The heart of the Arctic
Cruising the extreme North an experience like no other
As I watch the setting sun while standing above the bridge of the Ocean Endeavour, the Arctic air cuts right through my jacket. For some reason, the cold feels good on my face — it’s refreshing, and the wind seems pure up North as we head out to sea.
We are on our way into the emptiness of the Hudson Strait and, as darkness washes over the land, my cellphone signal fades away.
I have joined 180 other Arctic travellers for a 13-day tour called the Heart of the Arctic, hosted by Adventure Canada. Our tour starts in the remote town of Kuujjuaq, Nunavik, Que., and ends in the barren village of Kangerlussuaq, Greenland.
On my first morning of the tour, I am jolted upright with an early announcement over the P.A. system. “Polar bears!” I quickly get dressed and head to the top deck of the boat, which is crowded with tourists armed with cameras and binoculars, scanning the shores of Akpatok Island, looking for the bears.
“They’re at 2 o’clock,” shouts one of the staff. We are treated to a mother and her cub walking on the shoreline. Quickly, we head to the inflatable Zodiac boats, where we can motor closer to shore and get a better look at the bears.
Even from the safety of the Zodiacs, some 500 metres away, the polar bears look incredibly large.
We are sailing through the Arctic Ocean on the Endeavour, a ship reinforced to travel through all but the toughest Arctic ice, equipped to take on 200 passengers and crew.
Life aboard the Endeavour, like all cruise ships, involves eating more than one should. Each day, we are treated to a buffet breakfast and lunch. After a cold Zodiac ride in the afternoon, guests can indulge in tea and snacks.
Dinner is always informal and is served each night with four choices for main courses. The menu includes a fish dish, a pasta, a vegetarian offering and meat dishes that can range from wild venison to beef. One of the last nights at sea, I had one of the best beef tenderloin meals I have ever had — to say it was like butter is an understatement. As an added bonus, the ship has a wonderful wine list with very reasonable prices.
Friendships are formed quickly on the ship. When you have a small community, multiple days at sea and no communication with the outside world, a highlight of the day is having drinks in the bar while watching a movie, or talent night, where guests get up and sing, dance or recite ABBA songs as poetry.
For some reason, the Arctic has always held a special place in my travelling heart. Most of my previous trips to the Arctic involved flying in for a few days and then flying out. This was the first time that I was able to get a real feel for what life in the Arctic would be like. Gorgeous, crimson red, late-night sunsets are unmatched in Southern Canada. And warm, smiling, inviting people welcome you for tea into their homes in the small Inuit communities.
The surprise of the trip came with a stop at Cape Dorset. The history of art in the community started in the mid ’50s, when Japanese printmaking was introduced. Since then, the village has made a world-class printmaking shop, and soap stone carvers work in sheds just off their houses on the dusty streets.
If you are in the market for a great deal on a piece of Inuit art, this is the place. I spent $45 on a small, palmsized dancing polar bear, while a larger piece will run you $1,000, shipped to your door.
The Arctic tour is advertised for adventurers, but athletic ability is far from a necessity. I had dinner one night with a couple in their ’90s from Wisconsin, while a 12-year-old boy walked past with his parents to their dinner table.
I was alone on the bow of the ship the night before we were to head home as we cruised up a fiord in Greenland. It had been two weeks since we first started. I thought of all my new friends in the cool, Arctic air.
Char and I hiked through Greenland’s trails, getting swarmed by mosquitoes. Omar and I got splashed by the cold, Arctic waters in our Zodiacs. After time spent on a ship together, many of us became close, like family. The bond was made when we all spotted our first polar bear, the large, white animal making its way down the rocky beach. Not many people get to see a polar bear outside a zoo.
This adventure through the heart of the Arctic had all of the elements of why we travel. As salty ocean spray hit my face while the midnight sun dipped below the horizon, I knew this was a trip I will never forget.