Today was a perfect balance between spotting polar bears and being able to conduct shore outings! The weather turned unexpectedly fair, with bright sunshine and moderate winds. We spotted a polar bear this morning just after breakfast as we approached our first destination, Beechey Island, off the southwest corner of Devon Island. The bear moved along at a steady rate, allowing us to both view it, and then safely Zodiac to shore and pay our respects to the graves here of several members of the Franklin Expedition.
In the afternoon, we had similar luck and landed for a short hike at Caswell Tower, where our Inuit cultural ambassadors helped the ship’s archaeologist interpret several proto-Inuit winter houses found in this area. These remarkable sites were made using bowhead whale bones as their primary support structure. We also enjoyed the tiny wildflowers that have bloomed in this seemingly inhospitable place.
