Summary of the Arctic and the Out of the Northwest Passage Expedition

The Arctic Circle and all the countries it passes through.

Our trip is drawn on too.

The intrepid James Raffan, in his words 

'the most famous Canadian author you have never heard of'.

The incomparable environmentalist, guide who rowed across the Atlantic Ocean.

Our passionate geologist Dr. Marc St-Onge. 

Photos by Todd Mintz the ship's photographer.

Some of his fossil finds.

The film maker John Houston.

Some Inuit art displayed on the boat.

The muskox we hoped to see.

Joe...

and Susie, our Inuit guides.

Photo by Lorne Demoe

The history: last photo known of John Franklin.

Our route through the Northwest Passage.

And all the people we did it with... can you find us?

Photo by Todd Mintz.

Thank you gentlemen, the trip was even better because of you!

Photo by some woman we solicited.

Summary of the Arctic and the 'Out of the Northwest Passage Expedition

After three long years, several false starts and COVID delays, John, Bruce and I finally made it to the Arctic. The original plan was to travel with GAdventures to Svalbard north of Norway, the east coast of Greenland and Iceland, on the same ship, the Expedition, the same crew and staff and many of the same passengers that were on the trip to the Antarctic. However, COVID put a stop to that, and the trip was eventually cancelled outright. As a back up plan I had heard about the Adventure Canada ‘Out of the Northwest Passage’ expedition and proposed it as a great way to see Arctic Canada and the west coast of Greenland. John and Bruce were up for it, so we put down a deposit and waited two years. Finally, we had a firm date of September 1, 2023. So, in my usual way, I booked a cruise of the west side of British Columbia to Alaska, then overland through Alaska and the Yukon to Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories. All seemed good… but two things happened that almost threw a monkey wrench into the spokes: 1) wildfires in Yellowknife, but thankfully after some stress, Adventure Canada relocated the starting point to Edmonton; and 2) I got sick with laryngitis, a sinus infection and conjunctivitis in my eye. I was worried that perhaps I had COVID and I’d have to miss the trip and perhaps mess it up for John and Bruce too… but thankfully I tested negative and although I felt crappy for a few days, I was happily aboard the Ocean Endeavour and beginning our voyage on time.

This trip lived up to its advertised promise and provided us with an excellent glimpse into the landscapes, history, cultures and wildlife in the Arctic Circle. We landed at or visited a variety of sites that were either storied in history (Beechy Island), sites of great natural beauty (Ililussat Glacier), to view wildlife (Coningham Bay), to visit local towns (Jhoa Haven), or places to hike and explore (Disko Fjord). Where we landed to hike, we were always offered a couple of options of length and difficulty in order to accommodate everyone.

The weather on the trip was like late fall in Toronto. We had a mixture of sunny and cloudy days with temperatures of from -5 to +5. We had a bit of drizzle and one day of snow flurries. The provided beautiful blue Adventure Canada jacket was an excellent waterproof and wind barrier under which we could layer up if need be.

Because of the remote locations we were hoping to visit and the unpredictable nature of the weather and ice, the itinerary was not guaranteed. The captain and expedition crew had access to all the latest satellite, radar and GPS information to guide them through the passage, but sometimes weather or ice impact destinations in a negative way. We had two such disappointments. We had planned to go to Grise Fjord on Ellesmere Island where a few families of Inuit had been relocated in the 1950’s to help prove Canada’s sovereignty of the Arctic, but ice flowing from the pole down through Nares Strait, between Ellesmere Island and Greenland, threatened to either block off the entrance to the fjord or trap us there with no way to exit. So that visit was cancelled and instead the expedition leader Scott McDougall arranged for us to have a cruise by zodiac through the ice of Baffin Bay and a landing on a large piece of sea ice. The second day that had to be reorganized was an anticipated landing at Kap York, Greenland that had to be called off because of poor weather and fog which would not allow the crew to place bear guards to guarantee our safety. So, the landing was called off and we had a day of lectures and learning provided for us with The Greenland Film Festival where we learned about some of its history and culture, then a presentation by James Raffan who talked about his 3-year trip around the Arctic Circle and finally Dylan White who gave a presentation on carnivores of the Arctic region. After all of that we had a sampling of ‘country’ food that the Inuit have lived on for centuries.

