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Over the next few weeks , we weaved through ice , were woken by polar bears and saw incredible vistas .
One day early in the trip , we tried to cover 45 miles to reach a cabin before a storm arrived . We had no time to waste and were reluctant to take breaks that weren ’ t completely necessary . But then we saw splashing in the water , which made us stop in our tracks .
We waited in a cabin for two weeks for the ice conditions to change and started the expedition again .
PATIENT COACHING
Fortunately , my kayaking improved surprisingly quickly . With patient coaching from everyone , particularly Eileen , I was up to speed within a few days . There was always a discrepancy in the speed of my kayak and the others , but it was not as dangerously slow as it had been on that first night on the ice .
SURROUNDED BY NARWHAL
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 . After about 10 minutes , one raised its head in the air as though it was inspecting us , and then , like a synchronised swimming team , they all rolled on their sides and disappeared . We whiled away many hours debating what the display meant and if the whales were communicating with us .
As the summer went on , the water became ice-free . We began to chew up the miles – 24 miles , followed by 34 miles , followed by 30 miles and so on .
Some days were tougher than others , but I didn ’ t find the long distances difficult . We all just got up and got on with it . The days I found challenging were when there was a short weather window or the conditions were borderline . When it was unclear if we should go or have a shore day , it was more mentally draining than covering an ultramarathon distance . I spent those
PADDLER 29