22 August - 5 September 2014
Friday, 22 August 2014
Anadyr
We arrived today in the port city of Anadyr on flights from Moscow and Nome, Alaska. The airport is located across Anadyrskiy Bay from the city and a barge took us and our luggage to the city and the ship respectively. Beluga Whales surfaced all around us on our way to town and were easily spotted against the dark waters of the bay, although some could be mistaken for whitecaps. These white shadows were interspersed by a number of less conspicuous Larga Seals that would pop their heads up unexpectedly, take a startled look around and then dive rapidly below the waves once again.
We had some time before we boarded the ship and spent it exploring Anadyr, looking into shops, the museum, cafes and admiring the beautiful wooden church above the sparkling bay. The sun was bright in the sky and the weather would have been hot but for a cool breeze that kept the temperatures reasonable. In the late afternoon the barge again collected us from shore and shuttled us out to our home base for the next two weeks' exploration of Chukotka and Wrangel and Herald Islands. The Professor Khromov, operating as the Spirit of Enderby, lay at anchor in the bay and awaited our arrival.
After we were all aboard we met in the ship's lecture room for greetings and staff introductions. Our Expedition Leader and company founder, Rodney Russ, introduced Cruise Director Meghan, Assistant Expedition Leader Evgeniya, and guides Nikita and Laurie, as well as Peter who, along with his wife Kim, were also accomplished artists. Doctor Pat was also joining us for the voyage and as our physician for the next two weeks, an invaluable and welcome member to the team.
Rodney then welcomed Ulrike, Stefan and Chris who were working on a German film production called ‘Chamisso’s Shadow’. This team is following naturalist Adelbert von Chamisso’s travels on the Romanov research expedition from 1815 to 1818 and examining cultural, environmental and other changes from then to the present day. Meghan gave a brief introduction to the ship and its operation and afterwards we went up two decks to the bar for drinks and to meet our traveling companions before going down to the dining rooms for a late dinner. It had been a long day so most of us retired early. The seas were calm as we left the shelter of Anadyrskiy Bay across which a brilliant sun was setting as the Spirit of Enderby began her journey north through the waters of the Russian Far East.
Photo credit: © M.Kelly
Saturday, 23 August 2014
Preobrazheniya Bay and Cape Achchen
We awoke to Meghan's greeting on the intercom this morning as the ship continued its northward journey. Breakfast had been scheduled for 8:30am, allowing us some extra sleep after our previous long travel day. The second order of business for the day was credit card imprints, passport collection and gumboot selection.
By lunchtime we were anchored in Preobrazheniya Bay at Cape Achchen and were called to the lecture room where Rodney gave an overview of the expedition. He then explained the lifeboat drill that was to be held a little later and covered the basics of how to board and exit the Zodiacs safely under different conditions. Later, at the scheduled time for the lifeboat drill and upon hearing the seven short and one long blast from the ship's horn, the captain came on the public address system and instructed us to proceed to our muster stations. We donned lifejackets and filed obediently to the port or starboard station and climbed into the lifeboats to get a true feel for the whole procedure. It was a good exercise for all of us to be prepared in case of an emergency.
Because we had been given the classroom instruction on Zodiac etiquette, we were now prepared to put into practice what we had learned. All five Zodiacs were launched and picked us up at the gangway for a cruise along the bird cliffs of Preobrazheniya Bay. The tops of the cliffs were jagged with sculpted crags and spires, some tall enough to pierce the low layer of grey fog hanging just above the summit. Long swells rolled under the boats and into the vertical walls or stacked boulders at the cliff base. We saw three species of guillemots (Common, Brunnich’s, and Black) and a few recently fledged chicks out for their first swim. Two species of gulls — the Black-legged Kittiwake and the Glaucous Gull — had nearly full-grown young. Northern Shearwaters soared by, and we also saw at least two species of auklet, the Parakeet and Crested. The Crested Auklets gathered in large flocks that soared and wheeled synchronously in the sky, putting on quite a show. We also spotted a flock of Harlequin Ducks paddling in the surf along the beach at the far end of the bird cliffs.
On the way back to the ship we stopped briefly at a fishing and hunting camp across a ridge from the village of Nunlingran. The boats used for hunting Walrus and whales were stored and launched from shore here as it was more protected from the sea than at the settlement. Remains of Walrus littered the site and there were many piles of Brown Bear scat that consisted almost entirely of crowberries, the black fruit of a common tundra plant. There was a fenced area, possibly used to contain dogs, and a long lagoon at the back of the spit. A cemetery could be seen high up on the slopes beyond.
We continued north, curving around the coast past Provideniya Bay towards our next destination, ‘Whale Bone Alley’ on Yttygran Island. On the way we spotted both Gray and Humpback Whales spouting in front of the ship. By dinner time people could now check off three species of cetaceans: Beluga Whale, Gray Whale and Humpback Whale.
Photo credit: © M.Kelly
Sunday, 24 August 2014
Yttygran Island, Whale Bone Alley, and Gilmymyl
The ship arrived early in the morning at Yttygran Island and the day dawned clear and calm with the promise of sun to come. Just after breakfast we met in the lecture room where Rodney briefed us on our plans for the morning. We would be visiting the ancient Eskimo site commonly known as ‘Whale Bone Alley’. Following the briefing we suited up for the short Zodiac ride to shore and were soon off exploring.
The name ‘Whale Bone Alley’ comes from the rows of whale jaw bones that formed a kind of alleyway back from the shore. Most of the tall bones had fallen down or broken off, but about seven were still standing, anchored in the permafrost and wedged in with stones. The bones were used as supports to store skin boats called ‘Baidaras’ off the ground, and also likely served as markers indicating positions on the shore. One could imagine that in the fog or from a distance, the tall white pillars would be visible. There were also a number of Bowhead Whale skulls lined up at the top of the beach crest. Only the back part of the skull was visible above the ground; the rostrum or front of the head, was stuck straight down into the earth. There are a few theories as to the significance of these, but a practical one is that they served as enormous cleats to help secure ropes to haul harvested whales onto the beach.
