Arctic Journey: Buchan Gulf, Baffin Island

August 5th, Buchan Gulf, a fjord system of Baffin Island carved out by glaciers in ages past. Fog. Lots of fog. The morning light has a steely hue.

We waited more or less patiently, and the fog began to thin and lift.

The Explorer sailed deeper into the gulf, and the cliffs and glaciers of the fjord began to unveil.

Here's a closer look at one of the many glacial tongues lapping at the water.

Then narwhals showed up. These marine mammals, a toothed whale, are sometimes called the "unicorn of the sea" because of their tusk, which is a greatly elongated tooth. They shy away from humans, having been hunted by the Inuit in the past and under subsistence regulations today. Those photos of a pack of narwhal with tusks raised into the air? That happens only when they are concentrated in a small break in the ice. Normally they swim low in the water, tusk submerged.

We shadowed the narwhals for a while, but under the circumstances, this is the best photo I was able to take.

This fellow undoubtedly obtained a sharper, closer picture. I swear the lens is bigger than many backyard telescopes.

He needs one heck of a tripod.

Many of the glaciers here no longer reach the sea. But their meltwater does.

Looking back the way we had come, the view got better and better. And more impressive.

This glacier looks a mold taken of a dragon's tail. (I recently saw The Desolation of Smaug.)

A polar bear alert! Lunch is postponed while we watch this bear at rest, draped upon a rock. To understand how it takes a while to attune the eye to polar bears, consider my first photo of him; he's in the center. Click to enlarge. That's our usual dilemma: is it a white rock, or a polar bear? Where did the spotting scope go?

The ship creeps closer.

Eventually, the bear decides to move. Cameras click and whir.

The bear kept a steady rhythm: amble and pause, amble and pause. Here he pauses, and considers what manner of beast we might be.

After a delayed lunch we arrive at a glacial outwash to land and take walks. But first, a zodiac is lowered past our cabin window.

We go ashore in our waterproof boots and form into groups.

Joan and I are in one of two groups that are aiming to hike as far up the valley as we can in the time allotted. The ground near the stream is boggy, so we work our way along the hillsides.

The cliffs above us generate meltwater cascades every spring, leaving ridges of debris that force us up and down.

We continued towards the top of the gap, hoping to see a glacier, but the path kept curving on.

Even here, seemingly near the crest of the gap, the melt waters were rushing with vigor.

Near our turnaround point we spotted snow geese on the far side. They are the white spots in this photo.

Soon it was time to turn and make our way back to the beach, and a pulled-pork barbecue.

Here's equipment for two kinds of shooting. Fortunately, no polar bears were encountered while we were on foot.

The only way you can get here is by ship.

This would also be a good time to acknowledge our special expert on these waters, Captain Ray Jourdain, of Montreal. He joined us in Kangerlussuaq and his knowledge of the wildlife and ice conditions in Baffin Bay proved invaluable. In this photo, he's the gentleman everyone is clustered around.

The next day will take us to Isabella Bay and Arctic Harbor.