The Trottier Brothers - at it again

Name: Lorne Trottier

Cabin No. 604

Sept. 2, 2009

We got the wake up announcement at 5:30 AM and were given 30 minutes to get dressed and be ready. We were taken ashore to a rocky beach in False Strait and divided into two groups: the short walkers and the long walkers. Of course all the Trottier brothers went on the long walk! A couple of the crew members could be seen on a nearby hilltop on the lookout for polar bears with rifles at the ready.

For the long walk we spent an hour walking each way, taking a slightly different route for the return. The walk got off to a intriguing start when Shoshana, the overall expedition leader, who was leading the walk, spotted a polar bear skull just up from the beach, and held it aloft for the group to see. About half way through the outbound part of the walk Elliot spotted a group of muskox in the distance. We approached them slowly, stopping every couple of minutes to observe and take photos.

When we got within a few hundred meters, a few of the muskox stopped eating and looked at us for several minutes. Then they regrouped a bit further off, where they formed a circle, heads together, and with just a bit of imagination one had the impression that they were debating what to do next! After a time, they move off and disappeared over a hill.

During the hike we found the bones of a number of animals including seals, polar bear, even some whale bones. We spotted some small but beautiful arctic flowers, multicolored lichens (including an especially vivid orange variety, which looked like brilliant paint splashed on the rocks), and a family of red-throated loons on a small lake. Then it was time to get into the zodiacs and return to the ship for a hearty breakfast. What a full morning!

The ship set sail out of False Strait and into the neighboring Bellot Strait which separates the Boothia Peninsula (the most northern point of North America) from Somerset Island. Bellot Strait is a relatively narrow channel which can have treacherous currents. The captain timed our sailing through the Bellot Straight when the tide was flowing against the ship . This made for a safer passage. We were called on deck on a couple of occasions when polar bears were sighted on banks of the strait. Each time we saw a mother and two cubs who were out foraging for food. We got close enough for some good pictures. On the first occasion we also spotted a male polar bear, close to the mother and her cubs.

Male polar bears will kill cubs, in order to force the female to mate.

Fortunately, the male was traveling in the opposite direction of the female. As the ship approached the second group of polar bears, for some reason the mother decided to go into the water and attempt to cross over to the other side. Her two cubs followed her. It was quite a sight to watch the bears swimming. We also sighted a seal and some muskox.

The second stop of the day was at Fort Ross, an abandoned Hudson's Bay trading post. This is also a location that had been visited in the 1830's by a British Arctic Expedition led by Commander Ross. It was also used by one of the search parties after the ill fated Franklin Expedition. There were two buildings at this site, one was the trading post itself, and the other was the residence of the trader. The windows of the house were smashed, and we could look inside to see the old furniture that was ripped apart. We hiked up a nearby rocky hill which had a cairn marker. From the top of the hill we had a nice view of the trading post, our ship, and Bellot Strait.

It was good to be off the ship to see the tundra up close. The terrain we walked on was rugged and barren. The vastness of this stark wilderness, which spans thousands of kilometers in all directions, has a unique beauty all its own. Later that evening as we were finishing our dinner there was an announcement to go on deck to see something that should not be missed. It turned out to be a pod of about a dozen orcas (killer whales). We got close enough for some good photos.

The plan for tomorrow is similar to today, a wake up call at 5:30 AM.

Sept. 3, 2009

As promised we again awoken at 5:30 AM for a visit to Creswell Bay.

After dressing up and putting on our life preservers and waiting for the zodiacs, we learned that we would not be going ashore. The staff had scouted out the beach and had seen too many polar bears in the vicinity for a safe landing. Instead, we went for an hour-long zodiac cruise in the bay alongside the beach. It was a beautifully sunny but brisk morning. Temperature was about 4 C with a cold breeze. During the cruise we spotted one of the polar bear groups – female and her cub, as well as seal, which surfaced in front of our zodiac.

Later today we will be going ashore at Fury Beach, an area where the Ross expedition of the the 1830's was stranded for over three years.

After the mysterious disappearance of the Franklin expedition in 1845 – 47, it served as base for one of the search parties.