This morning, an early announcement woke everyone with news of a very pleasant surprise: narwhals! Several groups of the mythical cetaceans swam alongside National Geographic Endurance. We spotted them along both shorelines of the Buchan Gulf on the eastern side of Baffin Island. We all enjoyed observing them from a distance. Later, some kayakers had a chance to see them a bit closer. Meanwhile, adventurous hikers found caribou antlers ashore while learning about the ecology of the Arctic. Long hikers also had unique encounters, including an opportunity to admire a snowy owl! Most of us had the chance to investigate the carcass of a young narwhal on the beach. Hikes in the afternoon allowed us to learn more about the tundra. We visited the remains of some old Inuit winter hunting camps, rounding out a great day exploring the Canadian Arctic.
8/26/2024
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National Geographic Endurance
Northeast Baffin Island, Canada
Today we are at sea making our way north along the east coast of Baffin Island, allowing us the opportunity to listen to some fantastic morning presentations by our expedition team. Our first presentation by Cultural Ambassador Peter Freuchen looked at the indigenous peoples of Nunavut and other locations in the Arctic, helping us to understand how and why they are there. Our second morning presentation came from Naturalist Jon Fuhrmann, “Glaciology 101”, introducing the topic of the cryosphere and the Greenland ice sheet. In the afternoon we heard from Naturalist Dan Odess with his presentation, “Humans in the Arctic”, as he took us on a journey back in time to the first records of people known to call this part of the Arctic home. During dinner this evening we arrived at Buchan Gulf, Baffin Island under blue skies and glassy seas. This spectacular fjord system gives us our first opportunity to search for some of the most well known and loved Arctic wildlife characters.
