Security

Schooner Cove, Nachvak Fjord

July 31, 2013

 

 

“The scene is beyond the possibility of my pen, and I shall not attempt it.  The rocks were entirely barren, except here and there, on the lower ranges, where the slopes were gradual, and patches of heather, or bog, or stunted vegetation of some kind, relieved the dullness of their uniform color.  Higher up near the clouds, on the giant precipices, we could see, here and there a rough broken garment of moss, the growth, probably, of a thousand years. The summits were capped with perpetual snow in many, places that sparkled and glowed in the morning sun, as its rays broke through the parting clouds, like crowns of glory.  The prospect was strange and wild – strange in the angularity of the steep declivities, bold, rugged, barren and desolate, yet altogether, as one passes within the entrance, continuing to inspire a sense of security.”

~ C.R. Tuttle (1885) describing entering Nachvak Fjord in Our North Land:  Being a full account of the Canadian North-west and Hudson’s Bay Route, together with a narrative of the experiences of the Hudson’s Bay Expedition of 1884.

 

This was our farthest north on our 2011 trip and it was so foggy we didn’t get a sense of the place.  This year, bright blue skies opened our eyes to what’s known as the most dramatic scenery on this very dramatic coast. These aren’t the soft shouldered mountains of The Blue Ridge.  These mountains reach jagged fists upward to tear the belly out of skimming clouds.  Snow drifts fill bowls and cling to near vertical ramparts.   Clouds dance up the sides while waterfalls cascade down.

 

The mountains have remained the same since Mr. Tuttle wrote about them in 1884 but if anything the area has become more devoid of human life. During the 1880’s Inuit families would have been camped along the fjord during the summer months. Fishers from Newfoundland would’ve been over for the fishing season.  People would’ve been moving up and down the coast all summer.  We’ve seen 2 boats since leaving Nain 16 days ago.  One was a fishing boat heading to Ungava Bay and the other was an American sailboat returning from Cape Chidley.

Today we’re sharing Schooner Cove in Nachvak Fjord with a young polar bear.  She* was moving about on the rocks at the water’s edge as we anchored and then found a comfortable spot and has been there for 2 days!  She’ll lift her head every once in a while and rearrange herself but basically hasn’t strayed from a 10 foot area.  She’s the 9^th bear we’ve seen so far.  Russ paddled over a safe distance and she just looked at him. 

 

*We can’t tell if they’re male or female. This one looked fairly small so we’re thinking maybe it’s a young female.

Polar bears are the only bears that don’t hibernate but summer is their down time.  They tend to laze about in the day and move around at night.  If you were wearing a fur coat in the summer, wouldn’t you do the same?

I paddled into the middle of the fjord.  Paddled until Andante was the tiniest speck nestled against the mountains.  Paddled until I was an infinitesimal speck. I didn’t feel Mr. Tuttle’s “sense of security” but knew I floated on and among a sea of beauty.