July 22, Pond Inlet, Baffin Island
I had never really understood how polar explorers in earlier days seemed to get trapped in ice so easily. Sure, I understood they were subject to winds, currents and tides. But still to me it seemed to be a matter of being vigilant, avoiding potential trouble as much as possible and get away before things became problematic. I was about to get a lesson on how complicated it all can be.
We were fresh from our first polar bear sighting as we approached Pond Inlet. Sheltered by Bylot Island from Baffin Bay, the waters around the village were filled with the same sea ice that the polar bears had been on. With no harbor or dock, landing at Pond Inlet involved holding the ship in place while we were loaded onto zodiacs for a wet landing on shore.
Although it was a beautiful bright sunny day, there was enough wind that the sea ice was being blown across the water and directly between the ship and land, so making landfall became a bit tricky. The zodiacs would leave the ship with a seemingly clear path open to the shore, but in a matter of seconds, that path would be blocked by the moving ice.
Our cabin is on the fourth deck, not too far above the water, but high enough to get a bit of a bird’s eye view compared to someone directly on the water. It wasn’t our turn to go ashore yet, so we sat in our window seat, watching the interplay of wind, tide, ice and boats. We would watch a zodiac set out from the ship and make a break for open water. The seemingly wide open channel would close as quickly as it opened.
We watched Bud, the Expedition Leader, try to pick his way through. He would venture down an open channel, only to have it close. More than once he would stop and try to back away only to have the path behind him also close. At times, he seemed to be completely trapped. But every time with a little patience he found his way out of the predicament. We watched this performance repeated with all the zodiacs trying to get the parka-clad passengers ashore.
This struggle took place in highly maneuverable and powerful boats. The visibility was perfect and the wind was relatively light. The ship provided assistance by trying to block the flow of ice and giving the zodiacs a clearer path to the shore. Yet, despite all those advantages, it was a challenge to move boats a few hundred yards to shore. Take away all those advantages and our zodiacs might have suffered the same fate as the original Endurance.
Eventually we made it to shore. We were told we would be warmly welcomed, but that was an understatement. Locals met us at our landing and walked us in small groups through the village. They seemed so happy to see us. People would stop on the street, or even as they passed by on ATV’s, to welcome us, to ask where we were from, and to thank us for visiting. They were excited for us to share in their culture and to help us understand their lifestyle.
We went to the community center where they told us about their lives and demonstrated their games, songs and crafts, and how they spent the long dark winters. A few of the guides had stories of family members and how they were affected by the Inuit High Arctic relocation program and how that still influences their lives. We visited the library and shops and saw a demonstration of a traditional sod house.
Personally, I don’t get too excited about “cultural” visits. I’d usually rather spend my time seeing landscapes and wildlife, but this was the beginning of helping me to realize that you can’t understand the Arctic without understanding the relationships between the land and the people, and how they influence each other. Neither can be observed in isolation.
The return to the ship was far more sedate. The bay had cleared of ice and the wind was less influential. It was a further reminder of how, even on a day of innocuous weather, conditions on the water can change from moment to moment.
One last observation on trying to get to shore earlier in the day: All the naturalists and some crew pilot the zodiacs. As we watched them all try to make their way to shore, almost all of them moved farther and farther away from the ship trying to find a clearer path. But then, the diving specialist, who is from Scotland, spotted a channel in close to the ship, zipped along the side and found a clear and quick way to shore, beating everyone else. So….the rest of them took the high road, and the Scottish woman took the low road, and she got to Pond Inlet before them!