This morning we woke to a lovely sunrise, casting large icebergs surrounding the ship in shades of pinks and purples. Crunching through the ice, the National Geographic Explorer sailed further north into the High Arctic, in between Canada and Greenland. In an attempt to dissuade some of the more adventurous among us, naturalist Karen Copeland presented a talk highlighting the trials and tribulations of surviving in the bone chilling Arctic. Several guests did not heed Karen’s warnings, and decided to plunge into the icy abyss anyway!
We had fun walking on top of a massive piece of sea ice before heading back south, returning to Greenland for more adventures. After drying off from his polar plunge, naturalist Serguei Ponomarenko shared some of the best experiences and places to see in the Canadian Arctic in a presentation. Tea time was then served in one such place, a special location… the laundry room onboard! A beloved crew member, Salinas, was celebrating his retirement after 40 years with Lindblad Expeditions, and was able to show our guests a behind the scenes tour over tea and biscuits.
Always on the hunt for exploring new places, our expedition leader Russ Evans scouted a new site near Sunshine Cove. Hikers and photographers alike took in the colorful landscape and some had the chance to see muskox roaming the hills! The undersea team managed to dive back below the bergs to film the marine side of the landing before setting sail for tomorrow’s destination, Cape York.