Behind two of these skulls at the beach crest was a stone-lined pit partially filled with soil and hidden by tall grasses. Carefully bending aside the grasses in one corner of the pit revealed the precisely stacked stones that still formed a solid wall. Archaeological investigations had discovered whale meat in the pits, of which there were an estimated 150 of them over the site and they were used as cold storage lockers. The people from various settlements or family groups in the area of Yttygran Island would hunt together, process the whale carcass on the beach and store the excess food for later retrieval.
Tucked in amongst the lush grasses that blanketed the area behind the beach were Monks' Hood flowers that were a rich shade of blue. Rising away from the flat, grassy area behind the beach was a long, smooth expanse of tundra reaching up to a saddle between two low peaks. The slopes were dotted with Crowberry and Cloudberry plants, Saxifrages and Horsetails, all with thick layers of moss underfoot. At the top of the saddle was a beautiful vista through a long valley down to the water on the other side of the island.
Parts of the lower area of the slope were jumbles of rocks and boulders that served as habitat for shy Pikas (rabbit relatives) that could best be seen by patient observers willing to sit quietly in one spot for a good while. The little Pikas would suddenly appear and perch for a brief second on top of a rock, anxiously looking around for signs of danger, then scurry down to the ground and almost immediately return to the same spot to nervously chew up the bit of greenery retrieved, before disappearing again.
In amongst one stretch of boulders near the centre of the site was a circular area defined by rocks that could have been a kind of council circle or meeting place. The size and shape of most of the rocks in the circle made perfect seats and one could imagine the people gathered there to discuss hunting strategies, resolve community problems or perhaps just socialize over a warm fire.
Another briefing after lunch prepared us for an afternoon at Gilmymyl. Nikita led a wildlife walk and Laurie explored the tundra with the plant enthusiasts who did not cover much ground due to the ground being covered with ripe Blueberries which required a little foraging activity.
Rodney led the hot-tubbing group through the tundra, over a low ridge and along the river to where a rustic wooden soaking tub had been built to collect the warm waters from the thermal springs. The water temperature was warm, over 33 degrees Celsius, and after soaking in the tub for a time, people could cool off in the shallow river running alongside. It was a beautiful setting for a soak, with the steep sides of the riverbed rising up on the opposite slope and curving back upstream. On the slope just up from the hot tub were swathes of a low herbaceous plant called ‘Dwarf Dogwood’ that had three or four bright red berries at the top of each stem.
Close to the lagoon where we landed, Evgeniya took people to visit Ivan, a local Chukchi man who had his summer camp there where he fished for salmon. Ivan had set up a ‘uranga’ or skin tent, next to his more substantial wooden cabin. The wife of a friend and his grandchildren were visiting and had prepared fried fish (a type of salmon called ‘garbusha’), a green salad with caviar and local plants including Sandwort and Arctic Dock, along with a pot of tea. We had brought a package of chocolate cookies for our hosts and, as is the Chukchi custom, Ivan put one of the cookies in the small central fire to feed the spirits. We asked a number of questions with Evgeniya translating. Someone asked Ivan about the hot springs and he told us that he had a bath there every morning, and that it is very healthy and therapeutic, especially for women.
We returned to the ship rather late from our various outings at Gilmymyl and Meghan soon announced that the bar was open, so we gathered for drinks and conversation. At the close of dinner Rodney briefly outlined the plan for the following day's landing at Cape Dezhnev, over 100 nm away, and then it was off to dinner and bed for most of us, after dessert of course. It was very hard to pass up the delicious desserts created by chefs Lindsay and Jess!
Photo credit: © M.Kelly
Photo credit: © M.Kelly
Monday, 25 August 2014
Cape Dezhnev and Uelen
This morning we arrived at a relatively calm Cape Dezhnev, or ‘East Cape’ as it was originally named by Captain Cook. The Cape, officially renamed in 1898 for Semyon Dezhnev who was the first recorded European to round its tip in 1648, demarcates the separation between the Chukchi and Bering seas. It can be notoriously rough along the coast here so we were lucky to be able to make a landing. After fortifying ourselves from the breakfast buffet, we met in the lecture room where Rodney provided an introduction to the village of Naukan that was formerly located there. The site had been occupied for at least 2,000 years when in 1957, the residents of Naukan were relocated to other settlements by the Soviet government.
From where we landed — on the easternmost shore of the Eurasian continent — it was a steep climb up a trail that ran alongside a rocky stream and up to the site of the former settlement. At the top, on either side of the stream, were the scattered stone foundations of numerous dwellings. There were still vestiges of the original roofs that had huge whale bone rafters spanning the width of the houses; the more modern roofs had wood supports. Across the Bering Strait we could make out the top of Big Diomede Island, or Ratmanov Island as it is known in Russia. On the far side of Ratmanov was the International Date Line and beyond it lay yesterday and Little Diomede Island in the United States.
It looked as if the people of Naukan had left their homes in a hurry as many rusting tubs, pots and kettles remained scattered over the site. Whale jaw bones still stood upright in a few places along the cliff edge and old photos showed skin boats upturned over the pillars to keep them off the ground. The whole place seemed an unlikely and inconvenient location for a settlement. Perched high on the cliff, the boats would have had to be pulled up some distance because they could not have been stored safely on the narrow beach. Moreover, the dwellings must have been fully exposed to the elements. This exposure however, gave the inhabitants a 180+ degree view of the Bering Strait and for a community dependent upon finding and hunting sea mammals for survival, the seemingly unsuitable location was ideal.
On the far side of a deep gully and up another steep slope was a tall monument to Dezhnev with a commemorative plaque. Also on this side of the gully were wooden buildings that had formerly been used by government officials during Soviet times when it was a border guard post. The structures were falling down in situ, as well as falling down the cliff face that had eroded back to their foundations. We were careful not to go inside or even too near the ones closest to the edge. Further up the slope from the monument was a burial ground with a series of graves roughly outlined in stones. Some contained wooden coffins and others had just a few weathered boards showing. An old rusted sewing machine had been left at one gravesite and at another there was a teapot set on a stone for the deceased to use in the afterlife.
