adventure canada's northwest passage voyage log

8/14/2019 Adventure Canada's Northwest Passage Voyage Log

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Into the Northwest

Passage 2009

Expedition Log: August 20 -September 1, 2009

Aboard the Clipper Adventurer

written byRobert McGhphotos byMike Beedell


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The expedition assembled in Ottawa, and gathered at an early evening brieng held in the Chateau Laurier

hotel. In addition to making new acquaintances, many recognized friends made during earlier Adventure

Canada voyages. After a brief introduction to the staff, and information on how the early morning ight to

Resolute would be organized, most wandered off seeking dinner in the hot and humid evening. A midnight

thunderstorm and a wakeup call at 5 am shortened the night.

Day One: Arriving in Ottawa

Thursday, August 20, 2009

August 21: In various stages of sleep deprivation, we set out our baggage for transfer and by 6:20 had

obediently boarded the buses waiting to take us to the airport. Bypassing normal airport security and

screening procedures, we walked directly from the buses to a First Air 737 with a giant polar bear painted on

the tail. The plane broke out of clouds over Hudson Strait, and gave us a great view of the strait,

southern Bafn Island and Frobisher Bay. After refueling in Iqaluit we set off for the nal 2-hour leg to

Resolute, over interior Bafn, the shallow waters and low islands of Foxe Basin, and then into clouds from

the forecast storm blowing in Resolute. Approaching the airstrip we caught a glimpse of our ship at anchor in

the harbour, and then we were down on the gravel strip with a cloud of dust and rattle of stones.

For rst-timers, Resolute provides a harsh welcome to the Arctic: a panorama of barren gravel hills framing

the junked buildings and abandoned machinery from half-a century of military and government construction,

set off this morning by a biting north wind driving urries of snow. The small bus and vans carrying us to

the village jolted over gravel roads and delivered us to the South Camp Lodge, where hot coffee and heavy

bannock revived us for a walk around the village and a visit to the nearby archaeological remains of an early

Inuit village that was occupied between about AD 1200 and 1400. Several of the winter houses had been

excavated and partially reconstructed, and we could picture families sheltering in small but warm and solid

dwellings when it was 40 below outside with the drifting snow driven by blizzard winds.

By 3 pm we were ready to board the ship by zodiac, ferrying from a shore littered with hunting canoes,

komatik-sleds and staked sled dogs. In the afternoon we learned about the ships facilities and undertook themandatory lifeboat drill before sitting to an excellent dinner followed by more information in preparation

for tomorrows early zodiac cruise to the bird cliffs at Prince Leopold Island. By dinnertime we were in the

middle of Lancaster Sound, riding a light swell from astern, and expecting to drop anchor by midnight. With

the sky still light until midnight, most were in bed and being rocked asleep by the easy motion of the ship. It

really has been a long day, but we have come an immense distance from the humid city heat of Ottawa to the

clean winds sweeping across the rst leg of the legendary Northwest Passage.

Day Two: North to Resolute

Friday, August 21, 2009


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Day Three: Beechey Island

Saturday, August 22

Up to a bright morning with sun breaking through high clouds, and the temperature 1C (34F). We were

anchored off an island with high cliffs and buttresses of brown stone, and the ship was surrounded by wheeling

kittiwakes. After breakfast we lined up to descend the gangway and climb into the zodiacs for a visit to the bird

cliffs on Prince Leopold Island. The boats coasted down the rollers towards an ice-covered spit of land, then

rounded the point into calmer waters and drifted along a set of high and vertical limestone cliffs. We soon began

to encounter small black guillemots oating among the broken bits of blue sea ice washing along this shore, then

a raft of tiny murre chicks that had recently dropped from their cliff-nests and were trying out their wings.

Further along, a couple of large glaucous gulls were patrolling the beach for fallen chicks. The lower ledges of

the cliffs were lined with murres, the late season remnants of a population estimated at 140,000 pairs. On the

higher ledges were fulmars, glaucous gulls, and the white specks of kittiwakes. The air lled with the cries of

birds wheeling around the cliff face, and the pungent odour of a half-million birds drifted to us on the wind.

After an hour in the cold wind, we were happy to see that the captain had brought the ship around the island so

that we had a short trip to its warmth of and comfort.

Before lunch we received a gracious welcome to Nunavut from Bernadette Dean and Andrew Qappik, who

made us aware that traditional Inuit ways continue in the contemporary society of the territory. Although life

has changed immensely for most Inuit over the past couple of generations, the traditional values of being quiet,

humble, skillful and welcoming are still basic to the lives of todays communities. The welcome was followed

by Mark Mallorys lecture on Arctic seabirds, the nutrients that they deposit on the land adjacent to their nesting

sites, and the contaminants originating from the industrial south that reach the Arctic through atmospheric

transfers, and which are concentrated in the bodies and nesting sites of marine birds.

