After having spent a pleasant night in the large Buchanan Bay, we spent some time waiting for the fog to dissipate in Alexandra Inlet on the southeast coast of Ellesmere Island. Eventually, National Geographic Endurance entered the open waters of Smith Sound on her way to Greenland. “Open” is a relative term in this part of the world, as extensive areas were covered by sea ice. We all enjoyed admiring the ship’s superb ability to navigate in such conditions. It was particularly interesting to witness the formation of new layers of ice over the ocean as temperatures lowered during the past couple of days. Countless photographs and videos were taken as the ship maneuvered around the ice, and we never tired of admiring the sheer beauty. We saw several ice floes marked by large tracks and eventually found the indisputable king of the north, a polar bear! What a great way to say goodbye to the Canadian Arctic.