Day 17 - Ottawa to Winnipeg

I’m home! After hundreds of hugs and teary goodbyes were said and done, I finally arrived back in Winnipeg safe and sound. It was quite the emotional day saying our farewells. It’s amazing how quickly this group of students bonded in such a short time, and it wasn’t easy to watch these new-found friends depart. With luck, Facebook and other social networking sites will allow everyone to keep in touch for a long time, but the reality is that this may be the last time many of them see each other.

Luckily, we all have our shared experience together that will remain with us for the rest of our lives. In retrospect, I’ve accomplished what I set out to do with this adventure, as I hope all the students did. For 12 days, we explored the Arctic like few other people in this world have had the chance to do. Rather than reading about the effects of climate change on the poles through second-hand websites, magazines and books, we got to see and hear about it first-hand.

From Inuit elders to Arctic Circle hikes to zodiac trips around sea ice, evidence of global warming was all around us. And while there is no doubt that a portion of it is natural, much of it is man-made. The community of Pangnirtung felt it when the permafrost exposed by heavy rains last year, flooding the town and washing out bridges two summers ago.

Students On Ice founder Geoff Green labels the students who participate in the expedition and others their age “Generation G” for generosity, graciousness and other positive g-words. And although each of these students is committed to doing what they can to educate and counteract climate change, it’s everyone that has to make some changes in the way they live. Otherwise, places like the Arctic will continue to be drastically affected. And that would be a shame.

“O lands! O all so dear to me – what you are, I become part of that, whatever it is,” said Walt Whitman. It’s safe to say that I now have “ice in my veins”, as the saying goes. Having been to this beautiful and fascinating part of our planet, I feel like I’m a part of it now, and it a part of me. I can’t wait to go back.

But as much as the Arctic became a part of me, it was the people that I experienced it with that had the greatest effect on me. From the fantastic staff, scientists and fellow educators to the amazing students, I will miss each and every one of them. In some cases, like the staff, I hope our paths will cross again, perhaps on future SOI expeditions.

As for the students, I hope to see some again in the future. Already, I’ve planned to make some joint presentations with my fellow Winnipegger, student Susan Nanthasit. But in most cases, I expect I will hear more about them as a result of their successes in life, which I know will be plentiful.

To any of the students reading this, please know this. You were the most talented, dedicated, diverse, exhausting, interesting and funny group of young adults I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing and working with. Although I was supposed to be an educator on this trip, it was you who educated me and I thank you for it.

I urge you to never lose that enthusiasm and passion that you all exhibited on this adventure. As you go through life, build upon what you have gained from the experience and continue to make the world a better place. I know my world is a better place having gone through this experience with you all.

And so this brings to an end my blog for this amazing Arctic expedition. Thank you to all who read it. It’s tempting to end with a quote about the voyage having come to an end, but really it hasn’t. “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing,” according to Helen Keller. So let the adventure… continue!

Day 17 - Ottawa to Winnipeg

I’m home! After hundreds of hugs and teary goodbyes were said and done, I finally arrived back in Winnipeg safe and sound. It was quite the emotional day saying our farewells. It’s amazing how quickly this group of students bonded in such a short time, and it wasn’t easy to watch these new-found friends depart. With luck, Facebook and other social networking sites will allow everyone to keep in touch for a long time, but the reality is that this may be the last time many of them see each other.

Luckily, we all have our shared experience together that will remain with us for the rest of our lives. In retrospect, I’ve accomplished what I set out to do with this adventure, as I hope all the students did. For 12 days, we explored the Arctic like few other people in this world have had the chance to do. Rather than reading about the effects of climate change on the poles through second-hand websites, magazines and books, we got to see and hear about it first-hand.

From Inuit elders to Arctic Circle hikes to zodiac trips around sea ice, evidence of global warming was all around us. And while there is no doubt that a portion of it is natural, much of it is man-made. The community of Pangnirtung felt it when the permafrost exposed by heavy rains last year, flooding the town and washing out bridges two summers ago.

Students On Ice founder Geoff Green labels the students who participate in the expedition and others their age “Generation G” for generosity, graciousness and other positive g-words. And although each of these students is committed to doing what they can to educate and counteract climate change, it’s everyone that has to make some changes in the way they live. Otherwise, places like the Arctic will continue to be drastically affected. And that would be a shame.

“O lands! O all so dear to me – what you are, I become part of that, whatever it is,” said Walt Whitman. It’s safe to say that I now have “ice in my veins”, as the saying goes. Having been to this beautiful and fascinating part of our planet, I feel like I’m a part of it now, and it a part of me. I can’t wait to go back.