During these lectures the ship was making its way northeastwards across Lancaster Sound towards our next stop

at Beechey Island After lunch, and in his own uniquely absorbing fashion, Ted Cowan presented a summary

of the Franklin expeditions and their social context. This provided an excellent background to the afternoons

visit to the 1845-46 wintering site of Franklins last and lost expedition. By 4 PM the ship was in position off

Beechey Island, and a short zodiac ride took us ashore where four weathered wooden headboards marked a line

of stone-covered graves surrounded by the gravel surface of the dreariest island that can be imagined. For the

next two hours we contemplated these bleak relics of 19th century Northwest Passage exploration, and walked

a couple of kilometers to the south end of the island. Here the remains of Northumberland House, a stone and

timber supply depot built by the search expeditions of the 1850s, is gradually falling apart and scattering its

contents of barrel staves and tin cans along the adjacent beaches. On a terrace above the ruin lies a cross formed

of tin cans lled with stones which was built by the Franklin searchers, a memorial to the men lost in these

efforts, and a series of tacky and poorly cemented cairns raised during the past half century by friends of theterritorial government, civil servants who were allowed to bury their remains in this historic locality. With this

reminder of the eternity of human self-regard, we nished our visit and returned to the ship for dinner.

In the evening the forward lounge was the scene of a marvelous concert by Marshall Dane, who swerved from

country blues and rockabilly to evocative autobiographical ballads. Favourites were an early Beatles song reset

as a walking blues, and a lyrical ukulele-chorded version of Over the Rainbow. Went to bed singing.


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Day Four: Bellot Strait

Sunday, August 23

Woke up to a smooth sea and foggy air, temperature rising to 4C (40F), and the ship steaming southward

down Peel Sound. Spent the morning listening to Pierre Richard lecturing on his sea mammal research, and

describing the marine animals that we might be fortunate to see in Nunavut waters. This was followed by

an hour with Mike Beedells wonderful photographs illustrating his varied adventures across Arctic North

America. By the end of the lectures the fog had lifted and through occasional snow urries the shore of

Somerset Island was clearly visible off the port side. After lunch Bob McGhees lecture dealt with the

ingenious and just plain strange perceptions of the Arctic that have developed in the European imagination

over the past centuries.

At 4 pm we turned to port and entered Bellot Strait, the narrow that separates Somerset Island from the North

American mainland. For the following two hours the ship wound its way through the strait,

shouldering through a heavy current that in places produced tide rips and whirlpools swinging large chunksof ice in circles. Patches of sunlight fell on red and yellow-brown cliffs, wide valleys leading to vegetated

uplands, and gigantic rock-gardens of unusual geology. Then the animals appeared. First a bear on a high

hillside, then another swimming along the opposite shore, then two sleeping among the rocks above the coast.

A narwhal surfaced just in front of the ship, and then several pods were sighted swimming among the

ice-oes close to shore. A few seals, a small pod of beluga, an immense bowhead whale showing his ukes in

diving beside the ship, and more bears completed the parade. The most memorable were probably a mother

bear and two half-grown cubs, fat and healthy and seemingly ignoring the ship as they travelled on their

journey along the most northerly tip of the North American continent.

In late afternoon the ship rounded a point to reveal two weathered wooden buildings and a agpole or radio

mast, the remains of the Hudsons Bay Company post at Fort Ross. This had been established in 1937 totake advantage of the local trade in white fox pelts, and abandoned eleven years later when ice conditions

had proven too difcult to resupply the post by sea. Going ashore, we found that the dwelling house for the

three traders was being slowly beaten down, with broken windows and doors that had been obviously used

by the curious bears that had explored the house and dismantled much of the furniture. In contrast, the small

store building was in good condition, and a recent renovation had supplied it with an ingenious bear-proof

door. The interior contained shelves with a variety of canned goods, bunks, a table, and a visitors book that

contained notes from fteen years of travelers: cruise ships, government work crews, and Inuit travelers by

snowmobile between Resolute and Taloyuak. Circles and rectangles of boulders on the beaches around the

settlement showed where Inuit who had traded at the post had established their camps, and the area was

littered with the empty tins and bottles of mid-twentieth century occupation. For the rst time in this trip we

were ashore in an area with vegetation, and found that most of the owers had already gone and the leaves of

the ankle-high willow trees had turned yellow. In the early evening, returning to the ship in calm water, the

low sunlight broke through to transform the

landscape into patches of brilliant colour.

While eating dinner the ship began its return westward through the strait, and the last bears of the daya

mother and cubwere spotted to make a total of nineteen. An outstanding day for animal-observation, with a

bit of historical colour added by the visit to Fort Ross.


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Day Five: At Sea through the Ice

Monday, August 24

During the night the ship had steamed southward through the ice, and by morning we were passing through a

scattered eld of last winters ice pans. Sunlight was barely visible through low fog, closing the horizon to a

few hundred meters and creating a continuous fog-bow to the starboard side of the ship. A large bearded seal

was soon spotted on a oe to starboard, showing no interest in our passage. Dave Reids lecture on narwhales

explained some but not all of the mysteries about this fascinating beast, and Andrew Qappik demonstrated the

basic elements of print-making as practiced in his community of Pangnirtung.

