalleq, at the bottom of the Ilulissat Icefjord. We learned that ocean currents would carry the icebergs north along the west coast of Greenland before they would drift across Davis Strait towards Baffin Island and ultimately south to iceberg alley and possibly Newfoundland if they were in fact large enough to survive the warmer climes. Our almost indescribable day was capped off with presentations on Arctic Bird Identification and an Introduction to Inuit Art followed by the Captains Welcome Cocktail Reception and Welcome Dinner. Almost 24-hours of daylight are needed to absorb everything the Arctic offers. In fact, I am certain the total experience will involve months of reflection. August 2 - Davis Strait Day 3 of the trip became Day 4 as many passengers congregated outside on a stern deck sipping warm drinks and listening to live music. Several couples danced while the rest listened and also watched the sun gradually sink to (but not below) the horizon around midnight-a truly magical moment in the Land of the Midnight Sun. The soft late evening light was a photographers dream. The clocks were pushed 2 hours back after our westward travel across Davis Strait and we leave Greenland and cross into the Canadian Arctic. The waters of the strait gradually changed from smooth to lumpy as the winds pick up.

Day 4 provided a broad range of presentations to choose from including: Introduction to Inuit Art Our Mobile Planet: Volcanoes, Earthquakes, Tsunamis Inuit Culture in a Nutshell Throat Singing and Drumming Marine Mammals of Nunavut and West Greenland GPS Workshop

And, to close out the day, there was an evening film screening of Passage which was introduced by the Director. Popcorn was served to complement a night out at the movies. Without question the highlight of the day for everyone onboard was the first polar bear sighting. The magnificent creature was spotted by the Captain who turned the ship around to give everyone onboard an excellent opportunity for photos-this was no ordinary trip. As we watched closely the bear moved along a huge ice island measuring an incredible 5km by 8km originally from the Petermann Glacier calving in 2010. We felt privileged to see the bear on the ice island which is the 2nd largest in the Arctic at the present time. It was an awesome display of nature for us-a magnificent animal on an immense piece of ice being buffeted and undermined by the seas relentlessly crashing against the base. A driving rain and mist added to, rather than detracted from, the experience.

August 3 - Clyde River & Scott Inlet After a 27 hour crossing of Davis Strait we arrived near the community of Clyde River. Nature held the cards again today as we learned that Ottawabased representatives from CBSA (Canada Border Services Agency) were unable to land at the Clyde River airport to clear the ship, because of poor visibility. But like every other day with Adventure Canada we kept busy with presentations, workshops and wildlife viewing. Presentations this morning included: Marine Radio-Communications and Navigation Inuktitut 101 Arctic Mysteries, Arctic Magic Retreating Glaciers and Disappearing Sea Ice A BBQ lunch was served outside at the stern with an option to include some Glue-Vine (spelling is correct) to hold us together until a late dinner. In preparation for our soccer game in Pond Inlet the staff held a Dancercise class and a demonstration of Inuit games. Many passengers attempted to compete with the Inuit athletes. Other activities included sewing with seal fur, a GPS workshop and tours of the engine room. The day concludes with a late evening Zodiac tour of Scott Inlet. The sheer cliffs tower above the inlet and the peaks often disappear as the clouds move in and out.

August 4 - Pond Inlet Pajama Day offered a nice option for those of us that are not early-risers although once you woke up aboard the Clipper Adventurer (whether it was 3 AM or 7 AM) it was hard to stay in bed for fear you might miss something. Our wakeup call at 0700 brought news that it was 6 Celsius, winds were calm and our destination was Pond Inlet. At 1030 we were approaching Pond Inlet with more birds and some bearded seals observed by those on the outer decks. Presentations this morning included: Amazing Adaptations of Arctic Birds My First Beluga Catch Exploration of the Northwest Passage After lunch a ceremony took place aboard the ship regarding the border dispute between Canada and Denmark over tiny Hans Island in Kennedy Channel. In exchange for Canadas disputed half of Hans Island, Canada took over Greenland. This not only solved an ongoing border dispute but will obviously eliminate the need for Canada Border Services agents to fly to Pond Inlet and other communities to clear Adventure Canada ships into the country. After Customs Clearance several residents of Pond Inlet, including the Mayor and Economic Development Officer, boarded the ship to welcome

us to their community and to provide an outline of the visit to their community. So much of the recent history of the area was linked to the search for the Northwest Passage and the Economic Development Officer noted that his grandfather guided Henry Larsen, Master of the RCMP vessel St. Roch, through the Northwest Passage. The St. Roch was the first vessel to circumnavigate North America. Our first visit was to the museum and then we were off to the Cultural Centre for demonstrations of throat singing and Arctic Games sports. A soccer game, which ended in a shootout, closed out our shore visit. Once again, the Adventure Canada team snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. The last Zodiac left the beach at 2130 for a buffet dinner. The dining room emptied of passengers when a whale was spotted.

