August 6th

Hey everyone!

The big day has arrived. We're going to the Arctic! We got up at the Terry Fox Centre nice and early this morning. We loaded the school buses and of we went to the airport. It was early but everyone was wide a awake with excitement. The buses drove right onto the runway, where our First Air charter flight was waiting. It was a cool feeling walking right onto the plane with out airport security. The plane ride was around 2 hours long. We arrived in Kuujjuak at around 10 o'clock. It was overcast and cold. I was very surprised my how small the trees were. Kuujuak is located right on the tree line.


We walked from the airport in Kuujjuak to the theatre. We were welcomed by members of the town. We listened to a few speeches and then were served a traditional Inuit luch. We were served Arctic Char, a fish that tastes and looks a lot like salmon. We also ate caribou hamburger. After a nice lunch, we were given a tour of the town. The town was very different than anything I had ever seen before. The houses were all very similar and there were almost no buildings over 2 floors.

In the afternoon we loaded our ship The Lyubov Orlova, named after the russian actress. I was very suprised by that the crew was Russian. It added an extra flavor to the trip. We loaded the ship and then found our cabins. They were two person cabins and all had their private washrooms! In the evening the ship set sail with high tide. We were all out on deck enjoying the sunset. It was beautiful and great being in the Arctic! We had one presentation that night and then we made our way to bed.
My first night every on a ship!

Keep following,

Eirik

August 5th

August 5th, 2010
Ottawa

Hey everyone!

Today we woke up at 6:00am! We were all so excited for our first full day with the expedition team. We didn't even mind waking up early. After a cafeteria breakfast at the Terry Fox Centre, we loaded the busses. We were going to the recently renovated Museum of Nature!

The museum was beautiful. We all went up to a room where we were divided into different groups. They said we would be doing students-staff "speed dating"! The different staff would be located around the room and the groups of students would rotate around every 10 minutes. The staff would talk about themselves and the groups of students would listen and tell a bit about themselves.
It was very fun, yet hard to remember all the staff's stories and names.


We then had the official launch of our expedition in another room of the museum. All of the sponsors were there to launch us off. I met with representatives from the Norwegian Embassy. We took some pictures and they wished us a good journey. After a lot of meet and greeting, we went back to the Terry Fox Centre.


We were all psyched to start the real expedition. I could feel the excitement in the air during our last night in Ottawa.
Tomorrow morning we would leaving Ottawa for the Arctic!

Ready for the Arctic!

Eirik

I'm Back!

Hey everyone!

I'm back from my unbelievable expedition to the Arctic. It was an incredible learning experience in many different ways.
Unfortunately I was unable to blog daily on my trip. So for the next couple of weeks I'm going to submit my daily journal entries.
I'll start with day 1 from when I first arrived in Ottawa.

August 4th, 2010
Terry Fox Centre, Ottawa

I drove today from Montreal, Quebec to Canada's capital, Ottawa. The drive was only 2 hours, but it took forever. I was so excited to start the expedition and meet the members of the team. I arrived at the Terry Fox Centre around 1:00pm. It was a large building, which had a dinning hall, basketball court and lots of bunk beds! I checked-in and brought my bag to my designated bunk. The first person I met was a guy called Hardy from P.E.I, Canada.

Together with a bunch of other students, we were brought to the Museum of Civilization. During the tour I mostly got to know Hardy, but I also looked at many of the fascinating exhibits. After 2 hours at the museum we went back to the Terry Fox Centre to meet the rest of the team. When I got back I was surprised by how many students there were. 79 students is a lot!. We ate a regular cafeteria dinner. It was a little awkward at first, but by the end of the evening I started to get to know some of the students and staff. We had a welcoming presentation and Geoff Green, the expedition leader, explained to us how the next day in Ottawa would work. We would have a launch party with our sponsors at the Canadian Museum of Nature. I knew by the end of the first night, this was going to be an unbelievable trip.

Hi to you all!

Unfortunately, I cannot blog during my trip but you can follow us on the link below. The site will be updated daily so stay tuned!

http://studentsonice.com/arctic2010/daily.html

I will write a diary during my trip and it will all be posted on my blog at the end of the trip.

We are almost ready to head north after two exciting days in Canada's capital, Ottawa

All the best,
Eirik

The Big Day

Good morning!

Today is the day my expedition starts. I'm all packed up and ready to go. I've got a 2 hour drive ahead of me and then I'm in Ottawa. There will be 2 days of preparation in Ottawa before we leave for the Arctic.

I'm all psyched and ready to hit the road!

Keep Following!

Eirik

Expedition Itinerary

Hey

Only 3 days till the expedition! I've started packing my clothes.
I'm also trying to read about the Arctic as much as I can before the trip.

Here is the Itinerary for the expedition.

I can't wait!

Aug. 4
Ottawa, Canada: Our team of students, chaperones, scientists and expedition staff will assemble in Canada’s capital for two days of pre-expedition excitement!

Aug. 5
Ottawa, Ontario: Today, we will explore all that Canada’s capital city has to offer, including a special visit to Parliament Hill. In the afternoon, we will be the guests of honour at the Canadian Museum of Nature for our official Arctic Expedition Launch Event! There will be numerous guests of honour, traditional Inuit drumming, a special luncheon, and lots of smiles! After dinner, we will meet for the first time as one big Expedition Team for briefings about tomorrow’s early morning departure – and important details about the Expedition that lies ahead!

