“ We were surrounded by Narwhal – the famous Arctic whale with a tusk like a unicorn . Ten or so lined up in front of Eileen and me . Wherever we paddled , they shifted to face us .”
“ We were surrounded by Narwhal – the famous Arctic whale with a tusk like a unicorn . Ten or so lined up in front of Eileen and me . Wherever we paddled , they shifted to face us .”
A THICK FOG DESCENDED
The ice extended for miles . A thick fog descended , and we could not make out land or how far out to sea the ice floated . So , we turned around . We planned to return to where we started and start again when the weather cleared .
But the ice had shifted and blocked our route back to the coast . In the fog , perspective was impossible . Sometimes , we ’ d see huge mountains and assume we ’ d made it back to land , only to realise they were small icebergs about 20 metres away . I once saw ten polar bears on a piece of ice hundreds of yards away . A few seconds later , my eyes focused – the bears were , in fact , ten seagulls just a few yards away . The optical illusions were mind-boggling .
We paddled and paddled , unsure how far we ’ d have to go before the ice offered a path back to safety . Finally , we reached fast ice – this was more permanent ice that was attached to the land . We spotted Inuit camping , and they helped us heave our kayaks onto the fast ice .
We then strapped our kayaks around our wastes and began to drag them back to land . At one point , I stepped on thin ice and plunged into the ocean below . I remained calm , told the others to stay back , and they pushed the kayak ’ s bow towards me . I held onto the bow , and they hauled me out . I got up , laughed it off and continued to drag the kayak forward .
COMING TOGETHER
After launching back into the water for a short paddle , we finally returned to where we ’ d started , bedraggled and humbled but coursing with excitement . We ’ d come for an adventure and got one . This band of strangers was coming together . Even though we ’ d made no headway for all that effort , I loved the experience .
One glaring issue was my kayaking . I felt like an idiot . Why did I think I could keep up with ultra kayak champions ? I ’ d switched from rowing at a few months ’ notice . There were worried glances . The team was supportive , but we all knew I had to get quicker , or we could not finish the Northwest Passage before winter returned .