The Canadian High Arctic Trip
August 4-13, 1994
with Marine Expeditions
Aboard the Icebreaker
Kapitan Khlebnikov

By Richard de St. Croix

Wednesday August 3, 1994. Sheraton Gateway Hotel.

After driving to Toronto, Pat and I found our way to Nick and Brenda’s place at 8 Austin Terrace where we left our car and called for a taxi to the airport. At terminal 3 we booked into the Sheraton Gateway Hotel and had supper.

Thursday August 4 To Terminal 1 by bus at 6 am.

The wakeup call was at 4:30 am, soon after we were off to Terminal 1 by bus at 6 am. As we were standing in line to check our baggage an attractive young woman approached us and asked if we were going on the High Arctic Trip with Marine Expeditions. It was Kim Huffman from Vineland. She is living in New York City and was between acting contracts and was also coming on the trip. She is a friend of Patrick Shaw one of the leaders on the trip.

Our First Air flight on a B727 left at 8 am. The weather was overcast so we saw very little of the land below. After refueling at Iqaluit we saw some of the landscape near the northern part of Hudson Bay which we could identify on the map which we had brought with us. We arrived at Resolute Bay airport at 1:05 p.m. Central Time. We were lucky to be able to land because of the fog. Due to the difficulty of unloading passengers from the boat, also because of the fog, we were delayed in boarding until about 5:00 PM and did not get underway until about 6:30 PM.

After getting settled in our very comfortable cabin, which had one single bunk bed, one double bunk bed small desk, a small washroom with a shower, we enjoyed an excellent dinner in the very pleasant dining room. We went to bed at 11:25 to the sounds and the jarring of the ship moving through the ice which appeared to be about three to four feet thick. The original schedule was to go first to Beechey Island after leaving Resolute but because of the delay in leaving that stop was postponed until the end of the trip. Now, because of the heavier than expected ice, the ship may not be able to get to the North Magnetic Pole.

Friday August 5. Running Aground.

At 7:00 am the weather is clear and the ship is moving through a little ice. It is still questionable that the ship can get through the ice to the North Magnetic Pole because of the ice. The ship’s helicopter has flown over the planned route but it is not very promising. There is also a possibility that we may have to turn back and reverse the trip. All this uncertainty seems to make for an interesting trip.

Then at 3:00 PM we all become aware that the ship is not moving! After a few minutes we begin to realize that something is wrong as the ship is starting to list a little; the crew is moving around looking worried. Then it is announced that we are aground on a soft sandbar, or more exactly a mudbar. The ship draws about 9 metres of water but the charts show 35 metres of water.

We are told that we will have to wait until high tide at midnight but the difference between low tide and high tide is only 30 cm. At 10:30 the ship is still aground. The crew has run the propellers backwards many times to swing the ship from side to side. They have also used sidethrusters, which seemed to be jets of air, to wash away the soft mud under the ship. The pool has been emptied, the ballast shifted and the fuel moved causing the ship to list away from the mudbank. Our position on the mudbank was between Crescent and Charles Islands off the NW coast of Devon Island at exactly 77º 1’ N, 97º 5 ‘ W. It was at this time, when the ship was at its greatest list, that I tried to take a shower not realizing that the drain in the shallow shower stall was at the high side!

Saturday, August 6. Watching the Ship float free.

After I had mopped up the water from the shower escapade I watched through our cabin porthole, which was right beside my bunk, as the crew kept working the ship back and forth to try to free it from the mud bar since it was now at high tide. Then a little after midnight I realized that we were floating free and backing up so I was able to fall asleep. Since the ship was still listing from all the shifting of ballast and fuel we could not proceed, nor could I take a shower, until the ship was on even keel.

After getting underway at 3:30 am there was a lot of heavy ice to go through making progress very slow. The ice thickness appeared to be about five to six feet and we learned later that this was two-year or older ice. The objective of reaching the North Magnetic Pole had now been abandoned and the ship headed east just south of Cornwall Island. The closest we were to the North Magnetic Pole was 122 statute miles. The objective now was to go North between Cornwall Island and Graham Island.

Later in the day the sun came out and Pat and I were in group # 5 for a trip around the ship. Kim Huffman had the job of getting people on and off the helicopter. We were able to see the ship from the air and take pictures of it. The helicopter and pilot were Canadian from Inuvik where the ship had picked them up. The Russian helicopter with the ship was not licensed to fly the passengers on our trip and was used for scouting the ice ahead of the ship.

At 6:00 PM the ship stopped beside some solid ice and we all got out on the ice to have a hot well-spiked drink and take pictures. One couple was dressed in Santa Claus outfits and was taking pictures, probably for their 1994 Xmas cards.