We spent a long time exploring Naukan but it was finally time to board the Zodiacs and return to the ship. There was just enough time to change out of our gear and have a hot cup of tea or coffee before lunch was announced. Jess and Lindsay had prepared a tasty stir-fry with a leafy salad and gingerbread cupcakes for dessert, all of which we polished off heartily. The ship weighed anchor and we set off for our next destination, the town of Uelen located a short distance away.
At Uelen, Rodney, Evgeniya, Laurie and Lindsay took the first Zodiac in to shore to complete formalities with the local border guards for our visit and to be ready to catch boats in the strong surf on the beach when the rest of the group arrived. While waiting to land in the Zodiacs we could see many Humpback Whales around the ship and a couple of ‘humpies’ even surfaced very close to two of the boats. With permission finally granted for the group to come ashore we landed and received a warm welcome from a few of the local children and adults, under the watchful gaze of the border guards.
Uelen is spread out along a long spit with colorful buildings lining the one main street. We divided into two groups and took turns visiting the Walrus ivory carving museum and workshop, as well as the local school. The main street was under construction in a couple places to repair some underground utilities. Women wheeled baby carriages down the street and girls walked by arm in arm smiling shyly at us, with an occasional “hello” to try out their English.
After visiting the museum and school we gathered in front of the community building to enjoy a performance by the local dance group. Men beat ‘bols’ – a circle of stretched hide at the end of a handle – with wood sticks and chanted while the dancers performed. It was great to see all age groups participating, from kids to grandmothers. We even joined in at the conclusion of the performance that included a welcome dance, stories of seal and whale hunting, as well as a solo rendition of an Arctic Ground Squirrel dance by one talented performer.
Back aboard after our long day, we eventually made our way up to the bar where we enjoyed sharing impressions and photos of the day’s events over drinks. It was soon time for dinner, after which Mark and Inger met with the birding enthusiasts to discuss the species they had observed during the day.
Photo credit: © M.Kelly
Photo credit: © M.Kelly
Tuesday, 26 August 2014
Kolyuchin Island
We reached Kolyuchin Island after breakfast in the morning. It is located six miles off the mainland and as bears had been seen there on previous visits Nikita and Laurie were dropped ashore ahead of the rest of us. They had the dubious task of checking out the abandoned buildings to make sure there were no Polar Bears sleeping inside. When they radioed back that the coast was clear we were all shuttled to shore for the short climb up the slope where we began exploring.
Kolyuchin Island is the site of a meteorological station that was closed down in 1992, but the old installation was not why we had come here. The main attraction was the unequaled photographic opportunities from the tops of the bird cliffs. The birds were very close and one could look down or across at the guillemots, cormorants, gulls and puffins perched up and down the rocky ledges and crags. The flat grassy area at the northern point of the island sloped upwards to stretches of tundra and piles of granite boulders on a long, low ridge. This time of the year the leaves of masses of Cloudberry plants gave the slopes a burgundy hue that was dotted with the yellow-orange colored fruits.
While we were exploring up top, Rodney and Kostya checked out the southern coast for a Walrus haul out that we had seen from the ship as we approached the island. They located two groups of animals piled on narrow beaches and called us to the landing to board the Zodiacs so we could approach and observe them from the sea. We were anxious to keep our distance so as not to frighten them, but could see and photograph them easily from the boats. Some Walrus in the water were a bit closer and bobbed up and down keeping a watchful eye on us. There were an estimated 800 animals on shore in the larger rookery and with the smaller group nearby, as well as those in the water, we might have been looking at close to a thousand individuals. We observed the Walrus for a long time and then slowly and carefully drove away so as not to alarm them.
Right after the last Zodiac was lifted aboard and lunch was announced, we began the 225nm run towards Wrangel Island. Huge numbers of Short-tailed Shearwaters flocked around the ship, as if escorting us north as we headed into the fog.
Nikita's presentation after lunch, "An Introduction to Wrangel Island," served to increase our anticipation of visiting this UNESCO World Nature Heritage site. Wrangel Island has been a strict nature reserve since 1976. In 1997 a 12nm wide protected marine area was created around the island and in 1999 a further 24nm wide buffer zone was appended. Altogether, the 36nm wide marine area combined with the terrestrial part of the Reserve encompass 57,000 square kilometers of land and sea, connecting ecologically linked zones and preserving an intact ecosystem. The island is very diverse with rivers, mountains, lagoons, lakes, tundra, rocky coasts, sandy beaches and all other arctic landscape elements with the exception of glacial features.
Many things make Wrangel Island unique, but probably the most significant fact is that species have been present and evolving uninterrupted there for millions of years because the area was never glaciated or inundated by the oceans. Dwarf mammoths survived there as recently as 3,500 years ago, long after their mainland brethren had disappeared. The flora is very diverse with 417 species and subspecies of vascular plants. This is two to two-and-a-half times as many species as in other comparably sized arctic area. That number includes 23 endemic plants which occur on Wrangel and nowhere else in the world.
The island is no less unique in its wildlife and boasts the only surviving nesting Snow Goose colony in Asia with an estimated 60,000 nests. It is also an important nesting area for Snowy Owls. And as a maternity den for Polar Bears, Wrangel and Herald islands are unsurpassed by any other place in the world. Nikita concluded his talk with the history of the island’s discovery, modern enterprises and settlements, as well as dispelling the myth of the gulag supposedly located there.
After Nikita’s lecture a briefing was held for the five ‘Overlanders’ who would be leaving us and living on the island accompanied by Evgeniya and staff of the Wrangel Island Reserve. They would cross Wrangel Island, staying in the same cabins that the rangers and researchers use and would rejoin the ship on the opposite shore three days later.
Late in the afternoon a History Channel documentary on the Karluk was presented in the lecture room, after which there was a break before the bar was opened and the dining rooms were readied for dinner. The ship continued north across the Long Strait overnight to our much anticipated arrival at Wrangel Island, scheduled for around midday.
