I had just been bemoaning the fact that we hadn’t seen a single Ivory Gull on the trip so far, or even heard one for that matter when one flew over and checked us out. It was followed closely by a second Ivory Gull, which landed on the pack ice a few yards away. 
(Sorry for the poor resolution of the photo but my digital camera is only a point and shoot, not really designed for wildlife shots). The pair hung around pretty much the rest of the time we were at the floe edge. I told Gary that he could start his life list with a fairly rare bird, but try as I might I couldn’t turn him into a “ticker” (Just another Ivory Gull, already seen one of those.)
We hung around the floe edge for a couple of hours but there was no sign of any Narwhal or Bears, and we eventually decided that we should head to the other side of the crack and make camp for the day. We had just gotten back across the crack when I remembered I’d brought a hydrophone along. I had bought the hydrophone a number of years ago and before I ever used it Samson, my brother-in-law, borrowed it and brought it to the Floe Edge. When he returned he reported that it worked for about 30 seconds and then would not work since. It sat around the house for a couple of years after I tried it without any success, and then I sent it back to the manufacturer. To my surprise, even though the warranty had long since expired, they examined it and even though they couldn’t find anything wrong with it, they replaced the hydrophone part at no cost. We took it with us to Kugluktuk for the boat, but as we didn’t even launch the Fort Hearne it again never got used.
At any rate Johnny suggested we try the hydrophone in the crack, and said that even though the Floe Edge was 11 kms away we might still hear something. So I lowered it into the water, turned it on and put on the headphones. WOW! Let me repeat that. WOW! I have never heard anything like that in my life, and had no idea that there was so much sonic activity in the ocean here. I have no idea what was making the various noises but it was incredible, from what sounded like someone rubbing a wet inner tube, to clicks to wails, to something that started wailing at a high note and steadily dropped the tone to a low note. I immediately wished I had a tape recorder I could connect so I could share this with Leah and Travis and others. It ranks as some of the most incredible things I’ve ever heard.
We then moved a few hundred metres away from the crack and set up camp for the night.
By the time we had tea and a bite to eat it was 9:30 at night and both Gary and Johnny turned in. I tried calling Leah on the satellite phone a few times however it was National Aboriginal Day and she was at the games down on the ice in front of town. It was also the summer soltice and the start of our sun’s journey away from us, only six weeks or so of 24 hours sun left for us to enjoy. After a little quiet time sipping salty coffee with gum drops as a sweetner (salty – we collected briny water instead fresh and couldn’t for the life of us figure out why gum drops made coffee taste salty. The briny water made really good soup though) and marvelling at the quiet white world around me, I too turned in for the night.
We awoke to calm winds for the first time on the trip, and after a lazy morning we struck camp and headed for the Floe Edge for one last visit before returning to Arctic Bay. For some reason Johnny was in a hurry and I began to fall behind, as my worn belt slowed me down each time we went through water. I don’t think he was trying to get rid of me, after all I did have all the gas and he needed me to get home, but I must admit that when I began to lose him in the fog I did wonder what I would do if I we did get seperated. I quickly realized that while I might have the gas, I had no food, no rifle, and no radio or phone. All of that was in the other komatiq. But I began to slowly close the gap between us and keep him in sight.
As soon as they reached the Floe Edge things began to happen. Gary saw a Polar Bear on the pack ice and as he was watching it, he saw something in the water out of the corner of his eye. By this time Johnny was yelling “Narwhal” as two bull Narwhal cruised by. I arrived in time to see these Narwhal but the bear had taken off across the ice. The Narwhal, however began streaming by as the pack ice began to close in and the channel between the Floe and the pack. Three Narwhal stayed in the narrowing opening as though they were resting, sitting on the surface for several minutes before following the others.
When the pack closed off the open water we moved a short distance down the Floe Edge and waited. A few more Narwhal came by, and several Ringed Seals hung around. A flock of Guillmot swam in the opening, and a pair of King Eider settled in and then hauled out on the ice and slept. The pack closed in and the action slowed, and as it was almost 2 pm and we had a long journey home we headed south once more.
The crack had opened around two feet while we were at the Floe Edge, but our ice bridge was still good enough to cross.
As the crack was opening and there was a possibility that the ice north of the crack might be moving off we stopped and set up the radio. 
We wanted to warn the National Geographic group, but they were back in their camp well back of the Floe Edge.
We made good time on the way back to Ship Point, and this time there were even more Ringed Seals gathered at the crack near it. I counted at least fifty before they began sliding into the water as we approached. We again had to slow as we encountered the rough ice and water south of Ship Point. Shortly after this picture was taken
one of the machines got stuck in knee deep slush.
We had decided to come back to town through Victor Bay, a much shorter route but we first stopped for our last tea halfway across the mouth of Strathcona Sound (the third fiord down), with Victor Bay in sight.
We were in smoother ice by this time and may have been thinking we were home free, but Victor Bay still held some surprises for us.
At the mouth of Victor Bay we encountered another large crack, but luckily there was a small bridge, not much wider than a snowmobile to cross on. The next crack we found seemed to have bested us. We went from one shore to the other before finding away across. We finally made it to withing 500 metres of our destination, after travelling 98 kms since 2 pm before we found our way blocked by cracks. With no easy way around we finally just jumped the crack at its narrowest (three feet) and were home, shortly after 8 pm.
One last thing, as we were waiting for Johnny while he looking for away across the final crack at Victor Bay an airplane in the area for diamond exploration came by no more than 50 feet off the ice, hot dogging. Look carefully and you’ll see it in this picture.
So after three days and a couple of hundred kilometres I came home with a stiff back, sun burned face, a case of “throttle thumb”, but more importantly with a replenished soul, and a renewed sense of wonder. There is no place on earth like the Floe Edge.
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Thanks, I really enjoyed reading that!