We’ve been heading south along the east coast of Baffin Island for the last 24 hours, covering a distance of 200 miles. When the boat is moving we all calm down, get time to think about what we experienced so far, write blogs, read a book and so on. Our day is organized around our individual watch times. Every two hours the watch team changes. A team consists of a watch captain and two young explorers, who not only need to look out for rocks and ice bergs but also for whales, polar bears and seals.

Today Rici and me were on watch at 2 am. Usually that’s the worst one, because you only get one or two hours of sleep before the watch and only three four hours after the watch. But this time it was different. When we got up for the watch green northern lights, called aurora borealis, covered the whole sky. It has always been a dream of ours to see those magical lights, dancing across the sky. We all stood outside looking at those lights created by solar wind, reflecting light along the magnetic field.

After a few hours of sleep I suddenly woke up, but didn’t know the reason for it. A second later I flew to the one side of my mat and nearly fell out of my bed. The wind increased to 40 knots as the waves grew higher. When we looked out of the windows we couldn’t even see the horizon. The waves rolled over the bow and the water splashed against the windows. I couldn’t walk without holding myself on the walls. I was glad to know that PANGAEA has seen worse weather than this.

Day 18: Blog by Henko Roukema 01-09-2011

Last night was simply extraordinary as I saw the Aurora lights while it was my turn to be on watch! Seeing the lights dance around as if it’s coming down towards you, I could not help but wonder what the people of long ago thought when they saw these strange lights. The night sky was spectacular with the stars shining in all its glory, shooting stars, satellites, with no wind; it was a perfect night for star gazing! It was quit a moving experience to see the Northern lights, never in my life would I have thought that could be here in the arctic exploring this unique area with the legendary Mike Horn himself, and without his life long list of exploration and adventure it could never be possible.

After the watch I was relieved to be able to go to bed but also not wanting to do so much with the performance the lights was putting up above in the sky! This morning I was suddenly awoken when I was almost thrown out of by bed by the rolling boat! Being confused I got up and started walking towards the pilot house, all of a sudden I felt the boat starting to roll again with nothing to hold on to it sent me flying over the endless amount of duffel bags in the garage, being wiser in my second attempt I was stunned by the gale force wind and the swell pushing the boat high in the air and then crushing down to only lifted up by the next wave! The watch was a bit more difficult with the boat at such an angle because the wind and swell was hitting us directly from the starboard side; at times we were hanging by just our grip on the safety handles, feet slipping and sliding desperately to get a grip. With the wind blowing up to 49 knots it was fascinating that the Pangaea could just continue on its course! While other vessels not so equipped to handle extreme conditions would be running scared with the swell and wind!

Relieved that the watch was finished and a bit sea sick, I went back to sleep as tomorrow we are going on our last excursion of the expedition, a hike over the island , which will take the whole day if all goes well.

Reflecting back on this trip is difficult with all the excitement of the previous 18 days all melting together as one great experience I dread the fact of leaving such a place that has crept so deep into my heart after such a short time and not being able to see everyone from the team everyday. All the lessons we have learned will stay with us forever and as they say life is built up by the experiences you have and that each experience leaves a trace in your brain that creates who you are! This expedition is certainly a life changing experience that I will never forget! This is after all just the beginning! Most people live life but they don’t live it to the fullest!

Blog written by Zuzanna

A long time ago people and the animals spoke the same language. It was believed that specific elders of the Inuit community held the ability to turn into large seals. Seals could then transform into wolves, polar bears or birds.

An animal would only offer itself to the hunter if it was treated with proper respect. The success of the hunt, and family’s survival in the same time, fully depended on the animal.

Who knows? Maybe it’s because of the respect that we have for our surrounding environment that allowed the nature to reveal its beauty to us over the last two days? Not only did we see a seal resting on a piece of floating ice, but also two polar bear families: mother with cubs climbing up the moraine. We had a closer look at the plants of tundra and discovered that beneath our feet lies a new world. A world filled with colors and tiny insects, new scents and unique textures.

Even in the Arctic the Nature is very diverse, but you realize that only when experience different places: flat planes covered with caribou grass, steep slopes of glaciers or… canyons of waterfalls. One of these canyons was exactly where we went for a 2-day long trip. Massive pieces of ice hung above the falling water, strong enough to carve a valley and move giant rocks just to the shore. This is when you understand there is not only one grey, there is not only one blue or only one green. Colors play with the surroundings and the sunset lights bring out the line of the horizon and change the hostile landscape into a miraculous place.

By early evening we reached the place that we turned into our shelter. This time we didn’t take any tents, wanting to spend the night under the naked sky. When I woke up and saw the shining stars above me, I felt as if the darkness was allowing spots of light through its night blanket and they were there, shining just for me.

