Polar Bear Sightings!

August 11, 2014

Dear Lilliane -

Today was nothing short of exhilarating. It was one of those days you would like to replay over and over if you could. It was filled with moments that we would have loved to hold and share with all those we care about. But perhaps the sheer rarity and beauty of the experiences are what will make us cherish the memories for the rest of our lives.

Our day began with a fabulous buffet-style breakfast that allowed all of us to eat according to our moods. This was also an opportunity to get to know one of the fascinating lodge staff a bit better, as she has been on a work visa over the past two years getting intimately familiar with all parts of Canada. She was so excited for us about our adventures in Churchill and offered some great advice for some upcoming tours, and even checked in with us after her shift was done to get an early glimpse of pictures. We look forward to seeing her again tomorrow morning.

Polar Bear Bath

We next went on a short walk in town and stopped in to a few shops to confirm some of the scheduled events for the next few days. This led us to again meet some enthusiastic and incredibly kind individuals. Joan at Hudson Helicopter Co. greeted us with open arms and the biggest of smiles; she was unbelievably skilled at making us feel taken care of.

Next we met a gentleman named Mark, born and raised in Churchill. He drove us to some points of interest in and around the area, presenting an almost encyclopedic knowledge of the history and ecology of the region. He recounted stories of Fort Merry and Fort Prince of Wales and their 40 year development scheme at enormous expense only to be proven ineffective when the French came in (they conquered the region without a single shot being fired). He told us about his personal run-ins with polar bears, showed us the Polar Bear Holding Facility - ie. polar bear jail - and took us to Miss Piggy, the infamous plane crash site. We ate freshly picked blueberries and learned more about the tundra and taiga regions. We had such a pleasant time talking with Mark that we quickly ran out of time and he had to rush us back to the lodge so we would not miss our helicopter tour.

How many polar bears can you count?

Back at Hudson Helicopter Tours, Joan introduced us to Eric, our pilot, and we had a pleasant chat before our safety talk and entry in the helicopter. Elizabeth sat in the front and was the copilot (she even had a chance to help with the descent, so technically she flew a helicopter today) and Chris, Sami and I eagerly clambered into the back. Sami was beside himself to be in a 'copter' but eventually gave in to his sleepiness (side note: any time we have been in a moving vehicle for more than five minutes on this trip, he has fallen asleep. Poor little one!). Words cannot properly capture the breath-taking views from a helicopter travelling 300 feet in the air at 115 mph. Hudson's Bay is a gorgeous expanse of calm blue, filled with playful pods of beluga whales that frequently break the water's surface. The tundra and taiga regions in low tide are marshy, rocky, sandy, green, and barren in haphazardous patches. We saw Miss Piggy (crash site mentioned earlier) and Ithica (abandoned boat) from the air, as well as Fort of Wales and various research camps, and were told fascinating stories related to the research Eric gets to be a part of because of his pilot skills. We also observed countless numbers of birds, and the ecological destruction caused by a proliferation of snow geese. Yet hands down the most spectacular sights were of the polar bears. Even from our aerial vantage point they were formidable and graceful. We saw a congregation of about 20 bears total that were sunbathing, swimming, and generally relaxing. And even more special, we caught a glimpse of a brave (or foolish?) mother with her cub amongst a group of about 10 massive males weighing about 1000 pounds each. These sights alone (we promise pictures soon!) were the reason Elizabeth wanted to have an Arctic Adventure, so we could not be more pleased with the outcome. Eric combatted the strong winds with ease and provided excellent service for which we will always be grateful. To top it all off, Joan's granddaughter who is about Elizabeth's age thoughtfully gifted Elizabeth with a 1000 piece puzzle of original Canadian art (can't wait to get it started!) and Sami with a water bottle he immediately attached too. We are so touched by their thoughtfulness, and are reminded that kindness is never wasted; we wish Joan could know how her natural goodness is contributing to our healing.

Up front...Elizabeth flew the helicopter too!

Sandy Beach in Nunuvat (the water looks tempting)

Due to a sudden thunderstorm (Churchill's unpredictable weather patterns continue to deliver!) our kayaking with beluga whales was rescheduled for tomorrow, which turned out beautifully. We took the time to check out a highly recommended local bakery and had the best danishes in Canada and then walked over to the Eskimo Museum. We were not expecting a small town of less than 1000 people to have such an impressive collection of Inuit art and artifacts demonstrating every aspect of their commendable survival skills. There were also artifacts and fossils from around the world which meant we had a thoroughly pleasurable afternoon of reading and exploring. One of the most stunning art pieces is near the entry way of an Inuit woman passing prechewed caribou meat to the infant she is carrying on her back. Maybe I was drawn to it for the simple fact that it demonstrated a mother's inherent instinct to protect and promote the life of her little ones, which to me is the foundation of all human interaction.

This evening we visited with some more hotel staff and clients and had another delicious meal (if you ever visit the Lazy Bear Lodge, I highly recommend the Polar Caps - prawns baked on foccacia bread with cheese, bacon, and onions). We then listened to an elder Inuit man who spoke about his life growing up in igloos (he was even born in one! Mark, our tour guide from earlier, has a good friend named Barney Tutu who had been born and raised in igloos - and his son now plays in the NHL); about historical changes and the impacts current political policies have on Inuit quality of life. Thomas was fabulous to listen to and made us all the more excited to meet and talk with people in Arviat, which will happen in two more sleeps!

The biggest highlight of today (and likely the trip) was seeing the polar bears. Elizabeth loved every moment of the day and cannot stop smiling. Sami is still cheerful about all the new sights and sounds and cracked us up today by attempting, with great gusto, to say llama (which came out as namanala). We missed the northern lights the night before and today is overcast, so hopefully we will catch them soon.
Sending our love,
Ania & CES

PS I forgot to mention that as part of the roads and trails tour we visited a quaint little Anglican Church that is one of the few historic buildings in Canada still being used for its original intent. Naturally, there were some fabulous items of note including a counterweighted bell ringing system, reversible pews, gorgeous stained glass (priced at $500 apiece in 1950 when they were first moved from the military church to this one, they are currently worth $10 000 each!), and old-time candelabras. We also stopped by an abandonded naval base that was the first in the area to use the novel technology (of the time) from Russia on how to effectively build on permafrost. With two foot high supports resting on packed gravel, this building became the predecessor for the architectural style up north. Very cool.