I first traveled to the Arctic in November of 2006. In the days leading up to my departure, I packed and repacked my L.L. Bean duffel bag more than a few times, not particularly confident in my clothing selections. Visions of fur-laden Inuits and expedition-suited explorers danced in my head as I filled that duffel with long underwear, trousers and turtlenecks. Many years ago, while kayaking in Alaska, I met a native of the Arctic who actually carried whale blubber in a small flask around his neck....just for emergencies. What was I getting myself into?
By the time I boarded the jet at the Denver airport, I was ready to be there. My first stop was in Winnipeg, so it would still be another day before we would land in Churchill, Polar Bear Capital of the World. We stayed at fancy "old money" digs in downtown Winnipeg, where we met our expedition leaders and fellow travelers. The Fort Garry is a beautiful old hotel, and Winnipeg seems to be a pretty cool city, but I was itching to get to the bears.
There was, however, one bout of serendipity while in Winnipeg that made it worth the wait. After a great night's sleep in a big, plush down bed, I decided to forego the elevator and walk the 11 or so flights down to breakfast. Around floor 5 or 6, I realized that the guy heading the other direction was an old friend from college. Cory was one of the very first people I met during orientation my freshman year, and I hadn't seen him since the day we graduated. To make the story even better, it turned out that he was one of my fellow polar bear expeditionists (insert Disney's "It's a Small World" here). I read it as a good omen for the trip ahead!
Okay, on to the bears (just a warning...longwinded storytelling runs in my family). When we landed in Churchill, there was some snow on the ground but nowhere near what I expected. It was downright balmy, in fact, compared to my expectations of the Arctic. Go figure. Anyway, we hopped right on our Tundra Buggy - sort of a fire truck meets tractor meets school bus - which was our mode of transportation while out on the Tundra. The buggies are high enough off the ground that even large polar bears can stand on hind legs, place their monstrous paws against the side of the buggy (which they do!), and the passengers inside remain a safe distance. I should add that this height advantage is most fortunate because, at a top speed of maybe 5 miles per hour, the tundra buggy is no match for the polar bear's swift and steady gait.
My first impression of the Arctic tundra can be summed up in one word: empty. This is a vast and severe place offering little to no respite, and I felt a pointed emotional void upon seeing her for the first time. That said, I grew to understand that this emptiness - both in the physical landscape and in my own emotional landscape - was actually a thing of great and elegant beauty. Even during my short stay on the tundra, my eyes grew more finely tuned to the physical subtleties that support an entire web of life, and my heart was washed in its unadorned and commanding spirit. I suppose that to say that the tundra changed me is somewhat hokey; but I can say that I came home with a new appreciation for the beauty of emptiness.
Waking to polar bears wrestling just outside of your bedroom window is pretty darn cool (just in case you ever wondered). I actually rubbed my eyes a few times that first morning on the Tundra Lodge to make sure I wasn't dreaming such a wild sight into existance. Turns out there were plenty of mind-boggling visions ahead of me, and this one was pretty tame in hindsight. The Tundra Lodge proved an unrivalled observation deck for anyone seeking out ursus maritimus. At one point, we counted 12 bears hanging around the lodge, engaged in various activities - mostly sleeping or sparring, but we also saw mama bears protecting baby bears and witnessed some very interesting adult/juvenile interactions. During our daily tundra buggy forays along the shores of the bay, we saw numerous wildlife, not the least of which were polar bears. We happened upon arctic foxes, snowy owls, willow ptarmigans, gyr falcon, arctic hare, ringed seal and ravens galore. For such a seemingly barren place, the tundra sure does provide for a wide variety of life.
I have to say that the coolest experience of my trip happened one late afternoon on the way to dinner (amazing food, by the way - pure gluttony). The Tundra Lodge is set up such that one must cross a series of open-air walkways to get from one end of the "train" to the other. These walkways are raised a good 8 to 10 feet off the ground, and they consist of two layers of thick, metal grating so that you can actually see what's going on under your feet. Likewise, the bears sometimes wander underneath the structure to see what might be going on overhead, and that's just what was occuring when I began my journey toward the dining car. A very large bear, presumably male due to his size, was meandering through the passageway when I stepped onto the walkway. We were immediately keen to each others' presence, and I dropped down onto my knees in silence. After some sniffing and puffing, Nanook of the North lifted his front paws to rest on one of the Lodge's massive tires, and settled his wide nose just on the other side of the grate from me. Utterly terrified, I made my way onto all fours and leaned my head in close. And there we were: the largest land carnivore a mere three inches away from a true lightweight. I've never felt like such a piece of meat in all my life...
For those of you who have traveled, you know that it can be difficult to put into words the full experience of a place. There are so many little pieces that create the whole, and there's really no way to share them all. In some ways, I am still processing the entire affair. In fact, I think it would be a disservice even to try to put it all into words. After all, if I could capture the reality of my time on the Arctic Tundra on a blog, then there would be no reason for you to go out there and experience it for yourself. And maybe the thought of a visit to the Arctic and its inhabitants has never even crossed your mind. Honestly, I had never considered it myself. But I can certainly tell you that the bears and their home are a beautiful, if unbelievable, sight to behold. So why are you still sitting there? The King of the Arctic is waiting.
When I returned from my polar expedition, I created a photo gallery on the Kodak Gallery website that features the flora and fauna we saw. Some of you have already seen this, but here's a link for those who have not: Churchill Photos (The photos are captioned, so be sure to check those out as you go through the snaps for some interesting tidbits.) For an insight into life on the Tundra Lodge, you can check out a slideshow on NHA's website (some of those photos are also mine). Enjoy!
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