And now we’re on the boat again, sailing down south. The dusk has fallen and the world is enclosed in a cover of darkness, as it is happening for millions of years. Unexpected, hundreds of rays of surreal light decorated the sky, leaving green and white traces on the firmament. The northern lights, Aurora! Someone is trying to dust off the sky, star powder surrounds us exposing the uniqueness of the Arctic. I feel like I’ve never seen sky before. The world is beautiful and life is just a wonder.

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Blog by Henko Roukema – 31-08-2011

Yesterday afternoon we embarked on our hike to who knows where, all we knew we were heading up the canyon with a lot of waterfalls. It wasn't our original plan, but due to the 4 polar bears we saw, it was decided for everyone's safety that we will rather hike on the other side of the fjord! Much to the relief of all of us, but some of us was still scared by the fact that in 15min we saw 4 polar bears in this region; it still was spectacular to see these magnificent creatures.

The first part was a really steep climb as we climb to 600 meters in a matter of less than 2km! For me it was the best hike so far, scrambling up those boulders, jumping over the water and some melting snow mixed in between , it had all our senses alive, just waiting to react incase you slip! Looking back when we had our break eating some nuts for energy, basking in the sun, we had the most beautiful view of the surrounding landscape. But little did we know the view that greeted us as we walked, the setting sun over the spectacular mountains on the over side of the fjord was out of this world!

We finished our hiking for the day when we found a freshwater lake created by a melting nearby glacier. We immediately started building a small shelter to protect us from the wind, luckily there were a lot of flat rocks around and with 18 people, our shelter quickly took shape, it was basically just a stone wall of about 1m high. It was fun to build the shelter but it was strenuous to haul rocks after an afternoon of steep climbing up a canyon. Personally I was really excited about sleeping underneath the stars with only a sleeping mat and bag; I knew I would certainly be warm enough! With my down jacket and nova dry pants, beanie and dry socks keeping me warm.

The sleeping mat we got from Mike and the tea, really surprised my expectations when I discovered that I could not even feel any rocks underneath me, even though I was sleeping just on stones! Waking up with the morning sun almost shining, as soon as the sun rose above the hills nearby, it almost feels like you can literary feel the temperature rise!

Breakfast was the usual oats but we also had some hot chocolate, it was a real treat! The plan was to climb up to the peak of the mountain, it looked like a daunting task and it really was, felt like a couple of thousands of stairs that we where climbing up! After a while we got to the ridge of the mountain, I was shocked by a drop of a few hundred meters on the other side! WOW! With Mike shouting if you fall please fall to the right! (The side we walked up on, it would not be the best if anyone fell of the vertical drop).

If you threw a rock it felt like infinity before you hear it crashing down below! After negotiating the cliffs and endless loose rocks, climbing a total of a thousand seven hundreds meters, we finally reached the peak! Damn, what an exhilarating rush! We had the opportunity to take some pictures with Mike and the decent down the steep slope. The mountain was an old volcano that had a massive eruption causing millions of stones! Our decent was on small stones fist size, every step took you sliding a few meters down with the small stones, as they give way underneath the pressure of our body weight. Then our decent continued down the canyon we ascended yesterday, seeing the view on which we had our backs the whole time yesterday while hiking up was just surreal! With the Pangaea motivating us in the foreground down under in the fjord. The hike was the best one so far for me, sleeping under the stars, with only our sleeping bags as protection, exploring at its best!

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This morning we woke in the familiar bay of Clyde River where a thick layer of fog had settled over the remote community. Today was dedicated to our cultural exchange and interaction with the Inuit members of this community. As we rehearsed the slide show presentation that we would give, Mike taught us many valuable public speaking skills. To be able to speak well in front of people is a skill that we will be able to use in all the aspects of our lives and a skill that we can continuously improve on.

Our expedition doctor, Gaynor Prince, ran through a basic First Aid Course with us. A brief description reminded us of what we had learnt at the Selection Camp. We went over triangular bandages, CPR and using different dressings to heal wounds. We would later give this brief course to interested members of the community so we kept it simple, but informative and effective.

After a delicious lunch on board we left for shore to start a part of our expedition’s project that we have been planning since before the Selection Camp. We walked the muddy streets to round up many people we may find.

We gathered an interested audience and set up in the Community Centre. We briefly introduced ourselves and gave the presentation which told them about what we have been up to over the past 10 days and explained the YEP. We discussed how through our studies of the Arctic environment we have learnt about the effects of climate change and this is a topic that they can relate to as their lives have been directly impacted by the warming climate. They were particularly interested in the sailing vessel and what life is like on the boat.

