A Wilderness of Extremes
A Wilderness of Extremes
By Blog.Admin
(August 9, 2010, 21:00) - McKinley Bay - Hamish Fothergill reporting - Today began with another early wake up call, though this time, thankfully, breakfast was served before the day's first venture.
Before we had even left KK an Arctic wolf was sighted scouting the edge of the nearby shore. Whilst far away, it was still a rewarding sight to see.
The ship's helicopter carried us to the landing site, a triangular plateau overlooking Chapman Glacier. The natural beauty alone justified the trip, though there were various clues to the presence of unseen wildlife, such as caribou, Arctic hare and the ever elusive lemming.
Given 40 minutes of exploration, we uncovered a veritable assortment of natural wonders. Among them was an Arctic willow - the only tree to grow this far north - which spent a hundred years growing underfoot. There was a woolly bear caterpillar, which pupates over a period of 14 years!
Once lunch had run its course, a return flight to Chapman Glacier was in order. This time, however, there would be no landings. We were aiming only to observe and photograph the great ice expanse and the colossal rock enclosure it had forged. It was the ideal opportunity to capture the untamed appearance of this area - a wilderness of extremes, contrasting barren and beautiful - ice and rock, exquisite and endless. It seemed to go on forever, reaching out into the beyond, drawing in all it saw. Beautiful sunshine all day in a wonderful wilderness.
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