The fog and occasional ice-pans continued during the afternoon, when we moved through the narrows of James

Ross Strait. Caroline Mallory instructed us on the grasses, owers and trees of Nunavut, followed by a lecture

by Ted Cowan on the voyages of John Ross and his nephew James Clark Ross who spent three winters in the

vicinity of our current location. In the evening Bernadette Dean showed her documentary titled Things thatBelong to Inuit, which follows the travels of several Inuit elders to examine museum collections in Toronto,

New York, Philadelphia, Washington and Ottawa. A foggy sunset saw us still steaming slowly southward

through our own small world of water and ice.


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Day Six: Gja Haven

Tuesday, August 25

By breakfast the ship was approaching the community of Gjoa Haven, gliding through a glassy calm, with the

curtain of fog still closing us off from the outer world. A delegation of elders and youngsters came aboard towelcome us, and we followed them back ashore. The company wandered along the sandy roads between the

rows of plywood houses and other buildings which make up the community, heading rst for the arena where

we were treated to a display of drum-dancing and traditional singing. Outside we tasted bannock freshly cooked

over a wood re, then visited the Heritage Centre (or Elders Museum) and the museum dedicated to Roald

Amundsens wintering at this location during his rst transit of the Northwest Passage. The fog cleared during

the morning, brightening the colours of the village and producing a pleasant warmth for those wandering the

community looking at the sights and comparing the price of groceries at the Co-op and Northern Stores with

those paid in the south.

The calm conditions allowed Bob Allan to launch his scale model of the St. Roch and it was much

photographed climbing the zodiac-waves in the same location that its namesake passed through half a century

earlier. In the afternoon and evening we steamed westward along the south coast of King William Island, then

through the very narrow Simpson Strait. Here we encountered the Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker Wilfred

Laurier, which seemed to be engaged in setting out channel buoys and repairing navigation markers on the

shore. In this area we also noticed several coastal cabins, probably the outpost camps of people from Gjoa

Haven. Aside from a glaucous gull and a single seal, we saw no animals, but in the still warm air we were

fascinated by the mirage of oating islands. The evening was devoted to the showing of a video interview with

Henry Larsen, skipper of the St. Roch, talking about his Northwest passages. In the late evening we steamed

into a marvelously subtle, gradual, and very well photographed sunset.


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Day Seven: Jenny Lind Island

Wednesday, August 26

Woke up to the same calm sea and prospects of a bright day. We were ashore by 8 AM on Jenny Lind Island, a

low gravel landscape with white lines of snow geese on interior ponds and feeding areas. For three hours we

wandered in search of wildlife sightings, owers and animal tracks. Saw two small herds of muskoxen (with

calves, which is a hopeful sight), innumerable snow geese, loons and longtailed ducks, an Arctic fox that trotted

along the beach snifng everywhere for a mouthful, and many smaller birds. Also saw the tracks and diggings

of a bear, probably a grizzly from the nearby mainland. There was a marvellous freedom in being able to wan-

der through this open country of broad vistas and miniature gardens.

On our return, Bernadette Dean presented a lecture titled Surviving the Cultural Tsunami, and described the

Somebodys Daughter program designed to pass on traditional sewing, self-awareness and survival skills to

young Inuit women. The early afternoon was devoted to workshops on printmaking and photography, as the

shores to north and south receded into the distance. In the late afternoon Mark Mallory talked about theminiaturization of satellite tracking equipment, and the resulting fascination research on the travels of Arctic

bird populations during their migrations to and from more temperate regions.

The warm calm evening provided an excellent setting for the Captains Dinner, hosted by Capt. Kenth Grankvist

who was warmly applauded for carrying us with such care through the shoals and iceelds of the past few days.

Instead of adding to his collection of Canadian hockey jerseys acquired during previous trips, Cedar broke with

tradition to present the captain with a jersey of the new Toronto Football Club. The evening ended with another

session on the upper decks to watch the second spectacular sunset in two days, and an early bed for most of

those who had walked around Jenny Lind Island in the morning.


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Day Eight: Victoria Island

Thursday, August 27

Another sunny morning with a temperature of 10C (52F), and the realization that we had left the High Arctic

environment of Resolute and were now only 100 km or so north of the treeline. After breakfast we went ashore on thesouthern shore of Victoria Island at the mouth of the Nagyoktok River. Three old cabins marked a good landing beach,

and a peregrine falcon greeted the rst zodiac, herald of a promising day. Climbing the gradual hill behind the cabins we

noticed a number of boulder rings, which Bob McGhee informed us were tent-rings marking visits to the area by local

Inuit during the nineteenth century, and by Tunnit people four or ve thousand years earlier. Two antler harpoons and a

scatter of bones marked the Inuit camps, while the Tunnit occupants had scattered the site with akes of orange quartzite

that they had knocked from large boulders and used to make blades for their knives and weapons. It was a wonderful

place for hunters to camp during the summer months, with wide views of the river valley to the north and the bay to the

south, and a breeze to combat the mosquitoes. Climbing further up the ridge we saw a small herd of three caribou, a

muskox which wandered down the river bank and a small herd at a distance across the river. The falcon did another

y-by, as did a yellow-billed loon, while a ock of tiny pipits itted around the tundra.

