BAFFIN ISLAND/GREENLAND

We visited their visitor's center where we learned more about the people that inhabit this island. The majority of the natives are Inuit who are very much like Eskimos and live a spartan life. They still use dogsleds and will build igloos when out hunting. They live on seals, whales, etc. and eat the blubber and meat raw. Every part of the slain animal is used in one way or the other. There are only three months of warm weather and it was always light enough to see perfectly well outdoors.

The next day was another day at sea as we made our way to Pond Inlet, our next destination. We were to discover the unpredictable nature of Arctic travel when we were forced to turn 180 degrees to go south due to the impenetrable ice cover. We had a choice of returning to Iqualuit or turning east and going to Greenland. We would have to get clearance from Canadian Customs to leave Canadian waters which would take some time since it was the weekend. To fill some time, we took the Zodiacs (inflatable boats invented by Jacques Cousteau) and cruised around some icebergs.

Nature again showed us who is boss and instead of being in the middle of Davis Strait we were still near Baffin Island due to heavy pack ice. Once again our misfortune proved to be a blessing as we sighted our first Polar Bear on a small ice floe. It seems we interrupted its lunch as it was dining on a seal!!! He decided we wanted to share in this feast and picked it up and went into the water. Unfortunately he lost the seal in the water, but we were able to follow him as he swam to another floe. What a thrill. We spotted another bear but because we were maneuvering through heavy ice were unable to approach it too closely.

The next morning we arrived off the coast of Greenland opposite the village of Illulisat. We were on the last Zodiac off the ship and about 1/2 mile out our motor died. I noticed that the fuel line was leaking and we didn't have a spare. The driver radioed the ship to have someone come take us back to the ship when I remembered that I had some gaffer's tape covering a hole in my rain trousers. I took the pants down and tore off some of the tape which was enough to stop the leak and get us back to the ship for a replacement. Women are soooo resourceful!

We made our way through the ice to the island where we took off on a hike to see the icebergs that clog the mouth of the fjord. Due to the depth of the silt, these huge bergs, some the size of a football stadium, are lined up back to back, all the way to the glacier from which they came, six miles away! What a spectacular sight. On the zodiac ride back, we cruised amongst these incredible blue ice sculptures. I hope my photographs due this sight justice.

Due to the problems of navigating the pack ice, we were forced to once again change our destination and we set off to explore two new landing sites. The first was a tiny fishing village of Itivdleq (population 200). The village is nestled on the hills behind several small islands that shelter the village from the rough seas. What a treat this turned out to be. The houses were all painted in festive colors and some of the residents (who probably have never had visitors before, especially "white" people), invited people into their homes for coffee. At one home was a Polar Bear skin stretched on a drying rack. The view from the village was beautiful. We were lucky to speak to two people that were camping there that happened to speak a bit of English. They were thrilled to be able to practice as they seldom have the opportunity to speak it.

That afternoon we went to the second unknown site. After a ride to the end of the fjord, we embarked on a hike along a stream running through the tundra which ended at several small lakes in the valley - another breathtaking scene. The tide receded so quickly, we were afraid we wouldn't be able to get through the shallow waters. We managed to get back to the ship where we spend our last night.

We sailed through a 90 mile long fjord to Sondre Stromfjord where we boarded our flight home. After all the problems navigating ice, silt, shallow water, etc., the flight home seemed as routine as driving to the store. What an adventure we had. . . . and Greenland thrown in as an added bonus. Whodathunkit?????