Photo credit: © M.Kelly
Wednesday, 27 August 2014
Wrangel Island and Doubtful
Nikita presented his Polar Bear Safety talk in the morning to instruct us on how to conduct ourselves around Polar Bears to keep both them and us safe. He is trying to change the way most of the Arctic regards and reacts to perceived threats from Polar Bears, especially on Svalbard where guns are the ‘safety plan’ of choice. One very telling statistic is that on Wrangel, where there are the most Polar Bear-human encounters in the Arctic, no one carries a gun, no Polar Bear has been killed, and no human has died. In Svalbard everyone carries a gun, many Polar Bears have been killed and several people have died. Nikita's behavioral observations of thousands of Polar Bears over three decades’ of study have revealed that they are intelligent, cautious, predictable animals that are effectively managed by following simple rules to protect both bears and people.
Later in the morning Meghan announced the opportunity for some retail therapy. The Sea Shop was opened in the port side dining room and one could choose from an assortment of clothing, postcards, books, pins, maps and other items from the ship's stores as well as handicrafts from Chukotka.
Just before lunch Laurie presented a talk about tundra. Tundra is the world’s youngest biome, having developed in the Arctic after the ice sheets retreated and the foundation of the plant community is moss. Other characteristics are the lack of trees or anything with much woody tissue besides dwarf shrubs such as willow and birch, and the presence of permafrost and water. Despite getting very little precipitation, the tundra is wet because the permafrost layer does not allow it to drain and low temperatures inhibit evaporation.
We anchored off Doubtful, one of two settlements in the Reserve on the southern coast of Wrangel Island just before lunch. Here we were to meet up with the rangers who would accompany us during our visit and it was also here that the group of ‘Overlanders’ would set out on their three-day island crossing.
Lunch was at the usual hour of 1pm, but what was special this time was a celebration of Jade’s birthday with a delicious lemon-almond cake, a small gift from staff and a big round of “Happy Birthday” well-wishes from everyone. Shortly after polishing off the cake, we put on our cold-weather gear and boarded the Zodiacs for the trip to shore. Here we met up with the Wrangel Island rangers (or ‘inspectors’ as they are called) Olga, Ivan and Denis. They would be our guides and guests on the ship during our exploration of the Reserve.
At Doubtful there were a number of old houses and a newer building that served as residences for the researchers and staff who lived on the island either year round or seasonally and also for visitors. One of the oldest houses still standing was constructed of square, hand-hewed logs; the newest house was a modern prefab that looked totally out of place. Farther back from the houses and down what constituted the main road were the remnants of a Soviet-era military installation and gravel airstrip from the late 1960’s, with rusting metal buildings and the omnipresent fuel barrels.
People divided up to explore the area with staff and the rangers. We headed down the road or up the riverbed and across the tundra in search of wildlife and wildflowers. It was late in the season for flowers, but there were still beautiful blue bouquets of Forget-me-nots and a few bright yellow Arctic Poppies in bloom. Most plants were in fruit by now and had pods or fuzzy seed heads.
Wildlife included a group of Muskoxen that were seen by the long-distance hikers, many Pomarine Skuas chasing one another in aerial ‘dogfights’, several Snowy Owls, flocks of Snow Geese flying in ‘V’ formations and an Arctic Fox running through the tundra looking for Lemmings. One fox played on a discarded piece of thick felt by the road just in front of one group. The youngster pounced on the fabric and would grab a corner and tug and shake it like a puppy. Then he would stop and walk up to us for a better look, or maybe to see if we might play too, before returning to his game.
While we were making our way back to the landing we waved farewell to the ‘Overlanders’ who drove past us in the six-wheeled tundra vehicle called a ‘Trekol’ at the start of their journey. They would stay the first night in Doubtful and head off across the island the following day for the north coast of Wrangel, staying two nights in remote cabins.
Photo credit: © M.Kelly
Photo credit: © M.Kelly
Thursday, 28 August 2014
Clark River
The Spirit of Enderby motored westward most of the night to our next planned stop. The weather to the north, however, was such that it would have been impossible to pick up the ‘Overlanders’ on the opposite side of the island as planned, so at two o’clock in the morning Rodney made the difficult decision to reverse course and return to Doubtful so we could catch the overland group before they left the township. The ship made good speed and arrived in time to bring everyone back aboard. Although understandably disappointed, the ‘Overlanders’ had enjoyed their overnight experience on Wrangel.
After breakfast we continued eastward along the southern coast of Wrangel. Mid-morning Nikita spotted a concentration of Polar Bears from the bridge. They were on the beach feeding on what he initially thought was a Walrus. The captain slowed and stopped the ship and we launched the Zodiacs to approach the bears from downwind. It was a rough ride in the cold salt spray but we were rewarded with the rare view of 14 bears on, around and approaching a beached whale carcass! Several individuals with distended bellies and blubber-smudged faces just stood around with heads lowered looking sleepily contented while others rested nearby. Actively feeding at the carcass were some adults and young, with more bears arriving along the beach or departing from the buffet feast having had their fill. We watched their interactions for a long time and took many photos; an opportunity such as this was really special. Finally it was time to return to the welcome warmth of the ship and our own luncheon feast.
With the persistent foul weather conditions, a good option for the afternoon was the mouth of the Clark River farther east along the coast. This large river system drains much of the eastern part of Wrangel Island and carries an enormous volume of water at peak levels. We thought it might be possible to take the Zodiacs up the river, but it was too shallow at the mouth so we landed on the beach and divided into groups to go exploring.
The soft brown tundra stretched away in all directions over long, flat expanses and up gentle slopes. There had been a small herd of Muskoxen near the landing that walked off when we arrived, so our goal was to find and get close to them. Nikita and Olga led one group of people up from the beach and through the tundra while Laurie and Ivan walked along the river for a good distance and then cut in up a slope below the herd to approach unseen. Both of the groups had great views of the Muskoxen that numbered about a dozen individuals, including a youngster and a big, hairy male that spent his time alternately bossing others around, or standing and staring at us. But the herd mostly grazed unconcerned by our presence and we were able to observe them for a long time.
Although the Muskoxen were the focal point of our outing, other wildlife included a flock of Snow Geese with their soft grey young feeding along the river bank and a number of Arctic Foxes searching for an afternoon snack of Lemmings. One fox dug out and swallowed six lemmings in quick succession, each dry, furry tidbit necessitating a pronounced ‘gulp’. Underfoot some tundra plants were still in bloom, including the Spider Saxifrage with its single bright yellow flower and red stems. From a small cluster of leaves at the base of the flower stalk, the plant sends out runners like a strawberry plant, at the ends of which are tiny new saxifrages just finding a foothold in the soil.