By 11 AM the sun had slid behind clouds and the north wind had picked up, encouraging us to return to the ship for

lunch after an exhilarating walk through gentle landscapes. After lunch Bob McGhee talked about Inuit history, and

Dave Reid about living in a northern town, followed by a premiere performance of the Underground Choir, which seems

to specialize in the songs of Stan Rogers. After appropriate applause we retired to dinner, and an evening singalong led

by Marshall Dane. Fog closed in during the evening, and again we were travelling through a small patch of grey water

bounded on all sides by a foggy curtain, steaming westward for the Beaufort Sea.


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Day Nine: Dolphin and Union Strait

Friday, August 28

A warm (5C (42F) foggy morning with just enough swell to tell us that we had cleared Dolphin and Union

Strait during the night and were now in Amundsen Gulf, the eastern portion of the Beaufort Sea. Duringbreakfast we anchored off a grey barren coast and ferried ashore for a morning walk. The rst attraction was a

small iron ship that had oated ashore at some time in the last century and was now tethered to a huge boulder.

The nameplate read Netchitok (?) and the home port St. Johns. It appears to have been a Newfoundland

sealing ship or coastal freighter that had ended up far from its home waters, perhaps with an owner-skipper who

used his knowledge of ice to make a living in the western Arctic. Just above the shore were a series of boulder

caches, and two larger and more carefully constructed structures that appear to have been graves built about ve

centuries ago. Further up the shore, the edge of a gravel terrace carried the remains of a dozen scatters of stone

slabs that marked the camp sites of some Tunnit groups that moved through the area several thousand years in

the past.

After a stroll up the long stairway of raised gravel beaches, and a descent on the backslope, we arrived at asmall crystalline lake. Along the way we saw loons, a hawk, a caribou, the burrows of ground squirrels and the

diggings of a grizzly bear excavating for these small game. We also noted a number of plants not seen during

our more easterly stops, spiders and other miniature inhabitants of the tundra. At noon we returned to the ship as

the fog crept in over the land and the easterly wind began to rise.

A group of hardy (or foolhardy) polar swimmers assembled at the gangway and we had a total of 19 members of

the swim team who braved the polar waters. They jumped in, and were back out almost as fast, some wondering

what had prompted them to take the plunge in the rst place. Each swimmer was honoured later with the

coveted red glove and Polar Swim Team badge awards.

The afternoon brought the furthest westerly point in our voyage, at 118 22 longitude and the border between

Nunavut and the Northwest Territories. The turnabout was celebrated with champagne on the foredeck, group

photos, and a rendering of the Stan Rogers anthem Northwest Passage. Having found the hand of Franklin

reaching for the Beaufort Sea, we set sail for Dolphin and Union Strait and a further exploration of Coronation

Gulf.

Carolyn Mallorys afternoon lecture included fascinating insights on the survival strategies of Arctic plants,

after which Mike Beedell presented his scenic tour of Canada with photos and music.

Dinner was enlivened by the varied costumes relating in a wide variety of ways to the evenings theme of

Exploration. The prize went to Queen Victoria.


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Day Ten: Coppermine River

Saturday, August 29

That mountainous island in the distance, completely surrounded by glacier, and clearly visible from the deck of

the Woke to a warmer morning than we have seen on the trip so far, the thermometer reading 13C (58F), and

a at calm with the sun shining through a shifting veil of cloud. Had an early breakfast while the ship anchoredoff the community of Kogluktok (formerly Coppermine), and then set off upriver by zodiac to Bloody Falls.

This was the location where Dene warriors travelling with Samuel Hearne in 1771 massacred several families

of Inuit living at a shing camp at the falls. After an hours journey up the broad river we came to a set of

rifes that were impassable for the boats, and we came ashore on the eastern bank. On the way upstream a pair

of bald eagles displayed

themselves from a mud cliff, a golden eagle and a raven did yovers, and a ground squirrel displayed himself

for those who had not yet encountered this prolic mammal of the Arctic mainland.

We landed on a mudbank, climbed through waist-high willow forest to the at tundra, and made our way for a

kilometer upstream until we found a gulley descending to the falls. These are really a set of steep and

impassable rapids about 200 m in length, along which most of us wandered lost in the thunder and movement

of the racing water. A few climbed the adjacent gravel ridges which provided a view into the interior of the

continent and halfway to the treeline. The tundra had transformed into its autumn colours of yellow willows

and bright red birches, and the walk to and from the falls gave us our rst experience of the soft continuous

tundra vegetation of the mainland.

After lunch Bob McGhee talked about John Franklins rst and second expeditions, both of which involved the

Coppermine River, and Dave Reid talked about polar bears and the research that has been done on them. A

Hawaiian luau on the afterdeck was graced with calm and sunshine, an odd combination of Hawaiian and

Caribbean cultural events, and a glorious rainbow to top it all off as we steamed eastward through Coronation

Gulf.


