11 Aug 2018

On Top of the World at Wrangel Island

There are many reasons why this voyage is called Across the Top of the World.  Not only are we literally On Top of the World (well almost!), we also had the best Wrangel could offer on our first day in the area, with some passengers saying they emotionally felt 'On Top of the World' at the end.

The wind of the previous day had dropped to nil, and fog had shrouded the ship dropping our speed as we navigated through some ice floe.  On approach to Wrangel Island we found a healthy mother polar bear and her two cubs resting on a small floe.  The mother and cubs were relaxed and the cubs spent time rolling on their backs, cleaning their fur as the mother kept watch.  We spent over an hour with the bears - the light and reflections provided outstanding photographic opportunities and many passengers used the bow of the ship to capture some excellent images. 

Once anchored at Doubtful Bay, our destination on Wrangel Island, we picked our way through the ice and went ashore for a look around the area which includes Ranger accomodation, beautiful wild flowers and remanants of past occupation.   Flocks of snow geese flew overhead which was a real delight, and many lemmings were found about the huts.  Leaving Wrangel we set course to head west, but not before spending time with several groups of walrus on ice floes, with views of Snowy Owls on the shoreline, and Musk Oxen on the hillside flanks. Views of a solo bearded seal and a ringed seal were also noted.  The evening light was spectacular on the reflective water surface and the cloud lifted to give us views up the valleys towards the interior of the island.  This was a stunning day; Wrangel Island really laid it on for our arrival. 

Image (c) D.Brown