You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
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Sep 11, 2012 04:00 PM High waves - no landing!
Windy morning. We are anchoring in front of Etah - the base for many North Pole expeditions. Now it is empty. They announce that 45-min zodiac ride will take
us to the Etah and then we will walk to the glacier. First zodiac with the armed scouts departs at 7 am. 20 minutes later they return
wet announcing: landing is not possible due to the strong wind and high waves.
We sail along Kap Alexander paited by the nature like a chocolate cake. On the other side of the Kap we anchor again and try to land
in front of the glacier. With all my layers on and high rubber boots I was already in the gangway to the zodiac when they announced:
sorry, no landing... Bad luck! You must take this into account planning your polar adventure! In the strong sun we turned to the Kap York.
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Sep 10, 2012 04:00 PM Only 10 deg to the North Pole!
Smith Sound is like a gateway for the expeditions doing to the South Pole. How fear the ship can go depends of the ice conditions.
Our captain decided that after reaching 80 deg 5 min North it is not possible to sail further north. The sound was full of icebergs
and sea ice. We were slaloming between them. Travellers aboard are not happy but the officers are jocking:
Do you remember what was happened to "Titanic"?
We are heading south. The nice sun compensates little bit our frustration.
In the late afternoon we are already on the anchor at the coast of Greenland. In the middle of nowhere,
No immigration control! :)
The bare place is called on the maritime maps Rensselaer Bay, It has high brown cliffs on the both sides of the mouth of the dry river
coming from the inland glacier. After landing by zodiac I was climbing little hill overlooking the river bed. I built there stone inukshuk
(inuit marker) to have something on the front of my picture. I saw later many people from the expedition photographing my inukshuk.
I hope it will survive strong Arctic winds.
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Sep 09, 2012 04:00 PM Walrus family
Sun! We are boarding zodiacs just after breakfast to sail around little rocky island where are the ruind of the Inuit houses. The big
family of the walruses is plaing in the dark blue waters of the bay. Crystal-clear air. Great panoramas of the snow-covered mountains.
After lunch we are moving to the nearby Alexandra Fiord. Another wet landing from the zodiacs and visit to the next Royal Canadian Police Post.
The post ist empty, but the houses are well maintained. It seems that from time to time scientist are coming here for studies.
I took the photos of the polar fox wondering around the station. It probably did not see the humans yet - it does not escape.
In the evening we are sailing north in the Smith Sound. More and more ice. Polar bear On the big piece of sea ice.
We are pushing forward our watches.
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Sep 08, 2012 04:00 PM Greenland on the horizon
Cloudy morning. Little icebergs are floating around. It is rolling. We are just entering Smith Sound - the channel
which directs you to the North Pole. On the right side (starboard) I can see already the coast of Greenland with many
glaciers sliding down to the sea. On the left side we have Ellesmere Island - the most northern part of Canada.
In the afternoon we reached little, rocky Pim Island - 78 deg North.
This small island is famous for the tragic Arctic Expedition 1881-85. Coming back from the reserch at Fort Conger (200 miles north)
26 people arrived to the island in 1883.
Due to the ice they stayed there two winters without any supply and any help. Only 7 people survived.
It was snowing when we were going to the island. Pim Island was completly covered by snow. Fortunately it was not a long walk from the
landing point to the remains of the house where they were waiting for the rescue.
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Sep 06, 2012 04:00 PM I met Polish lady in the Arctic!
In the morning we are landing from zodiacs in the Grise Fiord - the northernmost settlement of Canada.
It is foggy, windy and from time to time rain and sow are falling from the dark sky. But the location of the Grise Fiord - at the
bottom of the picturesque mountains is very nice. We were visiting the village with the local guide. Only 138 people live here -
on the 76th paralel north. They have the school, RCMP police post and the shop. The shopkeeper asked me where I am from.
-From Poland! You know that we have a teacher from Poland? What a surprise! I asked immediately people to call her and 10 minutes
later I had a great pleasure to meet my country woman. Zuza is charming young person. Since 4 years she teaches arts here - at the end of civilized
world where it is dark during 8 months each year! So far from Poland and alone! It was very short but very warm meeting with a
brave young lady. I am very proud of her. I was so sorry to say her goodbye boarding the last zodiac. Zuza is inviting travellers to her house
in Grise Fiord. There is only one problem: the travel to Grise Fiord costs a fortune!
