photo credit: Alex Taylor

We've been on this 'expedition' for a week now, half way through, and I can feel the dynamic shifting. Faces are pretty much all familiar and I'm not doing badly on names either... only a few students left whom I haven't had at least a brief conversation with. Amongst the students cliques have formed, as expected, but there is also a sense of change — more pondering, clearer questions, greater attentiveness, thoughtful poetry, and increasing questions about the educational content of the coming week.


photo: ship in Sam Ford Fjord

We had a great hike today in an immense fjord, I'll let the photos tell the story... and an IPY scholar tell of her experience once she's written it up in a few days. Yesterday was a first for whales and polar bears; for most today it was their first glacier. In many ways also threatened, also endangered, also thought-provoking. The scenery was overpowering and upon return a highlight was the back-deck barbeque amidst back-drop cliffs.


BBQ on deck. photo credit: Alex Taylor

This was our most northerly destination. Over 70 degrees north latitude, the sun sets for a few hours but it's light all night. The ship has now turned around and is heading south but there are new adventures yet to be had. In some ways, by ticking off the 'big ones', there's time now for the more precious discoveries. We'll see.


Leaving Sam Ford fjord

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Rhian is part of the Education Team on the IPY Students On Ice Arctic 08 expedition. To read stories by the students and watch them on video, please visit www.studentsonice.com. Photos by Lee Narraway unless otherwise stated.