It was a very animated evening gathering in the bar as people had many photos to share and stories to tell. Fourteen Polar Bears on a whale carcass and about as many Muskoxen in the tundra was quite a tally for one day. The conversations continued on at the dinner tables, but after dessert we, like the Polar Bears after their feast, decided we had had our fill and it was time to bed down.
Photo credit: © M.Kelly
Photo credit: © M.Kelly
Friday 29 August 2014
Herald Island
Morning dawned cold, windy, but unusually clear at Herald Island with the thermometre reading a chilly 2 degrees Celsius. The ship had reached the island during the night and we were anchored offshore trying for a little protection from the strong north-westerly wind. Right after breakfast we had a briefing from Rodney about Herald Island and its discovery, then Nikita added some information about his experience on the island with Polar Bears.
Captain Kellett on the ship Herald discovered the island in 1849 and named it after his vessel. There is an excellent account of one expedition with a Herald Island connection in the book ‘The Ice Master’ by Jennifer Niven. One hundred years ago on 11 January 1914, the Karluk was crushed in the ice and sank 50 miles north of Herald. Four of the crew left the ship and made it to Herald thinking that it was Wrangel Island and were never seen again. Twenty years later a ship found the remains of a camp on a small beach on Herald Island and a newspaper article reported their findings. The campsite artifacts included bones, pemmican, snow goggles and a belt buckle. There was also ammunition and a 30-30 Winchester rifle with the initials ‘BM’ carved in the wood. It was thought that this was the camp established by the four lost sailors from the Karluk.
The other story with a Herald Island connection was Nikita's narrative of his time spent on Wrangel with his wife, Irina, studying Polar Bears in the early 1990’s. Herald Island is what remains of the western wall of ancient Herald Canyon that ran along the eastern side of Wrangel and Herald islands. Polar Bears hunt on the surrounding ice and females come to the island to den. During their stay on Herald Island, Nikita and Irina recorded the greatest concentration of Polar Bear dens ever found in the world: 12 dens per square kilometre. The island is ideal for maternity dens with its steep cliffs and terraced top with good snow accumulation. Presently however, due to the warming climate and shrinking ice, few females den on Herald because by autumn, when they would normally come ashore, the ice has retreated too far from land for them to conveniently reach it. Herald Island is also far enough from shipping routes that few people ever reach it either, so we were fortunate to be among those who were able to do so.
The wind strength and direction would not permit a circumnavigation of the island, but we traveled for a distance along its rugged coastline, at times motoring through narrow rock archways. The island has a sheer cliff face, a wedge of solid granite pointed into the northwest wind with a spine of rock wedges and pinnacles that make it look like the backbone of some scaly reptilian monster from a bygone era. The bird cliffs were buzzing with activity as kittiwakes, guillemots and puffins swooped down off and up onto the rocks. The geologic formation provides footholds for the birds on every nook and cranny and along ledges running the length of separations in the rock strata.
In the waves close to the Zodiacs, small groups of Red Phalaropes paddled furiously and dipped their bills in the water to pick up insects and tiny crustaceans. A single Polar Bear was also seen on shore from one of the boats. Back on the ship as we pulled anchor and headed back towards Wrangel, another four bears were spotted. There may have been more than four bears because one sighting could have been a family group but they were too far away to tell for sure.
The weather was deteriorating rapidly and Rodney came on the public address system to advise us to be careful on slippery decks if we were outside and reminded us to always keep “one hand for ship.” We would be making our way to Cape Waring and Draga Bay to see if a landing there was possible. As we cruised back towards the Reserve, the rangers, with Evgeniya translating, presented a slide show illustrating their work and research on Wrangel Island.
By the time we reached Cape Waring it was obvious that a landing would not be possible. Most of us went up onto the bridge however, to see the beach at Draga Bay where the survivors of the Karluk had made camp and to view the dramatic Cape, which was mostly shrouded in fog. Nikita counted six Polar Bears on shore and up the slopes of the Cape, and we spotted flocks of guillemots, a few seals and Walrus in the water, including a group of four with one young as the ship continued westward along the southern coast.
We returned to the mouth of the Clark River where we had explored yesterday in search of some relief from the wind and the waves. There we remained quietly at anchor for the rest of the afternoon and enjoyed a full programme of presentations in the lecture room.
Peter gave an interesting talk on ‘Expedition Art’. The recording of exploration and science in the pre-photographic era necessitated expedition members to portray and survey, as accurately as possible, the world before them. This was usually achieved through multiple sketched studies to be ‘worked up’ for publication after the expedition. Photography triggered a leap ahead in this endeavor and permitted recording in black and white of the previously unrecordable and relegating the human element in this recording to the written word.
Next up was Gareth who presented an insightful documentary about his motorbike trip from Magadan, Russia through North Korea to South Korea. Rodney rounded out the talks with his illustrated narrative of a snow machine journey up the Anadyr River to Pevek and through Chukotka in the winter of 2013.
That evening in the bar we enjoyed champagne toasts to the Karluk and her crew as we remembered the tragedy of her lost seamen and the bravery of her captain 100 years ago this year when the ship sank north of Herald Island. From a show of hands it was apparent that far more people knew the story of Shackleton’s ship Endurance, than they did the story of Captain Bartlett and the Karluk. Rodney enjoined everyone to read the book ‘The Ice Master’ by Jennifer Niven for a gripping tale of courage and treachery in the annals of Arctic exploration.
Photo credit: © M.Kelly
Saturday, 30 August 2014
Clark River, Nashkhok Mountains, and Cape Waring
The Spirit of Enderby, as well as all aboard, spent a quiet, calm, peaceful night off the mouth of the Clark River where we had found shelter from the persistent northwest winds. This morning a full day of activities was planned. Rodney held a briefing in the lecture room to explain the three options. First was a long hike with him, Meghan and Ivan to reach the summit of a 400m peak in the Nashkhok Mountains, about 15km from shore as the Snow Goose flies. This option was for the serious hikers who wanted a demanding outing. The second option was an intermediate hike with Peter and Denis to make a long loop along the Clark River and up a tributary, returning back to the starting point through the tundra. The third choice was a Zodiac cruise with Nikita, Kostya, Laurie and Olga along the shore to Cape Waring. It promised to be a long, cold ride but could be rewarded with some Polar Bear sightings. All options included a picnic lunch and thermos bottles of hot coffee and soup to ward off the cold.
