Sneak Peek: Out of the Northwest Passage

I am on my way home from Adventure Canada‘s Out of the Northwest Passage cruise, and as it may take me a few weeks to do a proper post, I thought I’d give you a photo preview of some of the stops on this magnificent cruise on the Ocean Endeavor.

Our first landing was at Anderson Bay on Victoria Island where we got an introduction to the rugged Arctic landscape.

We landed at Fort Ross, a Hudson Bay Company’s attempt to set up a trading post at the end of the Bellot Strait.

Within days of the announcement that Franklin’s second ship, the Terror, was found, we made a landing on Beechey Island where Franklin overwintered in 1845-46.

We made a stop at the Baffin Island community of Arctic Bay. A visit to the Northern Store was a lesson on the excessive cost of living in the north.

Rough seas did keep us from several landings but the experience was a reminder of what the early explorers had to deal with.

One landing was cancelled due to a polar bear sighting but we remained in the zodiacs and observed the bear from the sea. Another bear gave us a nice show on an ice pan.

The heavy seas gave way to pristine conditions off Greenland where the bergs were impressive.

Ilulissat, Greenland, sits next to the Icefiord, a UNESCO heritage site and the source of 90% of the icebergs that calf off of Greenland and make their way to Iceberg Alley off of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Enough fresh water leaves the Icefiord every day to satisfy New York City for a year.

Arctic sunsets are spectacular and the high latitude means they last a very long time.

A beautiful clear blue sky greeted us for a visit to the Greenland Ice Cap and was a valuable lesson to all on the impact we have on our environment.

And we had a standing order to be woken up if the Northern Lights ever appeared. On the last night, we were not disappointed.

Check back with me on October 25th for a full post on this cruise and check out my flickr page where I will shortly begin to upload all my photos.

🙂