Aug 6.
Kuujjuaq, Nunavik: This morning, we board our First Air charter flight for Kuujjuaq, Nunavik! The community is hosting a special “welcome event” for us – and afterwards, we will explore the community and its surroundings. Around 4 pm, we will take our first zodiac trip across the harbor to board our expedition ship – the Polar Ambassador! Around 6 pm we will set sail into Arctic waters!

Aug. 7
Diana Island: Our first landing will provide an excellent opportunity for our participants to explore Arctic tundra. We will roam amid fields of Arctic wildflowers and thick beds of soft lichen. This is also an excellent opportunity to view musk ox!

Aug. 8
Douglas Harbour: Located on the south shore of the Hudson Strait, this spectacular double fjord with steep, rocky walls is home to herds of caribou and breathtaking scenery.

Aug. 9
Cape Wolstenholme & Digges Island: Today, we’ll have a chance to zodiac cruise alongside towering cliffs to view hundreds of thousands of nesting Thick Billed Murres and other seabirds. We will also branch out across the tundra for some more epic hiking!

Aug. 10
Cape Dorset: Cape Dorset is widely known as the Inuit art capital of the world. We’ll take time to enjoy the artists’ creations – scrimshaw, fine soapstone carvings, stone cut printing, lithographic printmaking, etching and sculpting.

Aug. 11
North shore Hudson Strait: Today, we head west along the north shore of Hudson Strait. There are several possible expedition stops along the way. Much of the time, we will be out on deck with our expedition Educators. These waters are a haven for beluga whales, orcas and dozens of seabird species, including Arctic Terns, razorbills, kittiwakes, Black Guillemots and Atlantic Puffins.

Aug. 12
Monumental Island: We will visit the remote and rocky island off the west coast of Baffin Island – home to hundreds of Walrus and usually a good place to view Polar Bears!

Aug. 13
Cumberland Sound and Kingnait Fjord: As we begin to work our way north along the coast of Baffin Island, and west into the Cumberland Sound – we expect to encounter a good deal of ice and icebergs! This will be a great opportunity to view seals, orcas, whales… and we may be lucky enough to encounter some solitary polar bears here, too. Kingnait Fjord is one of our favourite Arctic regions to explore. This rarely visited fjord is home to hundreds of bowhead whales – and once on shore, there will be some great opportunities to hike and explore some of the most beautiful landscapes in the Arctic.

Aug. 14
Kekerten & Pangnirtung: Kekerten Island is a reminder of European whaling days of long ago. At one time, many commercial whaling stations dotted this area. Today, we will visit the remains of one such station. In the afternoon we plan to visit the community of Pangnirtung. We will visit with community leaders and Inuit elders to listen to their observations of the impact of climate change on their community and way of life, as well as visit the local artists' cooperative. We will be treated to a big, traditional community feast!

Aug. 15
Auyuittuq National Park: Following a breathtaking journey up the Pangnirtung Fjord, we’ll find ourselves entering one of Canada’s most spectacular parks. With its glaciers, soaring mountains, and one of the most diverse selections of Arctic mammals and migratory birds, this will be a day of breathtaking grandeur. Lace up your hiking boots for a spectacular all-day trek to the Arctic Circle!

Aug. 16
Expedition Day: Today, we will travel north along Baffin Island’s rocky coast. We expect to encounter a lot of sea ice – and it will be all hands on deck to spot whales, seals and birdlife! Our shipboard education program continues with a variety of presentations, workshops and activities. A ice field zodiac cruise will likely occur at some point during the day!

Aug. 17
Butterfly Bay area: As the expedition winds down, we will stop in Butterfly Bay where there will be icebergs to see, beaches to cruise, wildlife to spot and some fantastic hills and tundra to hike. We will start to wrap up lectures and workshops to help make sense of the experiences of the trip. We will discuss ways to apply the lessons learned on the expedition for when participants return home.

Aug. 18
Akpatok Island, Nunavut: The largest island in Ungava Bay, it is named for the Akpat, the Thick-Billed Murres that live on its limestone cliffs. Uninhabited Akpatok Island has International Biological Program status, is a Canadian Important Bird Area, as well as a Key Migratory Bird Terrestrial Habitat site. In addition to the Thick-Billed Murres, other notable bird species that may be on the island include Black Guillemot and Peregrine Falcon. Here we’ll use our zodiacs to scout the beaches in search of walrus and polar bears.

Aug. 19
Kuujjuaq, Nunavik: A final celebration before we board our First Air charter flight for Ottawa. Many of our students will be departing via Kuujjuaq and flying home from here.

Aug. 20
Ottawa: Throughout this day, the team will bid fond farewells and begin their respective journeys home.

If you want to learn more about my Expedition go to
http://studentsonice.com/arctic2010/index.html

and to learn more about Students on Ice go to
http://studentsonice.com/

Very excited!

Eirik

The count down

Hey everyone!

The expedition is only 5 days away and I'm starting to get really excited! I've had a pretty busy summer, which has included a lot of time in the North American wilderness. I went on a 15 day canoe trip to the Boundary Waters in northern Minnesota and have been spending time in Quebec. I unfortunately have not been able to blog as much as I would have liked, but now the expedition is approaching and I'm getting prepared.

I'll be driving to Ottawa on August 4th to start my journey to the Arctic. In Ottawa, I will meet the other members of the expedition team. We will be spending 2 days in Ottawa. The time in Ottawa will include exploring the city and being guests at the Canadian Museum of Nature.

Anxious to get to the Arctic!

Eirik