After a show of hands for the various options, we suited up, collected our bag lunches from the dining room and lined up at the gangway for our rides to shore or down the coast. Rodney’s group braved snow, sleet, ice and wind in their attempt to summit one of the Nashkhok Mountain peaks, but in the end, like many heroic mountaineering attempts, time and the weather finally defeated the intrepid group and they had to return to basecamp. Although the direct round-trip distance was estimated at about 30 km, the circuitous route was at least 40 km or 24 miles. During their nine-hour trek they saw many Arctic Foxes, Snowy Owls, Snow Geese and one Polar Bear on a low hill. A solitary Muskox who befriended the group walked up to and followed them for awhile, posing for photos along the way.
Peter’s group took a shorter and more leisurely hike but saw all the same wildlife as the serious hikers except for the friendly Muskox. Admittedly, the small white spot on the distant mountain slope might have been a light-colored rock, but most agreed it looked more like a Polar Bear than a geological feature.
Nikita, Laurie and Kostya’s seafaring group took three Zodiacs on a reenactment of the 1881 exploration of Wrangel Island’s east coast by the crew from the ship Rodgers. This ship, under the command of Captain Berry, was searching for the lost De Long Expedition. Like the search party, the Zodiacs made it as far north as Cape Waring. Every point of land the boats rounded revealed yet another spectacular landscape of snow-dusted slopes and cliffs of contorted rock strata, some even bent into ‘S’curves by forces we could not even imagine. The air temperature that morning was 1 degree Celsius, but the wind-chill factor had to have been substantially below freezing. When Cape Waring was finally reached, they rafted up the three boats for a picnic lunch with hot coffee, tea, soup and sandwich wraps. Thus reinvigorated and with frozen hands thawed by the cups of hot liquid, the group returned slowly along the coast. The Polar Bear count for the outing totaled 15 that included one family group and a rare ‘black’ bear, actually a Polar Bear that had become coated in the black soil from her day bed along the shore.
The serious hikers, casual hikers and seafarers all eventually made it back to the ship where everyone had photos and stories to share in the bar as soon as fingers were thawed out enough to permit use of electronic devices. We all agreed it had been a real expedition day for both hardy and the foolhardy, one we would always remember.
Photo credit: © M.Kelly
Photo credit: © M.Kelly
Sunday, 31 August 2014
Khischniki River
The ship left its Clark River anchorage and headed west all night in search of better weather and a possible landing further down the coast. The persistence of the cold front that was sitting over Wrangel was unusual and with no possibility for a landing, we came about and traveled to the Khischniki River and the nearby beach where we had previously seen the Polar Bears feeding on the whale carcass.
The ship anchored in the morning and we boarded the Zodiacs to investigate the whale carcass again and this time were rewarded with a total of 11 Polar Bears. Two bears were feeding at the carcass and another nine bears were spotted in the vicinity. The light and sea conditions were much better for photography than on our first visit here and we took our time viewing them as they went about their morning’s business.
On the way back to the ship we made a landing at the Khischniki River and walked in the surrounding beautiful fall tundra. It was a nice change to be able to wander at leisure and explore the area at our own pace. ‘Khischniki’ means ‘predators’ in Russian and the predators around that morning included Arctic Foxes and a Pomarine Skua. The cottongrass seed heads were a brilliant puffy white, mimicking the clouds above and the blue Forget-me-nots were among a number of plants that still had flowers this late in the season.
During lunch the ship moved back along the coast to Doubtful. It was a gorgeous afternoon with blue skies, dramatic clouds and the sun shining on the waters as we returned to drop off the Wrangel Island rangers. After lunch we were within Zodiac-shuttling distance of the settlement, so we bade Olga, Ivan and Denis farewell and wished them the best of luck with their work at the Reserve. The Zodiacs returned and we weighed anchor again to begin our long course south to the Siberian mainland.
Our last view of Wrangel Island was indeed magnificent with the sunshine and the saucer-shaped clouds over the tundra that stretched away and up the dark mountain slopes, some of which had a light dusting of snow. Winter was on its way. It may have been the last sight of the island many of us would ever have, but we could all imagine returning someday. Until then however, we had our memories and impressions and photos to recall our time at this incomparable Arctic wilderness. Changes were coming to all of the Arctic, but we hoped that with luck and wise stewardship, the island and its remarkable biota would remain unscathed.
As we travelled south that afternoon Nikita presented a lecture on Walrus. The Latin name for the species is Odobenus rosmarus, which translates as ‘tooth-walking sea horse’. From a 1990 census, there were an estimated 225,000 Walrus in the world, divided into three subspecies: the Atlantic, Laptev and Pacific Walruses. The Pacific Walrus comprise about 90% of the world’s Walrus population, with the percentages of the Atlantic and Laptev subspecies comprising 8% and 2%, respectively. There is very pronounced sexual dimorphism in the species, with males about 50% heavier than females and weighing up to two tons.
Walrus are mainly bottom feeders, but they do not use their tusks to dig in the sea floor as previously thought. They feed on mollusks in waters from 2 to 70m deep by scooping up mounds of mud with their front flippers and then finding the animals with their whiskers and sucking them out of their shells with their strong thick lips. Walrus prefer to stay in small groups on the ice which reduces social pressures and also distributes them more evenly among their food resources. Most only haul out on land when the ice has disappeared. On land Walrus are more exposed to predation by Polar Bears and more susceptible to disturbance by humans. We are careful around rookeries because they can spontaneously panic for little or no reason, but usually, once settled on land, the animals become less nervous and stampeding them – which can crush and kill individuals – is less likely.
