It is amazing that every morning on this trip I get up and we are somewhere very different and somewhere more beautiful than the day before. I looked out my window at Jackman Sound and immediately went up on deck to take a video of where we had anchored.

This is the last day of our trip. We had time for only a morning adventure as the afternoon was taken up with packing and settling our accounts and thanking the fabulous expedition team and attentive staff and crew.

We made a wet landing on sand for the first time. Usually there are rocks – so many rocks in the Arctic! I went on the “medium stop and start” hike. The “charger” hikes are faster and harder and the “beachcomber” visits do not involve hiking. Today’s hike was the most challenging for me. It was very up and down. There was a lot of clambering over boulders, crossing little streams by hopping from one rock to another, walking on very springy moss/ground cover, and a new one – walking along a cliff, not my favourite thing to do.

But the view is wonderful and the air so invigorating, and there’s a sense among the hikers of solidarity in the face of challenges. Here’s a short video showing the path at one point during my return to the beach. I call it The Path Forward. I really didn’t want to veer right! 🤪

The leaders decided that returning to the beach using the same path as climbing from the beach was too difficult, and that we should make our way down a sandy slope instead. Easier said that done, ha ha! As I said, this hike was challenging for me, but I admit I was pretty pleased with myself for doing it.

We had a goodbye gathering before dinner so I bought a glass of wine. There was something about the table at my chair or the vibrations of the ship, but I think my wine was telling me it’s time to go home. 😋

We disembark tomorrow in Iqaluit before catching our charter flight to Ottawa. See you then!