Beth, age 15, Inuk

This my expedition blog

Week of July 6th-12th 2008
I am doing a whole week of the first week of the expedition because I forgot my journal on the plane coming from Iqaluit to Resolute. It was very bad of me to do that!
During the week of rafting hard in Soper river, I was having a great experience. I learned many things about Iqaluit and Kimmirut. I found my aunty in Kimmirut. Surprisingly, I was staying at her house during our home stay! Her name is Katie… I forgot her last name, something like “Lyta”? She is really nice! I hope I can meet her again! During the week of rafting, I thought it was a great experience and I really appreciate it. XOXO Beth

July 12th, 2008 Resolute
Went to a scientist presentation! Also we ate lunch there. We were supposed to go on a big ship. I got really upset that I couldn’t go. So me and a few friends went ATV-ing. It was a lot of fun. Well that was the low and highs of my day. XOXO Beth

July 13th 2008 Resolute
Today was a very aweful day for me… well in the beginning of the day. I felt really sick. So the rest of the day I was sleeping. During the evening, we took a plane to the bay where there were hundreds of Belugas! It was really cool! Well, I’m really tired. Night, night!

July 14th 2008 Resolute
Ulumi ulutiaqauvv.
Today was a great day. Ulumi qanimaqavunga. I felt sick, though :+(( . We were supposed to leave for Ellesmere island, but it was SNOWING!! So we couldn’t go : + (( All day I did nothing. In the evening, I went to eat at my sister’s house, then we went to drive about 45 minutes away to another bay! It was a lot of fun to spend time with her. Once we got back, me and my sister made Mexican donuts, and Mexican hot chocolate. It was really good! Well I am off to bed. It was a really long day! XO Beth

July 15th, 2008 Resolute

Beth and Ainhoa Soper River July 9th .

We went to Beechey Island today! I have worked there before but in the spring. It is really nice there! At Beechey Island is a sight where Sir John Franklin had stopped to camp. He was an explorer from the British Navy in 1845 (?) He was looking for the Northwest Passage! He is really interesting because during the mission, all of his crew were dying of lead poisoning from eating out of their canned food. From that, his crew of 129 men men rapidly died and they disappeared throughout the journey. Today, scientists and many other people are still trying to find the ship and the people. It is nice scenery at the island. OMG, we saw a dead polar bear! It was really sad! Well, we’ve been waiting five days now for the weather to clear to go up to Ward Hunt Island! It is getting pretty boring. All my good friends/best friends are on vacation :+(( But hey, Flaam’s birthday is in two days!!

July 16th 2008 Resolute
Today we had a nice sleep in! It was really great! Haha! After lunch we went to see a man from the Mars Institute. He gave a presentation about a science camp on Devon Island about Mars and some research they are doing because the conditions there are similar to Mars. After the presentation, Sebastian announced that we are going to Ward Hunt Island tonight. So at the moment I am on the plane to go there! It has been 2h30 so far. Another 1h30 left to go! Hopefully it will be nice weather there! Tomorrow is Flaam’s birthday! Happy early birthday! Hehe.

July 17th 2008 Otto Fjord
OMG!!! Today was a horrible day! Walking for 10 hours in wet boots. But for the 5 minutes of seeing the glacier was amazing! Now I am resting in my sleeping bag. I feel totally tired! OH!!! MY!!! GOSH!!!! It’s Flaam’s birthday! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you dear Flaam… Happy birthday to you!
On our way coming back from the glacier, me Ashley, and Kuria (well Kuria wasn’t) but the rest of us were singing: “I want a jet pack to fly high! To the sky! And into space. Haha in your face!!” Also we made other things up in the song. It was really funny!! Hehe. My feet are really sore!! I’m going to sleep now. I’m really tired. Night night. P.S. We didn’t make it to Ward Hunt Island so we are at Otto Fjord

July 18th 2008 Otto Fjord
My leg is really sore! We had to go for a 15 minute hike, but I didn’t go. I was too sore. I, Ainhoa, and Ashley stayed at the camp instead of hiking. All we did was play cards and rest our legs. Today we woke up at 1PM. We ate lunch at 5PM. That is really late! In the evening we went “putatuking” (ice hoping). It was really fun! The evening for us was 11PM until midnight. Haha! XOXO Beth

July 19th 2008 Otto Fjord
It’s about 2 O’clock in the afternoon. And I’m just waking up, with the noise of my tent shaking! It was Matty shaking the SNOW off! Afterwards, she came back and served us breakfast in bed! The snow is really wet. So Matty and Sebastian don’t want us to get wet. The whole day we practically did nothing. I went putatuking for a bit. It was really fun. Then we ate lunch around 5PM. Now I’ve been resting and sleeping while others went hiking. Today was a short day. XOXO Beth

July 20th 2008 Ward Hunt Island
Today was really boring. We were supposed to leave today to Ward Hunt Island. But the weather was horrible. It’s been raining non-stop! The whole day I just slept! Everyone else was playing cards in someone else’s tent. Later on we started packing because WE WERE GOING TO WARD HUNT ISLAND! Yay! Actually, this place is way less exciting than Otto Fjord. OMG the water is really salty! Well I am helping to cook dinner. Ciao!

July 21st 2008 Ward Hunt Island
Today we said goodbye to Nicole, Paige, Ashley and others. Now it is only Sebastian, Luc, Matty, Bryan, Flaam, Kuria, me (Beth), Ainhoa and Zepher (the dog). We were hiking around half of the island (Ward Hunt Island). We went up some hills to see the ice shelf from the top of the hill. We thought we saw a crack, but it was false because it was just like a long area of “deep pool”? Sebastian gave us a explanation of why ice shelves crack because of global warming. Maybe later on tonight we might keep on searching for the cracks. Well, we aren’t going, so I am going to bed. Night night.

July 22nd 2008 Ward Hunt Island
This morning was SO horrible! I did not want to wake up! I had such a bad sleep. Then we went for a walk on the ice shelf to look for the cracks. In the beginning I was so tired, I had no energy at all. I had spotted an enormous crack from a distance. It took forever to get there. Once we got there we had lunch. After lunch, we took pictures with the sponsors flag. Well, the Global Green USA, Global Green France, Pax Arctica, and Explorers Club. On our way back, I had more energy. Plus I was talking to Matty. I talked the whole way back with her. It was really nice to talk to her. Now we just got back, and they are making dinner. Night night. XOXO Beth

July 23rd 2008 Ward Hunt Island
Okay, great… the plane did not come! We are totally fogged in! SOO, the whole day we did ZIP! (nothing but play cards). At least I learned new games like Hearts, Screw Thy Neighbor, and Cinq Cent (500). I guess it was awesome that I learned all those card games, so that I won’t have to keep on playing “Trou du Cul”. Anyway, I got a bit better at Hearts, but I still am bad.