Because of the long crossing, Rodney announced that breakfast would be available starting at 8:30am so we could sleep in tomorrow. Some of us stayed up a little longer than usual with the knowledge that we did not have to get up as early and the bar was abuzz with activity past the usual time everyone retired to their bunks.
Photo credit: © M.Kelly
Monday, 1 September 2014
Siberian Mainland and Kolyuchin Inlet
As promised, Meghan’s wake-up announcement came at the welcomed later breakfast time. We helped ourselves to selections of cold and hot cereal, fresh-baked bread, pastries, yogurt, breakfast cold cuts and hot sausages, eggs, a special breakfast bagel of salmon and cream cheese and the ever-present platter of fresh fruit.
Following breakfast, Peter and Kim gave a slide presentation of some recent works of art they had completed. The oil paintings showcased landscapes and scenes in and around the various routes taken by Heritage Expeditions. It was fascinating to hear about the steps involved in making a painting and Peter’s comments about specific scenes and how images and effects were created was especially enlightening. His mastery in rendering the ocean’s surface in all its moods was phenomenal and the presentation was not only instructive, but a visual delight as well.
Due to popular demand and because we also had some travel time ahead of us, Meghan and Evgeniya opened the Sea Shop again for any last minute purchases or gifts for friends back home. Wildlife watching from the bridge could always be rewarded with interesting observations and today’s sightings included about 30 Humpback Whales feeding around the ship.
Later on we enjoyed a previously recorded presentation by Jennifer Niven of the story of Ada Blackjack, a remarkable woman about which Jennifer has written a book by the same name. It was interesting to hear her personally narrate the tale of this Inuit woman who survived alone on Wrangel Island in the early 1920’s. Jennifer’s video also included still photos of Ada, her camp and her companions who were all lost. After lunch, while the ship was still underway to the mainland, Ulricke presented an overview of the film project she was working on while traveling with us and also showed a brief video clip of a longer film she had made about reindeer herders in Mongolia.
The wildlife watchers recorded even more observations in the afternoon that included Walrus, Larga Seals, Horned and Tufted Puffins, ormorants, a Sabine’s Gull and thousands of soaring Short-tailed Shearwaters.
In the late afternoon we reached the Siberian mainland and passed between the coast and Kolyuchin Island. We then made our way further south to the entrance of Kolyuchin Inlet, an enormous, shallow bay. The whole region is an important nesting and feeding area for many species of waders and is included as a protected zone in Beringia National Park. We continued into the inlet with a planned landing in the early evening to enjoy the unusual landscape – different from any we had seen so far – and to look for birds, although it was late in the season to expect to see very many. By the time of our planned landing, it was raining so hard that photographing or even being able to see anything would be an effort in futility, so the excursion was cancelled. We retired to bed that evening hoping for better weather conditions in the morning.
Photo credit: © M.Kelly
Tuesday, 2 September 2014
Belyaka Spit, Kolyuchin Inlet
‘Kosa Belyaka’ (Belyaka Spit) is a long, sandy finger of land dotted with lakes at the mouth of Kolyuchin Inlet. Rodney had briefed us yesterday on our planned outing for this morning. Adolf Erik Nordenskiold was first here on 28 September 1878, although the area was known and used by the indigenous Chukchi for centuries. The lighthouse back from the beach was erected in the 1950’s and there was also a large cross on the spit. The original marker had been established for a sailor from a 1911-1914 expedition, but in 1942/43 a larger cross was erected to memorialize all the ships of the Northern Sea Route. A small cabin nearby is used by researchers during the summer season as the area is important for waders and waterfowl. The rare Spoon-billed Sandpiper, long absent from the spit, is nesting again and fledging young. Only a single pair, however, has been seen so far, but there is hope that they are making a comeback.
Right after breakfast we took the Zodiacs to Belyaka Spit and wandered off in twos and threes, or followed Meghan for birding, or set out on our own for a relaxing morning just enjoying the sunny landscape, exploring the lake edge and examining the tiny plants at our feet. As we disembarked at the landing we saw a Brown Bear on the far side of the inlet scratching his back on a whale bone and another Brown Bear was spotted on the spit itself. Other sightings for the morning included two Arctic Foxes, fresh Wolverine tracks on the beach, lots of waders flying around, a Peregrine Falcon out hunting and two swans on the lake along with a White-billed Loon and a Pacific Loon or ‘divers’ with one chick each.
In the afternoon we heard a fascinating account from Mark who related his experience in 1997 when, flying in a large Russian helicopter with a group of colleagues, the engine failed. Only some spectacular flying by the pilot saved them all. Mark had done some of the pioneering ornithology in this region and his tale was punctuated by reminiscences of early birding discoveries, including the Spoon-billed Sandpiper, one of the world’s rarest birds.
During the late afternoon the whale watchers on the bridge reported ten Humpback and one Gray Whale. Then Dr Pat’s presentation followed with a description and explanation of the physiology of the Weddell Seal, a prodigious diver. The same principles and adaptations apply to all diving mammals and we could appreciate how these remarkable animals cope with such long and deep dives. As a footnote he related the work of a New Zealand researcher who discovered morphological and physiological similarities between this seal and the human newborn.
It was soon time for dinner that concluded with yet another scrumptious dessert, this time panna cotta with passionflower sauce. We had been endeavouring to skip a dessert every once in while, but again the temptation was too great and our good intentions were left for the next meal.
Photo credit: © M.Kelly
Wednesday, 3 September 2014
Ratmanov Island (Big Diomede Island)
With approval from the Russian border guards for an early morning excursion, we took a pre-breakfast Zodiac cruise at Ratmanov Island, although the long swells made boarding the boats a bit of a challenge. The air was clear and the sun bright, so we could see Alaska on the US mainland. Our vision also extended to the ability to look back at the previous day from the present time, the phenomenon made possible because the International Date Line ran between Big and Little Diomede islands. Conversely, it was presumed that any people on Little Diomede who were looking our way could see into the future.
Meghan and Evgeniya organised the loading of the five Zodiacs and off we went, keeping the boats more or less in a group. The large swells meant we had to keep our distance from the rocks, but the surf made for some dramatic photos of sea spray at the cliff base. The steep sides and top of the island were still green with tundra, unlike further north where the colours had mostly turned to the browns, yellows and reds of autumn. It also seemed that there was more soil at the top of these bird cliffs than others we had seen, which would explain the verdant slopes.
