This morning the weather was clear and cold as the ship entered the short but beautiful Fram Fiord. The countryside was amazingly stark but there is still life here on Ellesmere Island, an island with the third most amount of glacial ice in the world after Antarctica and Greenland. Some 75,000sq.km of the island is covered in icecaps and glaciers. This morning there were two different offerings, Zodiac rides or walks ashore in search of the elusive muskox. The walking on the ancient granitic rock was challenging at times but worth it for the groups that were able to get close enough to see the shaggy guardians of the North fairly close. Making our way up the valley many of the walking groups could view the muskox as they selectively browsed the Arctic willow and other plants before fall and then quickly winter will set in.
Those on the Zodiac cruise could only see one lone male up on the hill, but they were rewarded with close views of a few ringed seals that dotted the coastline. These short but plump seals are one of the favorite prey of polar bears. For eons the battle of wits and cunning has unfolded between these two species these as they play out their ice dance. These plumper version of a harbor seal enjoy time on the ice when it is present but will haul out on a beach or rocks where they are available. They are just biding their time until the ice returns in October when they will have relative safety from land bears.
The afternoon was spent sailing east and then north towards more adventure on Ellesmere Island.
