Heart of the Arctic reflections: Arctic 6

Heart of the Arctic 6

Ocean Endeavour

[ ed.On one of the last days of the trip Cedar Swan, CEO of Adventure Canada and host on the Heart of the Arctic trip, asked if Richard and I would give a thank-you, from the passengers’ point of view, to all of those who worked hard to give us the best experience possible. This is what I said.]

When Cedar asked us if we would say something at this gathering, I had a bit of a chuckle to myself. Cedar had no way of knowing that, having been married for 36 years, Richard and I can canoe, ride a tandem bicycle and wallpaper together fairly amicably. When it comes to joint writing projects, each of us wants to be in charge. One of the easiest ways to solve the problem is to each take a section.

In his section, Richard has talked about all the fabulous people who made this voyage possible and in my section I’d like to offer a few personal reflections.

We took our first trip in 20015 and I blame Scott entirely for that. When he told us about the trip we thought it would be a really interesting trip of a lifetime. He was right about the interesting part and entirely wrong about the ‘trip of a lifetime' part.

There is magic in the Arctic. Richard and I have seen parts of the Western Arctic on foot, on horseback and in a canoe but this ship offered us a new mode of transport and a chance to go to places we never would have gotten to on our own. We have met people we never would have met on our own and because of these experiences my world has expanded.

I’m a city kid and will never be anything else but because of people like Martha and Nancy, whom you’ve met, Robert, Ashley, and Jenna whom some of you have met, items in the news have become more personal. When I read that Iqaluit has difficulty with their water supply, I wonder how Ashley and her new daughter are doing.

When I saw news coverage a couple of years ago about Billy Gautier going on a hunger strike to protest a dam on a Muskrat River, I remember him as the skilled carver who sailed with us and who burned out the motor on his grinder because he forgot the ship’s voltage was different from what is supplied to the homes in Canada.

When I read about global warming I wonder how the hunt will go for my friends. I wear my sealskin mitts proudly and tell anyone who asks that I bought them in Mittamatalik from the sister of the hunter who killed the seal.

When I’m given the opportunity to, as Lizanne would say, bang on about how wonderful the Arctic is, I do so until my listeners start to roll their eyes and hide their yawns. I was a bit nervous about the voyages this season because 6 of my friends are first time travellers with Adventure Canada. I wanted all of them to have a wonderful time and I also wanted them to experience some of the awe I experience each time I have the privilege of sailing in these waters and walking out on the tundra.

So, for me, this voyage and the others I have taken are voyages of connection, a connection to part of the country many southern Canadians will not see, and a connection to the people I never dreamed of meeting and whom I now count among my friends.

I hope each of you will have particular moments from this trip that will return to

you in other times and places and you will pause for an instant and remember the land we have travelled through, the people we have met, and the laughter we have shared.

I know for some there have been moments - when the Ocean Endeavour rolled in the swell for instance - that the experience was less than ideal. I hope in hindsight that those moments will also become part of the adventure. Personally, I hope that this voyage will NOT be the trip of a lifetime. As long as I can continue to safely lumber into and out of a zodiac I plan to travel these waters on this ship. As this trip draws to an end I wish all of you safe journeys as you move back into the world beyond the Arctic and once again, I want to thank all of those who worked so hard to organize and orchestrate this experience.

Sunset at sea