No one came out to wave or even look our way as we passed below the border guard post, although we suspected that they were likely to be observing us. We moved along cliff faces that seemed to have more puffins than any other species, but further along we saw other birds including many Pigeon Guillemots and three species of auklet: Parakeet, Crested and Least. The surf created big patches of thick sea foam on the ocean’s surface, and the little Least Auklets bobbing in it appeared to be taking bubble baths. On the way back to the ship we came upon the floating carcass of a dead Walrus. The animal was huge and made even larger by the gases of decomposition filling its tissues; downwind was not a pleasant place to be, so we hastily moved on to the ship.
After our late breakfast the documentary ‘Inuit Odyssey’ was shown. It had been filmed mostly in the area of Yttygran Island and the surrounding region through which we were currently traveling, and told of the Inuit people, their history, migrations and culture.
Next Nikita showed the documentary he filmed whilst living alone and studying Polar Bears on Cape Blossom on Wrangel Island. ‘Life on the Field of Bones’ gave us an up-close and personal look at the life and behavior of this marine mammal as it comes ashore to live in an ‘unnatural’ terrestrial habitat during summer when the ice retreats far from land.
The sea was remarkably calm as we continued through the Bering Strait and bird and wildlife watching from the bridge occupied much of our time. Meghan likely made the most northern record ever for the Short-tailed Albatross when she spotted and identified a juvenile bird that circled the ship once and then flew away. This was at the same time one of the many Humpback Whales around the ship breached just metres off to starboard. Other sightings included a Bearded Seal, Larga Seal, many Short-tailed Shearwaters, Northern Fulmars, Vega Gulls, Crested and Least Auklets.
Later in the afternoon Nikita presented his lecture on the future of Polar Bears by prefacing it with some background on the species' innate intelligence and adaptability. Bears survive extreme environmental changes regularly in their lives by changing feeding and social behaviors with the seasons. The species evolved over tens of thousands of years of past climatic events, including warm periods and adapted and survived. The present warming trends however, confront them with the additional pressures of human impacts such as pollution, hunting, disturbance, invasive science and increased contact in shrinking areas of habitat in which the bear is usually the loser. Moreover, bickering and division among the scientific and political communities is counterproductive to the bears’ survival. From over 300 maternity dens on Wrangel and Herald Islands in past winters, only 30 dens were recorded recently. Fewer and fewer cubs survive and adults regularly appear in underfed, stressed conditions. If sustained and serious protection measures are not implemented, the Polar Bear will most likely disappear within 20 to 25 years — one bear generation.
Photo credit: © M.Kelly
Thursday, 4 September 2014
It had been wonderfully smooth sailing through the night as the Spirit of Enderby continued motoring south. After breakfast, Laurie’s lecture on Arctic Plant Adaptations concluded the voyage’s lecture series. There we learned how Arctic plant species manage to survive the harsh environmental conditions of low temperature, light and rainfall, plus the short growing season. Arctic plants have to be adapted to survive not only long, cold winters, but they also have to have ‘freezing resistance’ that allows them to withstand periodic extreme weather conditions during times of the year when they are actively growing. The lack of this ability has prevented about 75% of the world’s 400,000 or so vascular plant species from being able to survive in the Arctic.
Some interesting plant adaptations we learned about included the ‘cushion’ growth form that could heat up to many degrees warmer than the surrounding air and large tap roots where up to 95% of a plant’s biomass is stored underground. Some plants also have hairs covering leaves, stems and even flowers and fruit that serve to trap air, insulate the plant’s tissues and increase its temperature to speed growth.
Later in the morning we settled our shipboard accounts with Meghan up in the office and returned the Zodiac life jackets and gumboots. A showing of the documentary ‘Blackfish’ followed. This film focuses on the Orca or Killer Whale named ‘Tilikum’that was held by SeaWorld and the controversy surrounding the practice of keeping these creatures in captivity.
In the late afternoon we were called to a disembarkation briefing in the lecture room. Rodney outlined the plan for the following day which, although fairly involved, was arranged to get us and our luggage to where we needed to be at the right times for our flights to Moscow and Nome. He then extended his heartfelt thanks to everyone for their curiosity, enthusiasm and sense of adventure that had made our expedition possible. Rodney also thanked the ship's captain, officers and crew for their patience and flexibility which made the voyage possible.
Special thanks were also extended to Meghan and Evgeniya, chefs Lindsay and Jess, Dr. Pat and guides Laurie, Nikita and Peter for all their hard work during the voyage. Our appreciation also extended to Mark and Inger who assiduously kept track of the bird species we had seen on our voyage. Meghan then presented a photo collage of people, places and wildlife as a visual diary of our voyage that was made available to everyone. Then it was time for drinks in the bar and the farewell dinner. Jess, Lindsay and the team had gone all out in making our last dinner aboard special and laid out an impressive buffet that included delicious seafood, salads, side dishes, roasts, fresh salmon and cold cuts accompanied by all kinds of relishes. Dessert was a lovely ‘Pavlova’. We all ate too much, but with such enticements it was difficult to pass up a bite of this or another small portion of that.
Conversations with our traveling companions and new-found friends continued well after dinner at the tables and up in the bar until sleep, or the necessity to finish packing for tomorrow's departure forced a retreat to our cabins. We still had some distance to travel to Anadyrskiy Bay.
Friday, 5 August
Anadyr
We arose to an early breakfast call to finish last minute luggage preparations and to enjoy a hearty breakfast for what would be a long travel day for most of us. Our pilot had come onboard even earlier so we needed to keep clear of the bridge while he was working, but from the deck we could observe the morning’s activities as we approached our anchorage in Anadyrskiy Bay.
With our bags outside the cabins for collection, we waited for the barges that would take us to the mainland and on to the airport at our various departure times. It was sad to think that our voyage was at an end, but our photos and memories would always help us recall our time on Wrangel Island, the wildlife we had seen and the landscapes and seascapes of the Russian Far East. We had reached journey’s end.