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Day Eleven: South Bathurst Inlet

Sunday, August 30

When we awoke we were proceeding slowly southward through Bathurst Inlet, with glass-calm water and a

temperature of 12C (56F). We passed the small community of Umingmaktok, and by noon had anchored off

the mouth of the Burnside River and the adjacent Bathurst Inlet lodge. During the morning we had beenentertained and instructed by Pierre Richards optimistic picture of sea mammal populations as revealed by

recent research, and by Ted Cowans views on relationships between early British explorers and the Inuit whom

they met. The latter lecture was interrupted (twice) by announcements of a wolf seen onshore, but the animal

had disappeared (if it ever existed) before cameras reached the deck.

After lunch we went ashore and spent the afternoon among the picturesque rock ridges of Bathurst Inlet. The

tundra glowed in the grey light of a total calm, appearing as a gigantic Persian carpet intricately woven from

strands of scarlet, brilliant yellow, rusts, oranges and browns. Several caribou were spotted, as well as a

peregrine falcon and a golden eagle, but the focus of all eyes was the vegetation and the masses of crowberries,

cranberries, bearberries and occasional blueberries that were hidden in its shelter. Returning onboard in the lateafternoon, just as the sun streamed through the clouds, we steamed on glassy water through a confusing mass of

oddly-shaped low mountains. The evening contest to write the most inspiring whisky-label was won by

Danielle and David Clarke, whose description was a unique drink subtly blending elements of the tantalizing

and the revolting, with a humorous aftertaste.


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Day Twelve: North Bathurst Inlet

Monday, August 31

We awoke to a wet-looking morning with the temperature at 10C (52F), a wind from the northwest, and a falli

barometer. By breakfast we were steaming slowly into a bay on the northwestern shore of Bathurst Inlet, just souof the mouth of the Hood River. Before the anchor dropped we had spotted ve grizzly bears on the shoretwo

lone males and a sow with two cubs. Mom took her cubs up and over the ridge at a run when she heard the rattl

of the anchor chain, but the others ignored our presence. After a thorough scouting it was decided to take pas-

sengers ashore for a walk, and the group stayed noticeably more compact than on other days. Most climbed to t

top of the second ridge where they got a view up the Hood River, the route taken by John Franklins party on the

1822 retreat from the coast. While the walkers were returning, the closest bear started to move in our direction,

and continued as everyone bunched up near the beach to watch his progress. He nally sighted us when about 30

m away, stood up to see better, took a short panicky run towards us, then turned tail when Aaron Russ red a ar

in his direction. It was remarkably exhilarating to be so close to such a powerful and beautiful animal, and these

last moments ashore were the highlights of many peoples ten days of exploration.

Back aboard in the rain we lunched, listened to Cedars history of the Adventure Canada experience, and to an

enlightening discussion of the trials and future prospects of Nunavut. By dinnertime we were out of the shelter

Bathurst Inlet and rolling slightly to the wind off the port bow. A nal recap of our venture, a farewell dinner, an

a variety showwhich exposed an unexpected range of talents among the passengers, staff and crewconclude

the events of the day. As the ship rolled across Coronation Gulf we packed, said preliminary goodbyes, and bega

to accustom ourselves to the different world that tomorrow will bring.

A Tribute to Mike Beedell

By Diana Tremain

Who is this man of madness,

Of the sky and sea and air?

Wherever there are bones or scat,

Youre sure to nd him there.

Hes as crazy as a coot -

Not even Mark can name this species.

I questioned Mark - nay pestered him.

Mark said, Hes just uniquish!

I asked Pierre, connaisez - vous?

Cet homme of land and sea?

He shook his head and slowly said,

For sure, e puzzles me!

I sought out blue-eyed Dave

To provide some pure, hard facts,

But those eyes and funny accent

Nearly threw me off my tracks.

So I searched for Charles Darwin

In some ne and quiet place.

Huddled over his computer

Digging up the human race.

Bob said, You mean the one who plunged

into the sea

And shrank beyond compare?

You will never, ever label him,

Hes incomparably rare.

Mikes a man of many talents.He really is a star.

Hell even give you back rubs

If you hang out at the bar.

I cannot pin you down Mike

(Although Id like to try).

And so to Mike and everyone

I say thankyou - and just hope its not goodbye.

DIANA TREMAIN


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Day Thirteen: Cambridge Bay

Tuesday, September 1

Up early in order to get packed by 7 AM, nding a choppy sea and rain lashed by a 55 knot wind. The shores ofCambridge Bay gradually emerged, with all the marks of a reasonably large Arctic settlement. After a tug

juggled a barge into place beside the pier so that Clipper Adventurer would have enough water to pull in

alongside, we disembarked to a muddy street and a string of vehicles which took us to a few shopping locations

before making the trip to the airport. Rumours of a cancelled ight due to high winds proved to be false, but a

malfunctioning toilet required a detour to Yellowknife where it could be xed. Flying south over the

Barren Grounds the clouds cleared, and we quickly traced Franklins retreat from the Arctic coast to the forest

in the autumn of 1822. Descending to Yellowknife we skimmed a country of lakes, rocks and small spruce trees

in sunshine that promised a warmth that we havent seen in the past ten days. After refueling, and dropping

Bernadette Dean to nd a ight to her home in Rankin Inlet, we took off for our evening arrival in Ottawa. The

sudden darkness of the southern night shocked us after ten days of twilight, and brought the sudden realization

that we had entered a different world.

