Lagoya Island, Arctic Ocean
On Lagoya Island, you can sense that you have reached the end of the Earth.
Picture life at the Equator at this moment. A riot of biological diversity, with species of plants, birds, insects, and other forms of life seemingly beyond counting. Heading north, the number of species diminishes. We enter temperate forest, the boreal forest, and then the Arctic tundra. Finally, in the northwestern corner of Nordaustlandet, we hit Lagoya, and there is no more land ahead. The Arctic Ocean stretches before us.
Land has now dwindled to a flat, windswept, icebound speck, covered with rounded cobbles that are heaped into low ridges. Interspersed among them lie boggy, mossy tundra and shallow patches of fresh water. Here and there in the water, slabs of anchor ice lie stuck to the bottom, meaning that in the winter the ponds are completely frozen. It would be understandable if life simply concluded that it wasn’t worth the effort to colonize this last gasp of terra firma. On Lagoya, however, life refuses to surrender its hold on land and seems compelled to demonstrate, one last time, its adaptability and resilience.
What on Earth can live here? Darting back and forth in the air are Arctic terns, along with the familiar kittiwakes and glaucous gulls. The first Sabine’s gull of the trip flies past the group, along with a parasitic jaeger and a great skua. In several of the ponds, red phalaropes twirl in circles, hoping to stir up some plankton for breakfast. Nestled in the stones along one ridge we find an eider nest with two olive-green eggs and the eider pair waiting on a pond for us to move on. We also find goose droppings, showing us that enough vegetation hangs on here to support some herbivory. Hard to believe, since the only plants appear to be low mosses growing here and there in the boggy spots. Encrusting the cobbles is a variety of lichens, and it would be fascinating to find out how many kinds live here. It seems impossible that any terrestrial mammals could be on Lagoya, but incredibly we find some reindeer hair fixed to some ancient whalebone, and we find some arctic fox tracks in a patch of snow, along with the algae-covered jawbone of one of his ancestors who apparently had had a bad day. On the beach, we find a few tiny clumps of purple saxifrage; what insects could they possibly be trying to attract?
The highlight, of course, is the heaving, groaning masses of walrus. Videos don’t completely capture the experience of observing these beasts in the wild. They don’t bring home the gamey smell of the gathering, which you can pick up 100 yards away. They don’t show the cold wind coming off the sea. And they especially don’t convey how stunning it is to realize you are actually there in this strange, distant place in the presence of these unworldly creatures.
As teachers, we have enjoyed meeting some of the students fortunate enough to be here. This experience will surely increase their wonder at the beauty and diversity of the natural world and the tenacity and resilience of its inhabitants. In speaking with them, we are impressed with their clear ability to be eloquent advocates for preserving the planet’s natural heritage and their obvious commitment to do so. We suspect their generation will need their talents. We also hope that we can put our experience here to use in helping encourage a similar commitment and sense of wonder in our students back home.
In the afternoon, we plowed ahead into the Arctic Ocean pack ice, crossing 81 degrees N. Fulmars, thick-billed murres, and kittiwakes accompanied us. We spotted a bearded seal and another polar bear. The ice grew in extent as we moved north. The scene was uniquely dramatic and awesome. While this was going on, we were fortunate to hear two amazingly informative and entertaining talks by Boyd Matson and Elise Lockton. One might think that one had heard all there was to know about polar bears, possibly the most well-known and talked-about animal around, but after hearing Elise, one would realize that one would have been wrong. A recap of the past few days followed, featuring Brent, Dennis, and Elise again. From our vantage point, the presentations demonstrated once again how incredibly talented and knowledgeable is the Lindblad / National Geographic staff. They also would seem to be a testimony to the level of curiosity and knowledge that the staff obviously feels typify the Lindblad guests. It is certainly an impressive gathering all around, and we feel exceedingly fortunate to be a part of it all. Our heartfelt gratitude to you all.