That kind of flexibility of the itinerary and the available expertise of the adventure staff ensured that we had an excellent voyage and could learn as much or little as we chose. On board we had writers, adventurers, a biologist, a geologist, an ornithologist, a mammal expert, land claims and land rights experts and people who had lived and worked in the Arctic for years. There were daily talks about a wide variety of topics relevant to the far north. John, Bruce, and I have all traveled extensively but were humbled by the adventures, exploits and knowledge of the Adventure Canada staff. We heard stories of dogsledding solo from one end of Baffin Island to the other; about rowing across the Atlantic from Morocco to Barbados in a rowing catamaran; traversing the imaginary line of the Arctic Circle and visiting all of the countries that straddle it; photographing icebergs from beneath; being in possession of a piece of the oldest rock ever found… the list goes on.

I know the pictures have conveyed the beauty of the Arctic, but not sure my prose has adequately conveyed the awe and privilege I felt at having had the opportunity to visit these beautiful, pristine, and changing places. The wide-open vistas and panoramic views are incredibly breathtaking and beyond description or representation in most photographs. The fresh snow on some of the mountains and the fields of sea ice and massive icebergs that we passed gave an indication of the approach of the winter season with its long dark nights and frigid temperatures. It became possible to imagine the bleakness and isolation of places when we got to locations like Dawson Harbour (with its RCMP post) and several abandoned Hudson Bay trading posts. It was incredible to be in such remote areas and imagine the loneliness and isolation of anyone who would have been stationed in these places with no communication lines or fresh supplies from the freeze up to the summer thaw.

We learned a lot about the Inuit culture and history and gained a much better appreciation of their lifestyle and the challenges of living in the far north. Anyone interested in a very early documentary of Inuit life is encouraged to watch ‘Nanook of the North’ which provides an authentic peak at family life and hunting for a living. We had an Inuit couple on board who provided information about their history and villages where we landed. The Inuit migrated to the north thousands of years ago where there were no trees for shelter, construction or firewood and very little edible vegetable matter. They adapted and lived on animal flesh, which they frequently ate raw and which provided their nutrition and vitamins, and they wore animal skins.

We saw some wildlife but not as much as we would have liked. We were hoping to see at least one polar bear and were lucky enough to see over a dozen in one day at Conningham Bay, but never saw another. We saw an Arctic fox, some backs of beluga and narwal and one or two larger whales, some fulmars and other seabirds but not in the numbers we’d hoped as we arrived after the breeding season. I had hoped to see muskox but didn’t, and we were too far north for caribou. And I mustn’t forget that on the last day of a seven week trip to the north of North America, we finally saw the northern lights… the infamous aurora borealis.

John, Bruce and I had a great time with all of the activities and enjoyed meeting new people, including staff and crew. We had a wonderful chambermaid who even managed to find in our room one of my small hard drives that slipped between a bed and a dresser. The food was quite varied and palatable especially given the remoteness of where we were. The wait staff was incredibly friendly and attentive, and we had fun talking and interacting with them.

I picked up several books written by people aboard the ship or about things they did, or places we went. I read and thoroughly enjoyed James Raffan’s book Ice Walker, about the life of polar bears; Circling the Midnight Sun, about James Raffan’s three-year journey around the Arctic Circle; The Little Ship of Fools, about the rowing adventure across the Atlantic that Dylan White partook in; and Cold Edge of Heaven, about death in the RCMP camp at Dundas Harbour.

With all of the evidence of global warming and the thawing of the sea ice, it is now possible for companies like Adventure Canada to take a ship full of tourists through the Northwest Passage which 150 years ago was a frozen wasteland where explorers endured the ice and winter conditions as they attempted to find a route from the Atlantic to the Pacific over North America. Many of them perished in their attempt. While they struggled to survive on hardtack and preserved foods, we ate delicious meals prepared by a staff of chefs and waiters, that included fresh fruit and vegetables. It really makes you think how much the world has changed in that time in climate, technology, and communication. After seeing the passage for myself, I am very glad to have done it now with a great adventure company and two excellent travel companions in John and Bruce.