13 Aug 2017

SOE: Polar Bears at Cape Blossom

A bracing wind swept across Cape Blossom, a reminder that Arctic summer still has bite, as we loaded Zodiacs and prepared to photograph an amazing sight. Well before breakfast we began to see the odd white dot on the landscape ahead in the distance. By the time we dropped anchor, we could clearly see polar bears spaced along the beach, walking on the berm, gathering at the spit beyond the Cape’s huts. For more than two hours we endured the cold, filling gigabytes worth of memories of polar bears walking, snoozing, interacting, swimming and all. Naturalist Sarah did an estimation of at least 37 bears in the immediate vicinity of the Cape. Although the wind-whipped sea state challenged our photographers, we all agreed it was an experience beyond what we’d hoped for.

 After lunch, our ranger, Julianna, gave an excellent talk on snow geese as we retraced our course to the monument marking the 180th Meridian. There we split up into groups that suited our energy levels, some stayed near the beach, others ventured partway up the slopes to find refuge in a shallow, sun-filled depression dotted with lemming burrows, while the hard core followed Juliana up the steep hillside and across a saddle that revealed stunning views into the austere and wild interior of Wrangel. The accompanying wind swept mist over distant mountainsides and stacked lenticular clouds just above. It gave us a taste of what the Overland team was seeing, and left us hungry for more. We spotted three polar bears in the distance and one snowy owl on the slope above the beach. In the evening we heard from Grisha, who said the Overland team had a close encounter with a polar bear, some excellent snowy owl and arctic fox sightings. It was snowing at Peak Tundra hut even as we spoke.