But as much as the Arctic became a part of me, it was the people that I experienced it with that had the greatest effect on me. From the fantastic staff, scientists and fellow educators to the amazing students, I will miss each and every one of them. In some cases, like the staff, I hope our paths will cross again, perhaps on future SOI expeditions.

As for the students, I hope to see some again in the future. Already, I’ve planned to make some joint presentations with my fellow Winnipegger, student Susan Nanthasit. But in most cases, I expect I will hear more about them as a result of their successes in life, which I know will be plentiful.

To any of the students reading this, please know this. You were the most talented, dedicated, diverse, exhausting, interesting and funny group of young adults I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing and working with. Although I was supposed to be an educator on this trip, it was you who educated me and I thank you for it.

I urge you to never lose that enthusiasm and passion that you all exhibited on this adventure. As you go through life, build upon what you have gained from the experience and continue to make the world a better place. I know my world is a better place having gone through this experience with you all.

And so this brings to an end my blog for this amazing Arctic expedition. Thank you to all who read it. It’s tempting to end with a quote about the voyage having come to an end, but really it hasn’t. “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing,” according to Helen Keller. So let the adventure… continue!

Days 15 and 16 Nannuk Harbour, Iqaluit and Ottawa

First off, apologies for not sending a report for yesterday. I’ll recap it (and today) in a minute, but it was simply so packed with activities, there was no time. Where to start… ah yes, Nannuk Harbour. Our last landing of the adventure was a nice little spot on the south coast of Baffin Island. It was easy to feel a bit of a “been there, done that” attitude – same plants, same rocks, same landscape.

But luckily, there was none of that going on. First off, there were polar bears everywhere. Reports were at least eight of them including a cub were either walking or sleeping in the near vicinity. So, we did some group activities until our intrepid armed watchers gave us the all clear for a hike. Yes, I said hike. Because the Geoff Green Center for Weight Loss doesn’t stop just because it’s our last landing.

The hike was good, although the crisp wind meant the layers stayed on. Which meant some serious sweating was going on in my case. But that’s ok… I can’t wait to get home to a scale to see if this did any good for me.

We ended up at a geographical survey marker placed on the edge of a cliff overlooking the Hudson Strait. There we pretty much did one big huge group hug in one different form or another. It was a special moment for everyone and a lot of fun. There’s a lot I will miss about the Arctic tundra – the ever-changing terrain, the surprising palette of colours and the overall feeling that we are someplace special that needs to be taken care of by all of us.

The afternoon and evening was spent packing and celebrating our last evening on the ship. It was filled with activities like thank yous for the crew of the Orlova, games, awards, a talent show, slide show and a special appearance by the “rock” band Geoff and the G.G.’s. Ah, you had to be there. There was laughter and there were tears; and overall it was a truly special time that I will remember for the rest of my life.

This morning, we were up early (ugh) to disembark and head to Iqaluit, the modern and modest capital of Nunavut. It was weird to be back to civilization as my cell phone announced a text message for the first time in two weeks. Arriving on shore, it took some time to re-acclimate to paved roads, car alarms and debit cards (what’s my PIN?!)

Iqaluit was charming and we got a tour of the Legislative Assembly courtesy of Her Honour, Ann Hanson, the Commissioner of Nunavut. Madame Hanson was supposed to accompany us on the voyage, but we never made it to the port where she was to join us. But she quickly regaled us with stories and descriptions of her life. Then it was off to the visitor center, local museum and finally to a BBQ lunch.

And then it was time to say goodbye to some of our friends as we arrived at the airport. Many of our northern students and staff were flying out of Iqaluit, instead of going all the way back to Ottawa. It was a heavily emotional time for all, with hardly a dry eye around, and I imagine it will be a fraction of the emotions that will come out Thursday morning as we all separate for the final time.

Tonight is some informal time back at Carleton University in Ottawa before our flights, trains, busses and car rides home tomorrow. I hope to do one more entry for this blog before signing off, so stay tuned.

John Keats said, “Much have I traveled in the realms of gold, And many goodly states and kingdoms seen…” I have seen many goodly states and kingdoms over the past two weeks. Now all that’s left are the memories, and for one more night, the people I have shared them with. I’ve gotta a feeling, that tonight’s gonna be a good good night…

Day 7 Kekerten Island and Pangnirtung

I still can’t help but feel a little disappointed about the effect the thick ice is having on our travel plans. Today we recorded a video for the folks up in Clyde River. Since it’s highly doubtful that we can make it up there due to the ice, we did a video message congratulating them on the success of declaring nearby Isabella Bay (one of our planned destinations) a protected natural site. Although it was fun to record, there was a ripple of sadness that we probably won’t make it there to see it in person.

