Not for the faint hearted
An ArcticQuest 1832 news item
Written by Sue Cox
- 24 Augh 2004
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Well we were warned about the M25 of Polar Bears and today we hit the busiest junction - 5 bears in 12 hours and all before breakfast. The Arctic is no place for the faint hearted...
Our bear encounters began late yesterday afternoon when a lone male was spotted by Cronx, 50 metres off the shoreline and directly in line of our route through the pack ice. In a brillantly honed drill our cracker shots frightened the bear to the farthest floes.
Not for the first time did I thank my lucky stars for those highly trained professionals I keep company with!
After a welcome break of 5 nights, we reinstated our sentry routine at our camp on the shores of Thom Bay.
At 5.20am this morning, the much dreaded "stand to" was given and we dived out into the subzero temperatures (-10).
A mother and cub had come within 100 metres of our camp and two more bears were sighted in the distance.
Again expert cracker & warning shots displaced the immediate danger but it was fast becoming obvious that it was our turn to exit the motorway too.
It's been a long, hard, emotional and exceptionally cold day but we have battled through the floes and the moving pack ice to reach the clear and safer waters surrounding the Thom Bay Mission.
Tomorrow we leave bear country for good (we hope) and retreat back to Krusenstern Falls. From there on it should be plain sailing back to Taloyoak, Edmonton, rehab, spas and all things girly - unless I develop a love for these Arctic adventures of course…