August 5 - Dundas Harbour The initial part of the passage through Lancaster Sound from Bylot Island to Dundas Harbour held a lot of pack ice requiring manual steering to slip amongst the ice. Ironically, during the presentation on Climate Change and Marine Mammals in the Canadian Arctic, the speaker almost tumbled to the floor as the Clipper Adventurer struck some pack ice. Other interesting presentations included: Keeping Warm in the Cold: Traditional Inuit Clothing Culture Shock The Urban Inuit

A bear with two cubs on a distant ice floe raised our hopes that more wildlife excitement might be coming. In the afternoon gunfire was heard from the stern as Adventure Canada staff brought out the firearms used for perimeter protection. Members of the perimeter support team wanted to reacquaint themselves with the various firearms. As we approached our anchorage off Devon Island the Expedition Leader started a mandatory safety briefing for everyone going ashore for the visit at Dundas Harbour. As he was emphasizing the need to stay together within the perimeter set up by Adventure Canada staff a cry of polar bear broke out which, once again, resulted in a mass exodus of the forward lounge. The polar bear was either sleeping or covertly watching ten plus walrus resting on an offshore rock and another fifteen or so in the water.

The sight of the polar bear and walrus necessitated a change of plans. For safety reasons it was decided to take a Zodiac tour along the shore past the polar bear and walrus. The Zodiac tour departed in a group so that everyone had an equal opportunity to see and photograph the walrus and polar bear. We were able to get close enough, but not too close, for fullframe photos using a moderate zoom lens -an unforgettable experience. After the amazing opportunity to see the polar bear and walrus we motored off towards the former RCMP post at Dundas Harbour. This post was established in 1922 and remained active for 10 years and then intermittently after that until 1951. The buildings are still in good condition. A second polar bear was spotted walking along the rocks not too far from shore. Although no muskox had been spotted to date an entire family of muskox appeared for the Animal Theme Dinner and stole the show. After dinner we watched the NFB film Martha of the North which outlines the relocation of the Inuit from Northern Quebec to Grise Fiord.

August 6 - Croker Bay Today we explored Croker Bay by land and sea. The Croker Bay Glacier flows out of the Devon Island Ice Cap and reaches the sea at Croker Bay on Lancaster Sound. After seeing some fox traps and evidence of Inuit hunting settlements we walked along the beach towards the glacier. During the two mile walk we saw Arctic Hare, Red throated loons, snow geese and many Arctic flowers, lichens and mosses. A seal was seen frolicking on the beach. The Zodiac cruise along the three kilometer face of the glacier revealed an intriguing variety of ice sculptures, crevasses and caves. The area of the ice cap is approximately 13,000km2 and the thickness is up to 800 metres in places. The zodiac tour along the glacier prepared 42 brave women and men to immerse themselves in the Arctic Ocean. Various styles of entering the frigid waters were demonstrated including apprehensively jumping in from the Zodiac landing platform at water level to death-defying leaps from the dizzying heights of the Bridge Deck. The most outstanding entry into the water was by the Ornithologist who was decked out in a delightful Flamingo pink frock. His leap from the Bridge Deck accurately demonstrated a Common Murre falling from its nesting place on a bare rock ledge high up on a cliff face. The angle of entry and resulting impact lead to dramatic body colourings that reminded many birders of a scarlet macaw. It has been said that passionate birders will go to any heights in pursuit of their activities.

After the polar bear swim there was a presentation on Seals and Sealing. In addition there were tours of the engine room. A musical evening warmed us body and soul. Late that evening the Clipper Adventurer anchored in Radstock Bay. Todays travels represented our farthest travels north with Croker Bay located at 7439 N 9100 W only 1,600 kms from the geographic North Pole.

August 7 - Whaler Point and Prince Leopold Island Our 0630 wakeup call revealed the temperature was 5C and there was a high overcast with winds from the NW at 15 knots (30 kph). Today brought out the archeologist in all of us during our visit to Whaler Point which is one of the best-preserved Thule sites. Adventure Canada Expedition Staff members explained the site and its significance during our shore tour. The Thule culture represents the expansion of Alaskan Inuit across arctic Canada about 1000 AD and the gradual displacement of the Dorset who occupied the area previously. We were all left wondering what conditions were like at this site 1,000 years ago-the climate, the food supply, the shelter. An old steam engine was also seen on shore-a rusty relic from the explorations of the Northwest Passage in the early 1800s. In the afternoon we boarded the Zodiacs for a tour along the vertical face of the 220 metre high cliffs of Prince Leopold Island noted for their extraordinary bird populations. The area is a federally listed migratory bird sanctuary. The island is the most important station for breeding marine birds in the Canadian Arctic, having larger numbers and a greater diversity of species than any other site. Like so many activities during this trip the size and numbers boggle the imagination-when combined the total number of pairs of seabirds at this colony is almost 200,000 pairs. The highlight of the day as far as wildlife viewing went was the six Beluga whales sited this morning. Adventure Canada rounded out the day with an Inuit Resource member presenting Angutis Amulet: A Community Archeology Project and a Northern Panel.

