Wednesday October 2 was a day at sea for us as we crossed the Davis Strait between Greenland and Canada. I love sea days with Adventure Canada because there are always interesting presentations to attend or, if I want to, I can sit back and do nothing. My favourite presentation of this crossing was given by Rogier on using the camera in an android phone. I picked up some really good tips about different ways to trigger the shutter. Dennis mentioned that on one of his trips to Antarctica, he noticed that the professionals were using their phones as their wide angle cameras so they didn’t have to carry more than one camera body. The phones really are becoming more and more capable as an alternative to a camera for the average photographer. In the evening there was a kitchen party which I thoroughly enjoyed and which I’ve written about in a previous post.
Our first hiking opportunity in Canada was in Ekortiarsuk Fjord. This year they divided the moderate hikers into two groups. I went with the faster group and was very pleased that I could putter at the back while I took photos and then catch up with the rest of the group. At times I was even among the leaders. Our group did get a bit strung out and the tail enders started to merge with the slower group behind us. Some of us got permission from Heather, our group leader, to make our way back to the zodiacs via the beach. We walked along the tide line where there was slippery kelp and slimy rocks so balance was a challenge in a couple of spots; however I managed to remain upright after a couple of less than graceful moves. The photo highlight was a cross fox.
He isn’t really very clear because he was quite far from us and his head is turned away from my camera. I was delighted to see him nonetheless. One of the compromises I make by not carrying my mirrorless camera is that I can’t get really good close-ups of wildlife. I still enjoy the experience though.
It was on this hike that I became disenchanted with my boots. They are the same size I usually wear but are a different brand. I found they were just not snug enough to give me really secure footing. In addition, they were supposed to be waterproof. The right boot was fine. The left boot leaked. That’s not acceptable in my world.
In the dining room I had a few of those ‘small world’ moments. Tina, the geologist on the trip, and I discovered that we live only a few blocks apart in Calgary. Later I met two woman also from Calgary neighbourhoods very close to me.
Friday October 4 saw us in Eclipse Sound. Again I hiked with the moderate fast group and was quite comfortable with the pace. There had been a bit of backing and forthing about chatting while on hikes. Some folks enjoy socializing as they walk and others find conversation irritating and want to be alone in nature. It’s not a problem for me. Sometimes I chat and sometimes I don’t. It’s pretty easy to tell from the response whether a person is happy chatting or not, and if I don’t want to chat I simply place myself far enough away from others that I don’t have to. Dave Freeze who was leading our hike collected us and suggested that we do the next part of the hike up to the ridge in silence and then spend a few moments at the top just enjoying the land. We did that and I got a couple of good shots of people as they rested and looked out at the tundra and the fjord.
After seeing the bears the plan was to go up the river to the bottom of a waterfall
but there was clearly a front coming in and it was getting a bit bumpy so our driver decided not to chance it. Anyway one of the other drivers reported on the radio that he could only get half way up to the waterfall. Instead we headed for a zodiac that appeared to contain a couple of polar bears. These bears were not at all skittish and proffered spiked hot chocolate.
1 comment:
I lived and worked in the Canadian Arctic as a young woman. Because I was often working for The Inuit Taparitsat I had occasion to be out on the land and sea with them. I had no camera or really any interest in photography at that point and carrying a camera would have been one thing too many. I use my phone camera now. The larger cameras are not possible with my hand issues and because of weight. Although I have indelible memories of the Arctic of fifty years ago, sometimes, I wish I had had my IPhone then and could now share some of that experience with my Grands visually
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