Overplanning kills the magic
Visiting Vancouver and here it is, right in front of me, Meet the North spirit. Listening is the key.
Canada
-
-
Nunavut mayor talks climate
A couple of the smiling faces who showed up to for Ottawa’s Climate March this weekend and listened to Clyde River Mayor Jerry Natanine speak on changing ice conditions and life in the Arctic. “I’ve never spoken to this many people,” Natanine said, but he was eloquent and clear for this audience of 25,000. These…
-
Jennifer Kingsley becomes RCGS Fellow
On November 18th, 2015, Jennifer Kingsley became a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society. The Society’s annual dinner at the Canadian Museum of History had a few unforgettable moments with very cool Canadians: listening to James Keelaghan live, hearing Wade Davis speak about Survival, and experiencing a musical performance by Margaret Atwood. (Yes, that Margaret Atwood.) She sang a hit by the Arrogant…
-
Hell Gate, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut
(Post 1 of 2) Hell Gate. 2 a.m. We have been traveling way north up the west coast of Ellesmere Island, but it’s time to go. The conditions that allowed us to be here are changing. First, the ice bridge that has been blocking the northern channel between Ellesmere and Axel Heiberg is breaking up,…
-
(Post 2 of 2) Ice Pilot Germain Tremblay stands on the bridge of the National Geographic Explorer at 2 a.m. We are southbound, approaching Hell Gate, and looking for a safe passage out to southern Ellesmere Island. “It’s going well,” he says. “Look to the horizon and you see how it is black? Black is…
-
80 degrees north, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut
Welcome to the west side of Ellesmere Island. I didn’t think I would ever set eyes on this place, let alone on a day like this. We made it to 80 degrees north last night, and this was part of the reward. Eureka Sound, thank you! Photo by Brent Stephenson
-
Lindblad Epic, Canada and Greenland
I’m traveling aboard the National Geographic Explorer on an epic voyage. Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic are the generous sponsors of Meet the North, and their ship is taking me up the west coast of Ellesmere Island as I type. In an hour, we will enter Eureka Sound and begin to explore the world between two mythic…
-
Qulliq, National Geographic Explorer, Nunavut
Eva Aariak: “I would like to light this lamp in blessing of our journey together.” This is a qulliq, the traditional Inuit oil lamp. This one is made from an aluminum frying pan and belongs to Eva’s daughter. These are Eva’s hands as she prepares to light the lamp on board the National Geographic Explorer….
-
On the ice, Scott Inlet, Nunavut, Canada
When we first spot these bears from our ship, the male is separate from the mother and cub. After a few minutes, the male gives chase, but only briefly. When the mother changes direction and comes toward us, she doesn’t appear to see that the male is curving closer, behind a burm of ice. I…
-
Around the world to Pond Inlet, Nunavut
(Post 1 of 2) I met this boat, the Necton, in Pond Inlet, Nunavut. The captain has been sailing around the world for two and a half years. “This is my once in a lifetime trip.” He’s currently with his son and two other seamen, all from the Netherlands. Soon, they will be in Greenland….