August 8 - Beechey Island Our penultimate wakeup call at 0700 in Radstock Bay brought news of calm seas, a temperature of 8C and a departure for Beechey Island at 0900. For anyone that has been engulfed by books about the Explorations for the Northwest Passage, Beechey Island is a must-see destination that lived up to expectations. As we travelled towards Beechey Island we were entertained and educated with presentations on: Search and Rescue Law of the Sea and the Arctic The Adventure Canada Story So Far

Our shore visit to Beechey Island was almost 4 hours long giving plenty of time for photography and a walk along the beach from the three graves of John Franklins crew members (and another grave of a member of a Franklin search expedition) to the remains of Northumberland House. It had been established in 1854. The house was largely destroyed, as were the stores and the small yacht left there in the hope that survivors of the Franklin expedition might find them. After 10 days of travelling aboard the good ship Clipper Adventurer, eating extensively of the great offerings and absorbing a wealth of material during presentations and shore visits the idea of a Hank Williams Memorial

Dance seemed to be a stretch of the amount of energy left in most of us. However, the dance floor was crowded with cowboys and cowgirls for almost every song. The day concluded with a Farewell Reception, Farewell Dinner and lastly the Variety Show. Was this the day of the Whiskey Label Contest? I cant remember!! With credit to Tom Paxton and his hit Wasnt that a Party - Could have been the whiskey, might have been the gin So much great music and so many good times.

August 9 - Resolute Our August 9 wakeup call at 0730 in Resolute Bay revealed the temperature was 5C and there was a pea soup fog. With only a few hours left aboard the Clipper Adventurer how many of us were wondering, maybe we will have to remain aboard the ship for another day or two until the fog clears? Our wishful thinking was short lived as the fog lifted and we had our first view of Resolute. Everyone was pleased to hear the announcement that the seas are calm and it will be a dry landing on the beach. After breakfast everyone convened in the forward lounge for the final recap of the trip, the highlight being an all-encompassing collection of images taken during the trip. The question on everyones lips was, Did we do all that in the last 10 days? During the 10 days aboard the Clipper Adventurer we had seen Arctic Hare, Arctic Fox, whales (Humpback, Sei, Pilot, Bowhead, Beluga), harbour porpoise, seals (Hooded, Harp, Ringed, Bearded), 30+ walrus and 7 polar bears (stretched over 5 days) just to keep everyone looking out to sea for another bear. Thirty-four different bird species had been observed including Northern Wheatear, Red-throated Loon, Parasitic and Pomarine Jaegers, Northern Fulmars (2600+), Thick-Billed Murres,

Dovekies, Gyrfalcon, Rough-Legged Hawk, Ivory Gull and a Northern Gannet flying well out of its expected range. After travelling almost 3,000km together our farewells were exchanged. This trip log is one persons views of a short, albeit adventure packed, period of time. It does not, and cannot, capture all of the moments especially those moments shared during meals, during presentations and on deck and ashore. Each one in the company of adventurers passengers, Adventure Canada staff, Adventure Canada resource persons and Clipper Adventurer crew - have their stories and, although untold, will last for years to come. Completed August 21, 2012 Allister Pedersen

Officers, Ship and Expedition Staff

Captain: Chief Officer: Chief Engineer: Hotel Manager: Executive Chef: Sous Chef: Purser: Maitre D: Doctor: Expedition Leader: Assistant Expedition Leader: Expedition Team & Culturalist: Culturalist: Photographer & Naturalist: Expedition Team: Archaeologist & Culturalist: Telecommunications: Culturalist: Ornithologist: Musician & Culturalist: Marine Biologist: Art Historian: Adventure Canada: Adventure Canada: Swan-in-training: Rear Admiral: Archaeologist: Expedition Team: Geologist: Kenth Grankvist Donael Soto Plamen Pavlov Vincent Chabrier Francis Rosario Allan Estoque Maria Teresa Lim Narenda Seeram Liliana Amaya Brad Rhees Matthew James Jenna Andersen Lynda Brown Danny Catt Jason Edmunds Lena Onalik Alister Pedersen Aaju Peter Paul Prior Joshua Qaumariaq Pierre Richard Jane Sproull-Thomson Alana Faber-Swan Cedar Swan Leah Swan Matthew Swan Callum Thomson Dave Freeze Denis St-Onge