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Sep 05, 2012 04:00 PM Northwest Passage - graves
High Cliffs of the Sommerset Island are very dramatic. So is little Prince Leopold Island located at the northern end of Sommerset.
Waves were higher when we were crossing Lancaster Sound. The second landing was on Beechey Island where people from the Franklin Expedition spend
the winter 1945/46. Then they disappeared looking for the Northwest Passage. There are graves and monuments on the shore...
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Sep 04, 2012 04:00 PM First polar bear
Outside temperature - only 1 deg Celsius. In fornt of us I see the hills covered by snow - It is Prince of Wales Island.
Soon we are boarding zodiacs and sailing through the Conningham Bay. At the end of the bay we found the polar bear, posing politely on the coast. We came close I had opportunity to photograph him. Wow!
Then we sailed picturesque Bellot Strait - 32 kms long picturesque channel with narwahls and another polar bears in the distance.
In the afternoon we reached Fort Ross - the last outpost of the Hudson Bay Company. Now there are only two abandoned houses.
One of them is restored - in the visitors book I saw the writings of the Polish sailors from the yachts "Stary" and
"Katharsis". Weather was clear, so I climbed the hill overlooking fort area for the nice view.
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Sep 02, 2012 04:00 PM Through the Northwest Passage
We are sailing east through the Coronation Gulf - this is the main route through the Northwest Passage used by most sailors, including the first explorers.
At 11 am we reached Cambridge Bay - the main Inuit settlement on Victoria Island. Local people invited us giving the impressive show of throat singing.
Then we used zodiacs to do ashore - to the village. They have cultural center there.
Nice Inuit exhibition inside and (thanks God) free internet terminals. That's why I have the possibility and a pleasure to send this message to you.
Sky is blue, sunny, some 10 deg Celsius. I am optimistic and I enjoy the expedition. Ahoy from the Arctic!
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Sep 01, 2012 04:00 PM To the Arctic! Not so lucky flight...
It was still dark when I was walking to the LRT station. I discovered that the cheapest way to reach Edmonton airport is to take city LRT train to Century Park (3 $) and then bus 747 (5$).
I have been in the airport on time. They showed us waiting junk plane "Canadian North" company. No problem, in Russia and Africa I used even older ones...
We started at 9.20 heading to Coppermine (present name: Kuglugtuk). They even served the breakfast... Then... the captain announced that there is technical problem and we must go back to Edmonton. And we did.
Fortunately it took only an hour to find the spare part and to replace the bad one... And we started again!
After 75 minutes of flight clouds disappeared and I saw Great Slave Lake. Then a lot of the other small lakes in the wast north areas - where it is hard to see any human activity.
After 2,5 hours I saw the blue Beaufort Sea and the little settlement of Kugluktuk where we landed on the gravel airstrip.
Our ship was visible in the bay. I took the walk to the settlement. Little houses, quads on the gravel streets, smiling Inuit people. I was the last passenger taken by zodiac to the ship...
Bad news was waiting aboard: Prince of Wales Sound is blocked by ice so we must sail around Victoria Island missing some interesting islands... Bad luck. At 7 pm we sailed away...
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Aug 31, 2012 04:00 PM Edmonton - the capital of Alberta
It was 10pm when the bus driver left me on the outskirts of Edmonton. -You can take a taxi from this place to your hostel. Backpacker in the taxi, paying 15 $! They do not understand what means to travel on the cheap!
It was not easy to find the direction in the dark on the empty streets but I reached YH walking along 106st an hour later. The backpack is heavy on this voyage - I carry a lot of warm clothes!
My Pakistani room-mate was snorring horibly all night.
Ok. They announced free tea in the morning but no tea bags - bring your own!
No wi-fi in the YH (they promised)! I found free internet in the public library - Churchill Sq. It is the heart of the city with high buildings and a beautiful fountain - nice place to be and to take some pictures. Edmonto is not busy on Saturdays. I took the walk through the Chinatown (97st) to the beautiful Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in 97th Strteet. Sorry - closed - only outside view.
Tomorrow morning I have the flight in the small plane through the Arctic Circle. Then the real adventure will start! Hope thes the cold sea will be calm!
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