We then split up into two groups to give the First Aid course. Thanks to Rici and Valentin we were able to hand out 11 kits to the interested Inuit teenagers. We also had the chance to learn more about their own traditional medicines and methods. It was fascinating to hear that in the Inuit culture when someone is passed out you may not cross their body from their shoulders up. This is considered as killing the person. It is important that the Inuit keep these traditions and we emphasized that we were there to share what we know but also to learn from them.

Our next social interaction activity was a game with the elders of the community. We rushed to the Family Resource Centre to find the friendly senior citizens who welcomed us warmly. It was a great feeling to see that our appearance was truly appreciated. We joined in a favourite game called Aturat. Everyone kneels in a circle with 4 circulating die. In the middle of the circle is a heap of goodies. These are considered the prizes and consist of anything from a roll of toilet paper to a square of cheese. If when you roll the die you roll the number 2 you may leap into the middle and claim a prize. The game continues until all of the prizes in the middle are finished, then the real fun starts. You could now take the prizes away from other people. It was incredibly fast and even competitive but we had many laughs and enjoyed it immensely. We added three Wenger knives and a Petzl Headlamp to the prize heap which gave the game greater meaning and just added to the pressure. You could actually see the excitement in the eyes of the elders as they jumped around to make sure they get a good prize. It was fun to interact with the experienced generation of the community in this unusual way and definitely a new and memorable experience for us.

We then had the opportunity to learn about a few other traditional games, played by Inuit women and children while the men are out hunting. A very sweet elderly lady explained the games to us. One of the games was pulling seal bones out of a bag to build an igloo and another was using a rabbit skull, you had to try and catch it on a thin long bone. To be able to learn about these games from a woman who played them while she was a child is an incredible concept, one that we really appreciate.

This evening’s entertainment was a teenage disco party that we went to. It was loads of fun and we danced the night away with the new friends we made throughout the day. We recognized most of the music and were the centre of attention for the teenagers of the community. It was a great evening but now to get some needed shut eye!

The engine started running at 6 o’clock in the morning as we left for Clyde River again. The group of qualified mountain guides and climbers from Petzl is flying back to Europe tomorrow and they are expecting to meet their plane at the tiny airport of Clyde in the morning. But we’re in Nunavut and things are different from what we are used to. Time runs in its own speed, depending on the weather and place. We’ve literally been to ‘the middle of nowhere’ and lost conscious of passing days. It’s already the 11th day of the Expedition, we’ve experienced a lot, but it feels like a few hours since we were picked from the airport in Ottawa.

The weather that woke us up on the big wall still follows us. Grey, heavy clouds dominated the sky for good and the rain will find the smallest gap in all the layers of clothing that you wear and soak you. Typically there are 10 rainy and 4 snowy days in August in Nunavut. We already had a great luck with the sun during glacier crossing. Not a single plane landed in Clyde since last 5 days and we doubt that any will arrive tomorrow.

But we still had to sail down here. Life on the boat is great and very clear: we all know what to do; we know our duties and responsibilities. Primarily, a system of watches was established. 2 hours of constant checking and 6 hours of break. We work in groups of 3: 2 Young Explorers and one experienced sailor to explain to us all the meanders of the art of moving with the power of wind. We need to observe the horizon in order to avoid icebergs and other obstacles on the way of Pangaea, control instruments measuring the depth of water, speed of the vessel, engine, so as radars. It is a full-time job demanding concentration, but also a great opportunity to talk and learn from each other.

What else we do is cleaning and cooking. We were expected to cook on certain days, but it ended up with everyone helping everyone in the kitchen, Simon assisting in preparation (and degustation) of every single meal, girls washing dishes, people preparing drinks for each who wants. There are some habits, like morning porridge or bread baked by Jacek on the night before, but we also had a solemn dinner this evening.

Our fantastic mountain guides have decided to prepare a festive supper as a ‘goodbye’. We ate a delicious arctic char with baked potatoes and vegetables, sitting all together and bringing back fresh memories from the big wall. I’m wondering how will this place look in a couple of years time? We’re on an expedition to the changing wilderness, wilderness changing so rapidly. On our way to Refuge Harbor we saw a stunning iceberg with a hole in the middle of it. One week after it has changed its shape and could no longer be recognized as the same piece of ice floating to Nunavut from Northern Greenland.

