Day 9 - Kingnait Fjord

I have a feeling this might be a short entry. Not because we didn’t see or do anything of note today, but because I’m soooo tired, I’m falling asleep as I type this. Where to begin… ah, yes, the exhaustion. Everyone was feeling it – breakfast looked like a room filled with sleepy zombies as we staggered around muttering “good morning” to one another with as much zeal as we could muster. Attempts were made at entertainment – workshops, pod team meetings, a lecture on Arctic mammals. But through them all were various bobbing heads, drooping eyes and slumped postures.

Once again, weather has changed our plans as high winds sent us on to our second destination of the day first – Kingnait Fjord. As mentioned, this was a first for Students On Ice, and in fact was uncharted until our ship swooped on in with its depth equipment blaring. And upon entering the mouth of the fjord – success. A quick announcement from expedition leader Geoff Green sent previously sleepy students (and staff) dashing to the decks to peer over the bow. Whales. Bowhead whales to be exact.

And not just one or two. A few dozen of these majestic beasts put on a show for us over the course of the late morning and early afternoon. Now don’t get me wrong, I’ve enjoyed checking out the plants, birds and insects (except the mosquitoes) that have dotted the landscape at our various destinations. But to see these bowhead whales rising to the surface, blowing plumes of water and air and lifting their mighty flukes out of the water was simply breathtaking. It took everything to pull me away.

From there we headed deeper into the fjord. Kingnait Harbour was the site of a scientific station for the first International Polar Year back in I believe 1882. Since then, it has been relatively untouched by humans, except for a sparse set of hunting shacks along the beach. It was announced we would make a landing and to my dreaded ears came the word “hike”.

Having not fully recovered from yesterday’s strain to my personal limit of exhaustion, I did not look well upon the thought of doing another, albeit shorter one, today. But I valiantly threw on the layers and headed out into the zodiac for another run. We landed on a beach with the weirdest set of boulders I had ever seen. It’s like they were fitted together and then smoothed out over time. Turns out, that’s not so far of the scientific truth.

And off we went on another hike. For me, it was another grueling, muscle-straining walk, where I was shedding layers faster than an Arctic hare. Didn’t really know where I was going, but I heard it before I saw it – one of the most beautiful waterfalls I have ever seen. Of course, by the time I got there, most of the other students had arrived, and they had all decided to go off on their own for some personal reflection time. Some wrote in journals, others sketched. Many went off on their own to have a nap or just stare and contemplate this wondrous place we had lucked upon.

I decided to join them, so to speak, and found myself a place along the edge of the rapids where it dropped off meters away into the frothy waters. And there I sat. It was the first time I had had time to really think on this adventure. And I realized it had been a week since I had worried about work or stressed over whether I could pay my bills.

To some it might seem very lonely to sit there by one’s self for a long period of time. Yet as alone as I was, I wasn’t by myself. All around me were dozens of students and fellow staff that in one week’s time have become close friends and family. We were individually apart, but bonded together by this common experience.

At the same time, my thoughts turned to home. My adventure is now half over and in a week’s time I’ll be saying goodbye to these new friends and returning back home. To my job, my pets, my friends and my family that I truly love but often never take the time to really appreciate them. But I do and I hope they know that. Most especially my Julie, who I hope is reading this and knows how much I miss her and love her.

And now we’re off sailing down through Cumberland Sound heading for who knows what. Even Geoff doesn’t really know. He’s promised us some ice and polar bears. It will be tough to beat out today’s whales, but if anything can, it will be polar bears. “Admiral, there be whales here!” said and excited Montgomery Scott in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. There be whales here, too, Scotty. And who knows what else. Can’t wait to find out…