This morning, an early announcement woke everyone with news of a very pleasant surprise: narwhals! Several groups of the mythical cetaceans swam alongside National Geographic Endurance. We spotted them along both shorelines of the Buchan Gulf on the eastern side of Baffin Island. We all enjoyed observing them from a distance. Later, some kayakers had a chance to see them a bit closer. Meanwhile, adventurous hikers found caribou antlers ashore while learning about the ecology of the Arctic. Long hikers also had unique encounters, including an opportunity to admire a snowy owl! Most of us had the chance to investigate the carcass of a young narwhal on the beach. Hikes in the afternoon allowed us to learn more about the tundra. We visited the remains of some old Inuit winter hunting camps, rounding out a great day exploring the Canadian Arctic.
8/25/2023
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National Geographic Endurance
Itiullipest Fjord, Greenland
As we headed south along the west coast of Greenland, Kerstin Langerbergen gave a talk about how to determine whether a polar bear is male or female. It was very interesting for guests to try to apply the methods she revealed to the bears (around 19!) we saw on this trip. There were definitely some surprises! Later in the morning, Ken Garrett shared his photos from the trip. Reliving the last three weeks through his photos was a very emotional experience. After lunch, we did something rarely done on our ships – operations in the afternoon before disembarkation day! Some guests chose to hike with a backdrop of beautiful glacial cirques, while others kayaked around the beautiful fjord where we stopped. Another group took off for a Zodiac cruise. They saw metamorphosed pillow basalts, several peregrine falcons, and even a reindeer! What a wonderful afternoon in Greenland! A very heartfelt bon voyage to all our new friends!
