An Arctic Adventure
Travelling through the Northwest Passage
Memorial University archaeologist Latonia Hartery is passionate about Canada’s Arctic. The Newfoundland native has been to the far north at least two dozen times and has been part of Adventure Canada cruises to the region for the past 11 years.
Hartery was among a group of 38 scientists, historians, authors and resource people who led us and 160 other guests on an expedition cruise through the fabled Northwest Passage and on to the iceberg-clad west coast of Greenland.
Beginning the cruise in Kugluktuk, Nunavut, at the mouth of the Coppermine River, the ship carried a fleet of 18 Zodiacs to land passengers on barren but beautiful tundra or on the gravel beaches of several fascinating Inuit communities. Latonia Hartery’s role was to point out evidence of early settlement by paleoeskimo, Dorset and Thule people, the ancestors of modern Inuit. Other scientists were specialists in geology, botany, birds and marine mammals. One of the most emotional stops was on Beechey Island, where the graves of three members of the ill-fated Sir John Franklin expedition were discovered. Ken McGoogan, the author of “Fatal Passage,” the best-selling book about the extensive search for Franklin and his 128 men, was on board to talk about the long quest for a northern sea route between Europe and Asia.
With climate change, the Northwest Passage now includes several possible summer and early fall routes among the multitude of islands in the vast Nunavut region. Each day, our expedition team briefed guests about what we had seen and what to expect the next day. With warm clothes, rubber boots and lifejackets, we boarded Zodiacs for landings on remote, uninhabited tundra where the floral carpet was often astonishing in its colour and variety. Latonia Hartery pointed out stone tent rings and graves as well as whale bones, evidence of centuries old settlements. In some areas we also found remains of abandoned Hudson’s Bay Company stores or RCMP outposts.
Our most satisfying stops were at two remote Inuit communities. Gjoa Haven, on King William Island, was named for the small boat Roald Amundsen used to complete the first Northwest Passage crossing in 1906. The community of 1200 put on a cultural display for us including throat singing, drumming, square dancing and Inuit athletics. We were also warmly welcomed in iceberg-lined Grise Fiord, Canada’s most northerly community, located on the southern tip of Ellesmere Island. Its population is just 130 but we were entertained with music, singing and athletics.
Leaving Nunavut, we crossed Baffin Bay to the spectacular coast of western Greenland. Karrat Fjord is surrounded by snow-capped mountains and filled with all sizes of icebergs. Many glaciers feed the fjord and on a still, sunny day we heard the thunder of icebergs calving in the distance. With mist rising and the sea shimmering, a welltravelled woman from California exclaimed, “This is the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen in my life!”
Even more spectacular beauty was evident farther south at the Ilulissat Icefjord, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The fjord is fed by the fastest moving (up to 40 metres a day) and most productive glacier in the Arctic. The result is scores of icebergs as long as several city blocks, many of which eventually end up in the North Atlantic off Newfoundland and Labrador. Taking a Zodiac close to these rugged beauties was like being in another world.
Latonia Hartery of St. John’s loved this Adventure Canada cruise as much as any she’s been on. She told us about the 86year-old female passenger she met who was as spry and active as anyone else. “When I’m 86,” Hartery said, “I hope I’m still coming to the Arctic to fulfill my dream in that way.”