Despite the disappointment, we carried on with our current plans to travel into Cumberland Sound towards Pangnirtung. Along the way, we stopped at an historic whaling station known as Kekerten Island. This was our first landing on our expedition and it was a great start. Upon exiting the zodiacs, you are immediately greeted with a vast panorama of life including tiny little plants and grasses, birds swooping overhead and (apparently) the threat of a polar bear. I say apparently because we saw neither hide nor hair of it the entire time. And even if we did, we had a crew of watchers with guns all around us to deter said bear from coming anywhere near us. Still it provided an element of danger that made the landing even more exciting.

On the island, we were treated to an in-depth history of whaling in the area. All throughout the area we were exploring, there were remnants of this part of history, including a bowhead whale skull and various bits of whaling equipment. But perhaps the most somber of all the remnants were two Inuit graves we came across. Because of the permanently frozen ground, these graves were above ground and had weathered away so much, the bones were visible through the rotting wood. It was a moving sight, with the wind whistling over the hills.

Another highlight of Kekerten was the grassy vegetation. Walking on it is like nothing I’ve ever felt in my life. Despite being thick with grasses and plants, the entire ground was spongy, to the point my feet were sinking INTO the vegetation. And it saps the energy out of each step, meaning you are doing twice the work to traverse this rough terrain. It was definitely an experience to remember.

After Kekerten, we headed to the town of Pangnirtung. This community is home to two of our students, Danny and Jesse, and they promised us a warm welcome. We weren’t let down. We were greeted by some Students On Ice alumni, who toured us through various tourist spots. While they were all very nice, my favorite part was when I noticed an airplane about to take off from the airstrip, which quite frankly looks like a ramp. One of the other students, Allen, who was familiar with Pang, offered to get us front row seats and before long a few students and I were off through the streets of Pang to the fence along the airstrip where we treated to a close-up view of the take-off.

Back we went to the community center where the students got their first taste of how climate change has affected this friendly community. Two elders talked in length about the changes they have seen in their time, and answered questions from our group. Pang itself has felt the effect greatly as last year it was inundated with a flood that took out a bridge. What flooded them out? The permafrost that had dictated the way of life for these people for as long as they can remember had melted. It was a sober reminder of why we were on this expedition.

After some traditional Inuit games, throat singing and square dancing, it was back to the ship for dinner and a briefing of tomorrow’s activities. We are heading up a fiord to Auyuittuq National Park, where half the staff and students are participating in a 25km hike to the Arctic Circle. Sadly, I don’t think I can do that, despite all my desire to do so. Maybe next time…

In the meantime, I will be participating in some shorter hikes and activities near the coast. All of this is still part of the planned itinerary, but soon it will come time to decide where to go if the ice prevents us from going north. Our illustrious leader, Geoff Green, assures us there’s plenty to see so I’m going to sleep soundly knowing that. “Stop worrying about the potholes in the road and enjoy the journey,” said Babs Hoffman. And no matter where we go, I know I will enjoy this journey…

Day 2 - Ottawa

I knew that there were some perks to being a part of this great adventure (umm, hello? Going to the Arctic?) but there was no way to predict this one. One of the fantastic Students On Ice staff members is a gentleman by the name of Peter Adams. Peter has lots of credentials and experience behind him with regards to the Arctic, but today there was one credential that got us something that few others get to do. Y’see, Peter is a former Member of Parliament for the federal Peterborough riding in Ontario.

So what did that get us? Well, only on to the floor of the House of Commons. Thousands of people get to SEE the House chamber from behind barred windows as part of the regular tour, but we got to go IN to the chamber. Not only that, but a few of us sat down. In the MP’s chairs. Including the Prime Minister’s. That’s right, the big cheese himself – Stephen Harper. And I encouraged the students to do the same. Took some pictures of them too, including one that should be next to this entry. Meet (clockwise from bottom left) Lauren Sutherland, Travis Payne, Jack Krantz and sitting in the PMs chair himself, Taylor Verrall. Learn their names, they may very well be sitting in those chairs in a few years as actual Members of Parliament. (Well, except Jack – he’s American!) Taylor is especially politically active. At 15, he is already involved with the Green Party of Canada. And is one heck of a good debater and conversationalist.

Friday is the big day. We fly to Kuujjuaq (pronounced Koo-joo-ack) where we tour the community and board the boat on our Arctic adventure! Confucius once said “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Tomorrow, we take that step…