November 16, 2008
We’ve just begun the long journey home. We’re currently on hour 8 of our 29-hour train ride. There are so many details and stories that didn’t get covered in the previous blog entries.
Dr. Charles Jonkel and Me, Missoula Montana Nov 18
One thing that’s clear is that we’ve all become family. It was evident when we joined another group of individual travelers on a tour the other day. Our group entered and immediately the woman from Polar Bears International said, “you guys have really been traveling together. You’re yelling at each other (in a fun way), teasing, laughing, and so comfortable together.” And when we boarded the train late last night I looked around at the few of us who have become a micro-family and said, “we’re gonna miss each other. “ Brandon replied, “Yeah, I didn’t think it would be possible.” And everybody laughed. He went on to explain that when he met everyone initially he thought, “ok, cool. They’re all right.” But as we spent the week together, in crazy travel circumstances, and experiencing the world of polar bears, we truly became family. That, of course, includes the whacky aunt and occasional person yu wish hadn’t married into the family. But everybody’s unique personality is what made the group dynamic work.
The other thing that’s unique about this trip and supports that “family” dynamic is that we ate every meal together. I’m not sure how many families do that anymore, but it’s a powerful reminder of how important that time is. We ate in a dining room, no TVs, no computers, no cell phones (they wouldn’t have worked anyway) – just people sharing their experiences, making each other laugh, and racing each other to the best desserts.
Looking for tundra berries in the snow
Anyway, more about our adventures in Churchill: There was one day when the weather wasn’t conducive to seeing polar bears. It was snowing, with 30 mph winds and near white out conditions. When the weather gets like this, the bears hunker down and sleep, conserving energy and hoping that the cold front is enough to bring on the sea ice. Now, if the polar bears think it’s a good idea to curl up and sleep all day, you’d think the people may follow their cue. But no, we’re a little bit nuts and Chuck took us out for a walk in the forest. We dug down through about 2 feet of snow to find tundra berries and other vegetation. It was 9 degrees below zero and pretty damn cold. But Chuck wanted us to learn about the vegetation, what the Arctic critters eat and how they gather their food through the snow. This past year saw a plentiful production of berries and a lot of snow. So, instead of being buried under the permafrost, where the animals couldn’t reach them, there are plenty of berries accessible this season. That’s good news for the terrestrial animals of the Arctic.
Kelly playing in the snow
It seemed like we were the only people crazy enough to be outside in this weather. The roads were empty. There was a moment when I’m sure everybody was re-considering why we were outside instead of sipping hot chocolate back at the research center. But before you can even verbalize that thought, you remember that you traveled to the Arctic – you didn’t come here for hot chocolate and warm weather. And at that moment, everybody started falling backwards into the snow. It’s an amazing feeling to know you can fall safely backwards and not get hurt. In fact, you didn’t even feel the impact of the fall. It was just poof and then outbursts of giggling all around.
More to come soon, including: Ian Stirling lecture, video of a polar bear at play, and some simple things we can all do to help the polar bears. In the meantime, here are a couple more pictures
Roads were empty except for our crazy group
Arctic puppies play with snow balls!
Packed up for the return home
My Travel Tales 