MOUNTAIN LIFE - Blue Mountains | Winter 2020

58 At this time of year, the sun literally never goes down. You can watch it doing circles in the sky. Which means a flashlight isn’t on the packing list. The guests here are focused on seeing a narwhal. That’s why they’re here. They don’t want to go cross country skiing, or kayaking (both options on this trip), they simply want to see and get photos of narwhals. On our first day we see three of them. None of them have the tell-tale tusks, but they are certainly narwhal. We don’t see any more. We see walrus, ringed seals, bearded seals and enough birds to keep your hardcore birder absolutely thrilled. But it was on day five the trip was saved; scanning the icy horizon, our guide spotted something moving. He wasn’t sure, but as we all spun our tripods to the north we confirmed what he suspected: a polar bear. It traipsed along lazily, obviously confident of its spot on the food chain. We lost it for a couple minutes after it jumped in the water, but then saw it again; it was swimming our way. And without a doubt the next 15 minutes were the highlight of the trip. The massive male swam directly in front of us, climbed up onto an iceberg just to the east and had a good look and sniff at us. It was probably 200 metres away. Then it jumped back in the water, swam back towards the ice on the other side of us, before climbing back onto the ice and walking off into the fog. We followed it briefly before realizing we couldn’t see far enough for it to be safe. Surrounded by mountains that rise up to 600 metres from the sea, this barren slice of the planet is as beautiful as it is harsh. The Inuit, who speak sparely and efficiently, have carved out an existence in an incredibly difficult place to survive. We all look to them for guidance and knowledge about the landscape. Heading back to camp after our final disconcerting visit to the floe edge, I look around and marvel at this incredible place. It took days to get here and with flight delays and weather windows it will take even longer to get home. But it’s worth it. It’s a shame it’s so difficult to get to; every Canadian should experience the vast wilderness of the Canadian Arctic. On the other hand, it is the remoteness of this expedition that makes it so fulfilling. That one glimpse of a polar bear, the magical moment with the unicorn of the sea, and getting to know some Inuit makes me feel more Canadian than ever before. blackfeather.com/floe-edge The massive male swam directly in front of us, climbed up onto an iceberg just to the east and had a good look and sniff at us.