Wednesday, August 8, 2007

Hello Readers,

Today was the halfway point of our expedition. I cannot believe that the days have gone by so fast. It seems like yesterday that we arrived in Ottawa. Although it is sad that the time is going fast I cannot wait for what the next week has in store for the expeditioners as a group and for me personally. I have already learnt so much. I have also taken 500 pictures!!!! I already have stories to tell. Today was one of those stories. We sailed through the Hudson Straight all night and when I woke up on one side of the ship was Baffin Island and on the other was Quebec. The trip up until then had been smooth and Hudson Bay had been oddly calm. It seemed as though our luck had finally run out. The straight was NOT calm and the boat was rocking violently (although I am told this is nothing compared to what it could be) back and forth. I have yet to feel any sign of seasickness though. Another interesting feature in the waters around us were icebergs. They ranged in size from mini mountains to the size of a rock. Yet no matter how big they were only a very small part of the iceberg was above sea level. I now understand the saying, only the tip of the iceberg. After a morning at sea (which included lectures on Glaciers and Nunavut) we pulled in at Kimmirut (a mostly Inuit community on the southern tip of Baffin Island) to spend a few hours. The community of 300 welcomed us with open arms and smiling faces. They even performed different Arctic sports for us (mostly gymnastic-style competitions). After wandering around the town for a few hours (watching a freshly caught seal be skinned, admiring a stone carver, etc…) we climbed up hills and cliffs for an hour long (very strenuous) hike to get a look at the nearby Territorial Park and its many lakes. The one bad thing I have to mention is the fact that the mosquitoes were attacking us by the hundreds. After the (equally strenuous) hike back we boarded the ship for a quiet rest of the night.

Thanks for Reading,

Connor