Robert McGhee


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List of plants that we saw during our trip through the Northwest Passage. Of course its not exhaustive

because too little time was spent at each location, but it should give you a good idea. If you have a

photo of a plant that you cannot identify, I would be happy to help [email protected]

August 22 Beechey Island

Cerastium arcticum Arctic mouse-ear chickweed

Cerastium regelii Regels mouse-ear chickweed

Salix arctica Arctic willow

Papaver sp. - Arctic poppy

Dryas integrifolia Mountain avens

Stellaria longipes Long-stalked starwort

Saxifraga oppositifolia Purple saxifrage

Saxifraga cespitosa Cespitose saxifrage

Saxifraga cernua Nodding saxifrageSilene uralensis Nodding bladder campion

Draba sp. - Mustard plant

Festuca brachyphylla Alpine fescue

August 23 Fort Ross

Saxifraga hirculus Yellow marsh saxifrage

Pedicularis hirsuta Hairy lousewort

Alopecurus magellanicus Fox-tail grass

Luzula confusa Northern wood-rush

Bistorta vivipara Bistort

Stellaria humifusa Salt-marsh starwort

Cochlearia groenlandica Scurvy-grass

Saxifraga tricuspidata Prickly saxifrage

Micranthes nivalis Snow saxifrage

Chrysosplenium tetandrum Birds nest saxifrage



Saxifraga cernua Nodding saxifrage

Silene uralensis Nodding bladder campion


Saxifraga cespitosa Cespitose saxifrage


Salix arctica Arctic willowPapaver sp. - Arctic poppy

Chamerion latifolium Dwarf reweed

Casiope tetragona White mountain heather

Carex maritima Maritime sedge

August 25th Gjoa Haven

Eriophorum scheuchzeri Arctic cotton grass (single-headed)

Tripleurospermum maritimum Seaside chamomile





Festuca viviparoidea Viviparous fescue



Alopecurus magellanicus Fox-tail grass

Stellaria humifusa Salt-marsh starwort

Poa arctica Arctic bluegrass

Leymus mollis Sea-lyme grass

Oxyria digyna Mountain sorrel

Descurainia sophioides Tansy mustard

Honkenya peploides Sea-beach sandwort


Dupontia sheri Fishers tundra grass

Taraxacum sp. - Dandelion

Arabidopsis arenicola Arctic rockcress

Draba glabella Smooth witlow-grass

Puccinellia phryganodes Goose grass

August 26th Jenny Lind Island

Potentilla pulchella Branching cinquefoilDryas integrifolia Mountain avens




Armeria scabra Arctic thrift


Salix reticulata Reticulated willow

Salix polaris Polar willow

Pedicularis hirsuta Hairy lousewort

Tephroseris palustris subsp. congesta Mastadon o

Hulteniella integrifolia Arctic daisy

Silene acaulis Moss campion

August 27th Richardson Islands

Potentilla pulchella Branching cinquefoil




Gentian sp.


Armeria scabra Arctic thrift

Plant List


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Salix arctica Arctic willowSalix reticulata Reticulated willow

Pedicularis lanata Woolly lousewort



Vaccinium uliginosum - Blueberry

Vaccinium vitas-idaea Mountain cranberry

Carex scirpoidea Scirpus sedge

Hierochloe alpina Holy grass

Festuca fescue sp.


