26 Aug 2017

SOE: Tundra Exploration at Wrangel

It felt like a smooth ride overnight from Kolyuchin Island to Wrangel Island, but when we dropped anchor in Doubtful Bay, we quickly understood that we’d been riding with the wind and swell. After making radio contact with the Wrangel Island Reserve rangers, Howard and Kostya took a scout boat on the long run to the rangers’ huts, to determine the conditions at the landing site. They returned windblown and wet, and with the news that our morning landing had been cancelled, but our Northbound Overlanders and their gear would be disembarked when boats would be sent in to pick up the three rangers who will accompany us while we are on Wrangel. From all accounts it was a lively, and wet operation, but everyone was safely transferred either from ship to shore or vice versa.
While all this was taking place, Sarah gave an interesting talk about what life in a polar field camp was like, an amazing tale of recalcitrant polar bears and the importance of meal times. In the early afternoon, Captain relocated the ship from the windy south side of the island, to the somewhat less windy west side. As we rounded Cape Blossom, distance views of polar bears could be seen on the spit. And as we approached our anchorage to the south of Cape Thomas, those buttery white dots could be seen on the surrounding hillsides, and when added to those sleeping on the far side of the lagoon near our anchorage, and another nine in a cirque above where we landed, there were some 55 bears accounted for.
We launched Zodiacs into a stiff breeze and swell, and had a slow run into Neozhidannaya River, or, Unexpected River. We landed right near the monument remembering when the sailors of the Vaygach  raised the flag and claimed Wrangel for Russia. We then split into walking groups to explore the tundra. One group walked to a nearby hunters hut and found a boneyard of reindeer and other animals. One group wandered up toward the cirque for a closer look at the sleeping bears, while the longwalkers made it to the mouth of a distant valley where they had a very good view of two musk oxen. By the time everyone had returned to the beach, the swell had caught up to us, and it was an adventurous departure and ride back to the ship.