Today started early this morning aboard the National Geographic Explorer. But in the land of the midnight sun, the only way one would realize the time is by looking at a clock. And since polar bears do not follow our preferred schedule onboard, we eased out of our cabins a few hours before breakfast when we heard the call that we should get out on deck. We were met with spectacular golden light from a low hanging sun and a young male polar bear with his nose in the air, slowly making his way toward the ship, and a hooded seal resting on the edge of the ice pack. While the young bear jumped, swam, rolled and rested right in front of us, we also spotted five more bears in the distance. Eventually our visitor bid us farewell and left us so we headed out to our next stop down the coast.
By afternoon we had cleared customs and were ready for our visit to Pond Inlet, a predominately Inuit community in the Canadian Arctic, at the northern tip of Baffin Island, with a population of 1,600. Between the visitor’s center, co-op store, and the community hall, we met plenty of people and learned about the mix of activities that happen in Pond Inlet. Small boats line the beach here, ready to take people out hunting or out to their camps. Now that the sea ice is mostly gone, it’s a great time to travel on the land.
At the community hall the local theatre group treated us to a mix of Inuit games, such as high kicks and strength tests, as well as a drum dance, songs, throat singing and even the national anthem, sung by a six year old in Inuktitut, the Inuit language spoken in the central and eastern Canadian arctic. We all felt very welcome here.
And so we make sure to keep our camera batteries charged and memory cards clear as we head further north, ready for what other elusive mammals we hope to encounter on this epic voyage.