Stellaria longipes Long-stalked starwort

Ranunculus sp. - Buttercup

Castilleja elegans Northern paintbrush

Rhododendron lapponicum Lapland rosebay

Rododendron tomentosum Labardor tea

Betula glandulosa Ground birch

Salix Richardsonii Richardsons willow

Oxytropis arctica Arctic oxytrope

Toeldia coccinea Northern toeldia

Toeldia pusilla False asphodel

Androsace septentrionalis Fairy candelabra

Antennaria friesiana Fries pussytoes

Arctous alpina BearberryArtemisia borealis subsp. Richardsoniana Wormwood

Astragalus alpina Alpine milk-vetch

Carex saxatilis Russet sedge

Cassiope tetragona White mountain heather


Erigeron compositus Cutleaf eabane

Eriophorum angustifolium Multi-headed cottongrass

Eriophorum vaginatum Single-headed cottongrass

Honckenya peploides Sea-beach sandwort

Luzula confusa Northern woodrush



Bistorta vivipara Alpine bistort

Plantago canescens Plantain




Silene involucrata Bladder campion

Taraxacum sp. - Dandelion

Oxytropis arctobia Pea

Androsace chamaejasme - Rock jasmine

August 28, 2009 Clifton PointChamerion latifolium Dwarf reweed


Saxifraga aizoides Yellow mountain saxifrage

Rhododendron tomentosum Labrador tea


Mountain avens Dryas integrifolia

Pinguicula vulgaris - Butterwort

Arnica angustifolia Alpine arnica

Erysimum palasii Arctic wallower

Silene uralensis Nodding campion

Pedicularis sp. - Lousewort

Potentilla sp. - Cinquefoil



Androsace chamaejasme Rock jasmine


Salix sp. - Willow

Tephrostis frigida Daisy family

Oxytropis arctobia - Pea

Eriophorum angustifolium Multi-headed cottongrass

Carex aquatilis Aquatic sedge

Ranunculus pygmaeus Pygmy buttercup

Draba corymbosa Flattop whitlowgrassAnemone parviora Northern white anemone

Bistorta vivipara Alpine bistort

Oxyria dygina Mountain sorrel

Erigeron humilus Low eabane

Erigeron uniorus One ower eabane

Potentilla arenosa - Cinquefoil


Micranthes nivalis Snow saxifrage



Saxifraga cespitosa Tufted saxifrage

August 29 Coppermine River

Salix niphoclada Barren-ground willow

Artemisia tilesii - Wormwood

Lupinus arcticus Arctic lupin

Betula glandulosa Dwarf birch

Petasites frigidus Sweet coltsfoot

Parnassia kotzebuei - Grass of parnassus

Pyrola sp. - Wintergreen

Rumex arcticus Arctic dock


28/34

Equisetum arvense - Horsetail


Vaccinium uliginosum Blueberries

Betula glandulosa Dwarf birchCassiope tetragona White mountain heather

Empetrum nigrum Crowberry

Pedicularis lapponica Lapland lousewort

Shepherdia canadensis - Soapberry


Arctous rubra Red bearberry

Andromeda polifolia Bog rosemary


Salix reticulata Reticulated willow

Arnica angustifolia Alpine arnica

Fern sp.Astragalus alpinus Alpine milk-vetch

Castilleja elegans Northern paintbrush

Potentilla fructicosa Shrubby potentilla

Ranunculus sp. - Buttercup

August 30 Bathurst Inlet

Empetrum nigrum Crowberry

Lupinus arcticus Arctic lupin

Alnus crispa Green alder

Equisetum arvense Horsetail

Comarum palustre Marsh cinquefoil

Artemisia tilesii - WormwoodSalix arctica Arctic willow

Andromeda polifolia Bog rosemary

Achillea millefolium Yarrow

Salix Willow sp.

Vaccinium vitis-ideae Mountain cranberry



Vaccinium uliginosum Blueberries


Arctous alpina Alpine bearberry


Eriophorum brachyantherum Close-sheathed cottongrass



Toeldia pusilla False asphodel


Luzula confusa Northern woodrush

Dryopteris fragrans Fragrant wood fern


Elymus mollis Sea-lyme grass

Rubus chamaemorus Cloudberry

August 31 Horn River

Lathyrus japonicus Beach pea

Hedysarum americanum Alpine sweet-vetch

Lupinus arcticus Arctic lupinMertensia maritima Seaside bluebells


Salix sp. - Willow


Vaccinium uliginosum - Blueberries

Rhododendron lapponica Lapland rosebay



Equisetum arvense Horsetail


Saxifraga tricuspidata Prickly saxifrageArctous rubra Red bearberry


29/34

2009OutoftheNorthwestPassageWildlifeChecklist

BIRDSPECIES

Day1

Da

y2

Day3

Day4

Day5

Day6

Day7

Day8

Day9

Day10

Day11

Day12

C

ommonName

LatinNam

e

21-Aug

22-

Aug

23-Aug

24-Aug

25-Aug

26-Aug

27-Aug

28-Aug

29-Aug

30-Aug

31-Aug

01-Sep

R

ed-throatedLoon

Gaviastellata

Y

Y

Y

Y

P

acificLoon

Gaviapacifica

Y

Y

Y

ellow-billedLoon

Gaviasp.