After dinner we were up on the bridge while the ship was been steered through some heavy ice when someone spotted an arctic fox near the ship. In the summer they are not pure white but we wondered what it was doing out there so far from land. We later learned that the polar bears hunt seals out on the ice and the foxes follow them and scavenge the remains. We were to see polar bears later on the trip.

Dugald Wells’ brother in law, John Kennedy, showed the video that he had taken the day before. He had seen a walrus in the water and ice right beside the ship and he managed to get some good shots of it diving two or three times. Pat and I had arrived at the ship's rail after the walrus had made its last dive.

Sunday August 7. Around the World in Eighty Minutes.

One of the lecturers on the trip was Laurie Dexter. Laurie was born in Scotland and at a Sunday service this morning, he explained how he came to Canada and how he became an Anglican Minister in the Canadian Arctic. He is also a long distance runner and was one of the Canadians on the Polar Bridge Expedition that traveled from Siberia to the North Pole and on to Ellesmere Island. On the ship we were able to buy a copy of the book Above and Beyond which included a chapter on Laurie Dexter. In 1996 he is planning to organize a trip for 14 persons along with himself and it will include flying to the North Magnetic Pole and to the North Pole. At the North Pole Laurie plans to organize a race which will be called Around the World in Eighty Minutes.

Ashore by Zodiac at Mokka Fiord.

After lunch we went ashore in a zodiac at Mokka Fiord where we walked over to a river flowing out of Buchanan Lake. There had been mention of the possibility of catching arctic char in these waters so I had brought my fishing rod along just in case. There were no signs of anything alive in the places where I tried. I later learned that the char run here in the spring only. As we walked along the shore we saw muskox tracks as well as wolf, caribou and bird tracks. We also saw, higher up and away from the shore, some flat stone rings that appeared to be campsites. The native people may have come here in the spring for the arctic char run.

While waiting for the ice to clear, so the zodiacs could take us back, we saw some arctic terns, glaucose gulls and turnstones. The terns were catching small copepods from the water. I later caught one in my foam cup and the Ellesmere Park Warden, who was with us, called them copepods. Geoff Green, one of the leaders, called them krill a small shrimp like animal.

While we were on shore the ice had closed in between the ship and the shore so we were stranded. There were three Zodiacs stranded in the ice, one with passengers, while the rest of us were stranded on the shore. Hot tea was delivered to those on shore by helicopter and eventually we were all rescued. Pat and I arrived back on board ship at 8:30 PM for a late dinner.

Monday August 8. Tanquary Fiord.

The plan today was to land on shore by Zodiac or fly to Lake Hazen in the Ellesmere National Park Reserve. During the night the progress of the ship was so slow we would not get there until later in the afternoon. We were now in the land of the midnight sun as the sun is just above the horizon at midnight. This was the first ship to come up this far this year. When we did arrive in the bay at the northern end of Tanquary Fiord, where the entrance buildings to the park are located, the ice was too thick to land by zodiac. Some of us were flown ashore by helicopter where we had a short hike up the side of the slope to a low wall of flat rock. This apparently is where the Inuit used to lie in wait for the muskox to come by when hunting. We returned to the ship by zodiac at about 8:00 PM and enjoyed another fine dinner at 8:30.pm

Tuesday August 9. A visit to the Eureka Weather Station.

This morning the ship dropped anchor in the bay just off the Eureka weather station. Some people were able to go ashore by Zodiac before the ice closed in. After some delay, Pat and I were able to go ashore by helicopter so we had a nice view of the large Canadian flag painted on the roof of the main building. At the station a few people saw a white wolf which seemed to be somewhat of a pet.

A flight to see the Geodetic Hills.

After lunch group 9, including Pat and me, flew by helicopter to the site called Geodetic Hills. Here we saw layers of deposits of the remains of trees of what was a forest floor 45 million years ago. The material was still wood with the growth rings visible. We were told that these wood remains would still burn. The explanation for the existence of this forest is that the climate was much warmer at this location since the mountain ranges along the West Coast of North America did not exist at that time. After the mountains were formed the flow of warm air from the south pacific was blocked and the climate became colder and drier, as it is now. On the return flight Pat saw four small herds of muskox and I saw three (we were sitting on opposite sides of the helicopter). The largest herd was about ten animals including some smaller younger ones. As we flew over one group they started to close in together to form their protective circle.

Wednesday August 10. Grise Fiord.

Grise Fiord is the most northern Inuit community in the Eastern Arctic. It was hoped that we could make a landing by zodiac and visit the community. Unfortunately, as we approached the bay we found that the pack ice would not allow a landing. However, it was arranged to bring a small group of Inuit from Grise Fiord aboard by helicopter to visit the ship and allow us to meet them.

