Spiced wine on the Hudson Strait
Upon going to bed the night before, we were in suspense about what the next day held for us. It felt somewhat ominous, especially because I was keenly aware of the dramatic tipping of the ship toward the starboard during the evening music performance.
Plus, we did have a prediction that rough weather was ahead.
The next morning, we unexpectedly woke up in the same town we went to bed in, Kinngait. We headed downstairs to find our chuckling Expedition Leader, Julie, in front of a slide that pointed to two prominent boulders of first-year ice.
Each day, she would give us a rundown of the arctic conditions, along with her executive decision on what the next expedition schedule would be based on her assessment of logistics and safety. Because of the extreme winds the night before, they decided to keep us anchored overnight. We drifted, even with two anchors holding us in place.
But that morning, Julie showed us positive ice conditions—positive enough for us to begin sailing through. Although the Ocean Endeavor is not an ice breaker, it can push ice around, making it possible to embark upon these kinds of journeys. And what else does that mean? Wildlife.
To keep us all busy on board before we got to the icy fields, the experts gave us presentations on topics like ice formations and seabirds. However, my favorite workshop of the day was a tour of the “Floating Gallery” that John Houston brought on board, a display of Inuit carvings. He told us about the artists who made each piece and recounted ancient Inuit teaching stories that informed some of the works.
The time had finally arrived… the crew opened up the bow for us to enjoy the expanses of ice. I had never seen anything like it. The sun made the waters glimmer and the snow positively sparkle. It was like a mirror of the clouded sky above—the water so blue and the bits of white ice in peaceful patches, just floating.
At the same time, there was a gathering on the aft of the ship to drink mulled wine and try country food while all bundled up together. I cupped the warm, spiced wine in my cold hands as I stood in line for a taste of the traditional country cuisine.
The Inuit team members sliced and shared dried and raw caribou and beluga meat, as well as arctic char and clams, dipped in soy sauce. And, yes, I said Beluga! What does it taste like? It’s rubbery, very chewy, and a fantastic source of Vitamin C…
Later on, as we were doing our evening of debriefing, we suddenly got called away to the upper deck: There was a walrus sighting. Like children running to recess, we threw on hats and grabbed our binoculars as fast as possible. When I got up to the top of the ship, everyone was crowded around a corner, pointing off into the distance and standing as frozen as the ice below them.
The group of walrus were quite far away, so there was no way I could grab a picture without a major lens upgrade. However, it was indeed clear that there was a group of about 15 or so of them basking in the sun, keeping warm on a slab of floating ice.
After a few minutes of quiet marveling, the final walrus slid off the edge, back into the water with ease, and without much more than a tiny splash.
HUDSON STRAIT
Shhhh… ice is breaking.
So determined, breast forward in proud pursuit,
the bow
pushes
and the ice
groans;
a whale beneath, we are
on its back.
It carries us, lulls us
to sleep.
Tomorrow, we will wake again in a bed of
crystallized clouds,
as long as
the whale flies.
We are a heavy load, perhaps—
shhhh… the whale is at work.Luckily, we had award-winning photographer, Todd Mintz, with us, who graciously shared photos from our expedition. This perfectly captures what I never could…
Song of the Week
Credit to my friend on finding this artist. This particular song is an upbeat, feel good track, but the whole album is worth a listen. Fall is a few days away—so please comment or email back with your last summer song recommendations! I’ll be searching for some strut-to-the-beat music as a I take my last summer strolls.