Y

Y

Y

C

ommonLoon

Gaviaimm

er

N

orthernFulmar

Fulmarusg

lacialis

Y

Y

Y

G

reaterShearwater

Puffinusgr

avis

S

ootyShearwater

Puffinusgr

iseus

G

reatCormorant

Phalacroco

raxcarbo

T

undraSwan

Cygnuscolumbianus

Y

Y

Y

G

reaterWhite-frontedGoose

Anseralbifrons

Y

S

nowGoose

Chencaerulescens

Y

Y

Y

C

anadaGoose

Brantacan

adensis

Y

Y

Y

Y

B

rant

Brantabernicla

M

allard

Anasplatyrhynchos

G

reaterScaup

Aythyamarila

C

ommonEider

Somateria

mollissima

Y

Y

Y

K

ingEider

Somateria

spectabilis

L

ong-tailedDuck

Clangulah

yemalis

Y

Y

R

ed-breastedMerganser

Mergusserrator

W

hite-tailedEagle

Haliaeetus

albicilla

R

ough-leggedHawk

Buteolago

pus

B

aldEagle

Y

G

oldenEagle

Y

Y

G

yrfalcon

Falcorusticolus

P

eregrineFalcon

Falcoperegrinus

Y

Y

Y

Y

R

ockPtarmigan

Lagopusm

utus

Y

C

ommonRingedPlover

Charadrius

hiaticula

S

emipalmatedPlover

Charadrius

semipalmatus

R

uddyTurnstone

Arenariain

terpres

R

edKnot

Calidriscanutus

S

anderling

Calidrisalb

a

S

emipalmatedSandpiper

Calidrispusilla

Y

W

hite-rumpedSandpiper

Calidrisfus

cicollis

B

aird'sSandpiper

Calidrisbairdii

P

ectoralSandpiper

Calidrisme

lanotos

D

unlin

Calidrisalp

ina

P

urpleSandpiper

Calidrisma

ritima

Y

B

uff-breastedSandpiper

Tryngitess

ubruficollis

Y

Seen/

heard


30/34

2009OutoftheNorthwestPassageWildlife

Checklist

BIRDSPECIES

Day1

Day2

Day3

Day4

Day5

Day6

Day7

Day8

Day9

Da

y10

Day11

Day12

CommonName

LatinName

21-Aug

22-Aug

23-Aug

24-Aug

25-Aug

26-A

ug

27-Aug

28-Aug

29-Aug

30-Aug

31-Aug

01-Sep

Seen/

heard

Red-neckedPhalarope

Phalarop

uslobatus

Y

RedPhalarope

Phalarop

usfulicarius

AmericanGoldenPlover

Y

GreatSkua

Stercora

riusskua

PomarineJaeger

Stercora

riuspomarinus

ParasiticJaeger

Stercora

riusparasiticus

Y

Y

Long-tailedJaeger

Stercora

riuslongicaudus

GreatBlack-backedGull

Larusmarinus

GlaucousGull

Larushy

perboreus

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

Y

HerringGull

Larusargentatus

Y

IcelandGull

Larusglaucoides

Y

Thayer'sGull

Larusthayeri

AmericanHerringGull

Larussm

ithsonianus

IvoryGull

Pagophilaeburnea

Sabine'sGull

Xemasa

bini

Black-leggedKittiwake

Rissatridactyla

Y

Y

Y

ArcticTern

Sternap

aradisaea

Y

Y

Dovekie

Allealle

Thick-billedMurre

Urialomvia

Y

BlackGuillemot

Cepphus

grylle

Y

AtlanticPuffin

Fraterculaarctica

HornedLark

Eremoph

ilaalpestris

Y

Y

AmericanPipit

Anthusrubescens

Y

Y

Y

NorthernWheatear

Oenanth

eoenanthe

CommonRaven

Corvusc

orax

Y

Y

Y

Y

SavannahSparrow

Passerculussandwichensis

Y

LaplandLongspur

Calcariuslapponicus

Y

Y

Y

SnowBunting

Plectrophenaxnivalis

Y

Y

Y

Y

CommonRedpoll

Carduelisflammea

HoaryRedpoll

Carduelishornemanni


31/34

2009OutoftheNorthwestPassageWildlifeChecklist

BIRDSPECIES

Day1

Day2

Day3

Day4

Day5

Day6

Day7

Day8

Day9

Day10

Day11

CommonName

LatinNa

me

21-Aug

22-Aug

23-Aug

24-Aug

25-Aug

26-Aug

27-Aug

28-Aug

29-Aug

30-Aug

31-Aug

Seen/

heard

Day1

Day2

Day3

Day4

Day5

Day6

Day7

Day8

Day9

Day10

Day11

Day12

21-Aug

22-Aug

23-Aug

24-Aug

25-Aug

26-Aug

27-Aug

28-Aug

29-Aug

30-Aug

31-Aug

01-Sep

Po

larBear

19

Be

ardedSeal

1

HarpSeal

RingedSeal

many

many

many

many

many

many

many

many

Walrus

Narwhal

~40

Be

luga

12

Bo

wheadWhale

1

Ar

cticFox

1

1

Ar

cticHare

Wolverine

1

GrizzlyBear

5

CollaredLemming

burrows

burrows

burrows

burrows

burrows

burrows

burrows

Br

ownLemming

Ar

cticGroundSquirrel

~10

Ba

rrenGroundCaribou

3

1

3

Muskoxen

25

1

Tu

ndrawolf

1

MAMMALS


32/34

Stan Rogers Northwest Passage Lyrics:

Chorus

Ah, for just one time I would take the Northwest Passage

To nd the hand of Franklin reaching for the Beaufort Sea;

Tracing one warm line through a land so wide and savage

And make a Northwest Passage to the sea.

Westward from the Davis Strait tis there twas said to lie

The sea route to the Orient for which so many died;

Seeking gold and glory, leaving weathered, broken bones

And a long-forgotten lonely cairn of stones.

Three centuries thereafter, I take passage overland

In the footsteps of brave Kelsey, where his sea of owers began

Watching cities rise before me, then behind me sink again

This tardiest explorer, driving hard across the plain.

And through the night, behind the wheel, the mileage clicking west

I think upon Mackenzie, David Thompson and the rest

Who cracked the mountain ramparts and did show a path for me

To race the roaring Fraser to the sea.

How then am I so different from the rst men through this way?

Like them, I left a settled life, I threw it all away.

To seek a Northwest Passage at the call of many men

To nd there but the road back home again.

Lyrics: Northwest Passage, Stan Rogers


33/34


34/34

A photo collection by Mike Beedell which includes over 200 photos is also

available. Please contact the Adventure Canada ofce if you would like to order.

adventure canada's northwest passage voyage log

Documents