Before dinner a polar bear was sighted beside the ship and both Pat and I saw it along with most of the people on board. This was the first time that we had seen a polar bear in its natural habitat and this was quite exciting. The bear ran on the ice and also swam between large pieces of ice.

After dinner, the group from Grise Fiord came on board to visit the ship. After a tour of the ship we met them in the lecture room where they gave us a friendly presentation. There were two young girls, one young boy, an older man who played a simple drum and they also sang some songs. The town Administrator, an Inuit, who told us about the town and the people, accompanied them. A supply ship comes once a year in September with fuel and non-perishable supplies for the year. During the rest of the year a twice-weekly twin otter flight arrives with fresh supplies and mail. The group had brought some souvenirs for sale and someone had made some bannock, I think that it was the town administrator, and we all had a taste of that.

Thursday, August 11. The bird colony on Coburg Island.

This morning we visited the bird colony on the South shore of Coburg Island by zodiac. The birds are attracted to areas of rocky coast where the water is open for a large part of the year. These areas are called Polynya. Because the water is open the sun is able to penetrate deeper into the water so plant life becomes abundant and supports an extensive life chain of which the birds are a part.

The birds nest on the rocky cliffs and include; thick-billed murres, black leg kittiwakes and a few glaucous gulls. The gulls are one of the predators of the bird colony plus there may be foxes living near the colony.

Before we headed back to the ship the fog rolled in and we could not see the ship. A radio call to the ship brought it a little closer to us and we heard a few blasts from the ships whistle. We were all able to get back to the ship in time for another fine lunch. After lunch a polar bear was sighted near the ship on the ice. I arrived on deck in time to catch a glimpse of it before it disappeared into the water.

Friday, August 12. Visit to Pond Inlet.

We reached Pond Inlet in the morning and went ashore with no problems. This was a scheduled stop and the community was expecting us. One of the main sources of income for these arctic people is making and selling carvings and other types of artwork and souvenirs. We purchased a nice carving of three figures in a green stone mounted on a piece of caribou antler. They had recently finished qualifications for the Arctic Summer Games and one or two young men demonstrated an event where the object is to jump up and kick a ball held high in the air by a string on a pole and then land on the same foot.

On the way back to the ship I spotted some dogs tethered near the shore. They were good looking healthy dogs. They are probably used for the tourist business that operates out of Pond Inlet taking groups out on trips to see wildlife and for the camping or excursion experience.

In the bay there was a large stationary iceberg. We were told that it came from Greenland, that it was grounded in shallow water and would stay there until it melted. When that happened it would soon be replaced by another iceberg from Greenland. These icebergs are potential sources of fresh water. This was one of the reasons that people began living at this particular place.

Saturday, August 13. The last day and a trip to Beechey Island.

Today was the last day of the trip. The expected plane departure time was 9:00 am so an early morning trip to Beechey Island was scheduled. This trip was led by George Hobson, a lecturer with a special interest in the Franklin expedition. We went ashore at about 6:00 am and visited two sites connected with the Franklin expedition. At the first site were the graves of three of the sailors that died here. At the second site were the ruins of a building and some parts of a small boat.

The ship reached Resolute Bay later in the morning but the news was that our plane was still in Iqaluit waiting for the fog to clear at Resolute before it could proceed. We began to hear stories of planes being grounded here for days. At about 3:00 PM we finally went ashore after the plane had left Iqaluit. It landed shortly at Resolute. After boarding the plane the fog was as bad as ever and it was at least 4 hours before we could take off. The pilot taxied the plane down the runway before lifting off to make sure there were no muskox or anything on the runway. The pilot told us that the fueling pump at Iqaluit was broken so we were forced to fly to Churchill for refueling and a safety check. So, we stood in line in the small Churchill airport at 3:00 am for an hour while two very bored persons checked our luggage.

Sunday, August 14. To Horseshoe Valley for the COC’s day 2.

The change to Sunday seemed to come slowly in our awareness. It became a reality as we approached the Hamilton airport in daylight. The reason for landing at Hamilton was that the curfew at Toronto did not allow us to land there between 11:00pm and 7:am. Of course, when the luggage was being unloaded it was almost expected when the conveyor in the airport would not work properly so had to be shifted to another conveyor. We were thankful when the bus took us to Toronto with no trouble.

The next step in our journey was to take a taxi to 8 Austin Terrace to get our car. As we headed north to Horseshoe Valley for day 2 of the Canadian Orienteering Championships we realized that we did not have time to have breakfast since we did not know our start times and the first start was at 9:00 am. It turned out that we had only 15 minutes to spare. After our run, which was not the best in our careers but not disastrous, we found a wonderful hot buffet lunch in the dining room there and made up for the lost breakfast. It had been a long day.