Today in the Arctic with Students On Ice: Foggy fjords and a mysterious archeological site!
Arctic Expedition 2008
By Students On Ice's Youth Contributors
Our Students On Ice's Youth Contributors share with us their Arctic experience!
By Cori Eide, Student
Today we also had reflection/quiet time, but it required being outside. It actually wasn’t all that quiet, but I am sure everyone enjoyed it to some extent. We all formed a circle according to birth date and most participated in building a human pyramid.
During lunch we all sat with the people who share our birth month, to mingle with people we hadn’t spent much time with, yet. By the time lunch was over, I ate three biscotti because we had talked for so long. I couldn’t complain!
Later in the day, our expedition leader found an island through the fog. It was quite mysterious. All SOI went ashore and found many different types of bones, including human. Each artifact was so precious that we had to watch every step we took and most certainly not pick up anything! Ann Hanson, Commissioner of Nunavut, told us many of the historic events that could have taken place, with excellent evidence to back it up. There were many people who found this island to be a spiritual place or have a soothing connection. For me, it got me thinking of my culture and how it is really similar. I like to observe the reactions of other people on the ship to our surroundings because I have already seen a lot of these sceneries and animals. I just love it! One girl saw snow for the first time and it just made me smile.
Last night I gave a talk about Alaska and what a normal day is for me, along with some adventurous Alaskan stories. It was just so normal for me that I didn’t know people would actually enjoy listening to me. Can you believe there is a person in my town that has a reindeer for a pet? Her name is Velvet.
Today has been a great day and I am starting to believe that days with no plans turn out to be one of the best and most unforgettable moments. I can’t wait to see what tomorrow will bring!
By Yibin Zhang, Student
No blue-footed boobies yet, but we have seen an adorable young harp seal, a sunset that could have been digitally created, and a spectacular view from the tops of the mountains along Sunneshine Fjord that was only visible after hours of uphill hiking! All of these sights are now irrevocably etched into my memory! I recall being rather frustrated with my camera yesterday; it captured only mediocre depictions of the mountain scene and lacked any true depth or majesty. It doesn’t take long to realize that the wonder of most of these sights elude even skilled photographers, although Farzana or Lee could prove me wrong!
A few days ago, Johnny mentioned how strange it was for him to be five feet away from a seal and not be able to hunt it. The entire experience was new and awesome for him. In a similar way, I feel as though I, too, am able to view things differently after my experiences over the past days. Hearing Johnny’s stories about Inuit hunting in the Arctic made me feel awe, rather than sadness for the animals. I’ve come to recognize a difference between hunting as a cultural activity – during which every inch of the animal is utilized – and hunting for an industry that takes only the pelts to make extravagant furs in the name of fashion.
Yesterday, we visited the town of Qikiqtarjuak. It seemed like a cut-out from a Mexican village, to those who’ve experienced it, and was the home of about five hundred people—less than half of my school’s population. While language could have been a barrier, that the people embraced us with open arms, which really improved our stay. They were as enthusiastic as us and it was quite exciting to practice my rudimentary Inuktitut with them! Cultural differences were brushed aside as the younger children playfully tailed us until we played with them and by the afternoon it was as if they were our own little brothers and sisters! Truly, we only brushed the tip of the vast complexity of their lifestyles, but someday I hope to go back and see how Naimie and the others have changed. I cannot say I endorse every aspect of the community’s lifestyle. In a decade or so, I hope they do not follow others’ examples in littering all over the dusty town, or take up smoking, a common unhealthful habit there. The future looks bright: Bill Lishman is working on the New Whale Bone Concept, a project which aims to utilize scrap metal in improving the aesthetic appeal of the landscape as well as to cultivate new artistic growth and to raise profits for improving the lives of the residents overall. We cast our own carbon footprints into the azure skies during this trip, but hopefully not in vain.
Today, we went up a beautiful Fjord called Iterbilung. The mountains that rose straight up from the sea were literally breathtaking! The colours were absolutely incredible, from red and orange to green and blue. The glaciers on the top of the peaks had waterfalls flowing down to the ocean. As we drifted down the fjord we saw whales, seals, narwhal and many other spectacular creatures. It was a very warm day in the Arctic, since we were protected from the wind, so we played some games on the top deck before lunch.
After lunch, we left the fjord and headed down the coast to Home Bay. We landed on the coast and found an old whaling station. There was so much history on such a little peninsula! Some places were over 1000 years old, whereas some sites were less than 100 years old. The mix of artifacts was really interesting. There was everything from ceramics to hunting traps and bones. We also spotted a couple of seals and possibly a walrus! The fog rolled in once again and gave the archeological site a mysterious, spiritual feel.
After seeing all the old artifacts, I headed down the beach where I saw polar bear and Arctic fox tracks. The size of the polar bear tracks against our hands gave us a sense of how humans are really only a tiny part of the earth, while the artifacts showed us how large of an impact we have on the planet. Those polar bear tracks will fade into the sand, but the metal artifacts will last for many years. Something as simple as a plastic bottle will last longer than anything any other organism leaves on the planet. I hope that this voyage allows me, my community, and the world to think about the impact we have on the planet on a daily basis, and how to limit that impact.
Today I have seen some of the most spectacular scenery I am likely to see. As the morning sun burned through the fog, those of us on deck became increasingly amazed by our surroundings. The towering mountains around Iterbilung Fjord are majestic by themselves, but add glaciers flowing down the valleys like petrified rivers, and crashing waterfalls swollen with pure glacial water? That, my friends, is breathtaking.
As we cruised between these snow-cased mountains, three narwhals revealed themselves to us, almost underneath one of the spectacular waterfalls. The beauty and serenity of the scene was truly humbling.
In the afternoon, we left Iterbilung Fjord and entered a completely different world. The fog rolled in again and we went ashore on a secluded and almost flat strip of land. There were ruins from Inuit camps and graves, from whalers’ camps, and even a dignified Inukshuk in a ring of stones. The intense silence and thick fog gave the effect of a place as old as time, and if you stood perfectly still you could almost hear the explorers of hundreds of years ago.
The amazing contrast between the two scenes – the towering majesty of the mountains and the subtle peacefulness of the peninsula – demonstrates the incredible diversity of the Arctic world and how much we stand to learn from it. Twice today I have felt somehow connected to what surrounded me: first, to nature, and second, to history. I hope that everyone has the opportunity to experience such moments of inclusion, because I think it would make the world a much better place.
Image credits (from top): 1) Students having fun on the deck.; 2) Iterbilung Fjord.; 3)Students singing and playing guitar in Iterbilung fjord 4) Ship entering the fjord.
Posted by on 08/12 at 02:32 PM