Last night after dinner Mike told us that we are going to be climbing to the summit of a nearby mountain. We think the summit has never been reached before which, if we summit we can name the peak. This is our mission for the day. The plan was to wake up at two am and start our hike at 3am, however because everyone overslept we only started our hike at 4 am. When we climbed out of the hatch of the boat we were stunned by the immense cold and rain – certainly not the ideal conditions to try and hike to a peak with no real path! This was exploring at its best, hiking into the unknown! We had short but very cold ride to the shore with the inflatable rubber duck and when everyone was ashore we started hiking and hiking. After only a couple of hours of sleep from the previous night it was quit a daunting task!

After walking for a while, the nearby peak still seemed so far away. That ís one thing of this unique area, everything looks so close. You are just not used to the massive size of everything here that seems close by! We walked for a couple of hours in the moraine before reaching the glacier that leads to almost the top. This involved some concentration as we had to scramble over endless amounts of boulders that were very slippery from the rain!

We took a break before starting our climb up the glacier. We where in for a real treat as there were blueberries around us. We could just sit on the steep slope and gather the berries. But it was short lived as we had to push to reach the summit and walk back to the boat before the end of the day. The glacier was quite challenging as there was not enough crampons, but team work solved the problem as we attached each other with a rope to help those that didn't have them.

There was a great description of how the glaciers look. It looks kind of like a huge tongue reaching down the mountain to lick the water from the lake that is created by the melting water. It was unbelievable to see 5 lakes so close by each other and each one was at a different ground level. This is caused by the moraines. Even Mike was amazed by this! But there was no time to ponder too long at the beautiful scenery as we had to push on! Navigating through a big crevasse and a very, very steep glacier was the order of the day – but then a big surprise for me was that it started snowing! Wow! It was my first experience of snow in my life! And then finally after many hours we reached the summit!!! Relief and joy was the emotions that everyone experienced, but also in the back of our heads we knew we had to walk all the way back on the same path to the boat.

This part of the hike actually flew by fast. I think we where so tired we did not register much and the pain from blister or discomfort from walking more than 10hours straight! The next task was negotiating those pesky boulders that separated us from the boat which means FOOD and SLEEP!! After 14 hours we finally reached the beach where the rubber duck could come and fetch us. Another highlight was that I had the chance to steer the rubber duck to the boat, causing some of the other YEPs to stress a bit! We were all so relieved to finally be able to put on dry warm clothes and start to pamper our broken bodies. All in all it was a great day and we are just waiting for a nice hot meal before we go to sleep! Almost feels like heaven for us now!

Tomorrow we are going to sail back to Clyde River and then continue our magnificent expedition with Mike!! The peak we simmitted is situated close to Gibsen Fjord and just southeast of the refuge harbor.

After a fantastic trek to the summit of a mountain yesterday, Mike and the Young Explorers hoist Pangaea's sails and start their voyage towards Clyde River. the team now have the chance to rest their tired bodies while appreciating the magical scenery of the Baffin Island's east coast.

Blog by Mikhayla and Valentin

We woke up at 4:30 this morning and found ourselves floating in our sleeping bags on our portal edges. No one got much sleep, as you dare not move too much when you are hanging 200m above the ground. A blanket of fog had settled over us throughout the night making every part of our bodies, sleeping bags and portal edges soaking wet.

While we were packing up our campsite in the clouds it is a reminder that safety always comes first in the vertical world. One by one we abseiled down the rock face, this gave us all an adrenaline rush and was sometimes scary. Eventually we made it back onto Pangaea and managed to change into warm and dry clothes and gobbled down a delicious breakfast.

Mikhayla, Zula and Rici treated everyone to a batch of decadent chocolate muffins that were enjoyed by all. The learning never stops and this afternoon we started with Doctor Roswitha Stolz from the University of Munich on our environmental tests. Research in the Arctic region is extremely valuable and gives a clear indication of the effects of climate change.

After a short briefing we headed to shore to set up our 100m by 100m grid. In this grid we will be completing Circumpolar Active Layer Monitoring (CALM), a standardized method of measuring the active layer and permafrost in the polar-regions. Within our grid there are 121 marked points, each 10m apart. We have recorded the coordinates using a GPS, this will allow people to return to the same points to continue any tests.

We are continuously taken back by our surrounding’s indescribable beauty, the turquoise water, the towering fjords, the unforgiving glaciers and the mystical fog.

After an amazing experience climbing the 'Big Wall' with Mike Horn and several professional guides from Petzl, Mike sails the Young Explorers to a nearby fjord. Here Dr Roswitha Stolz teaches them about glaciers and the affects of global warming on the Arctic. Learning take place in the best 'real' school ever! 

We could see the splendid fiord, all the glaciers ending their lives in the ocean, steep cliffs reaching the sky. The sun was reflecting in our sunglasses, heating up the warm, warm rock. It was the best rest in our lives. This magic view is reserved for those, who climbed one of the untouched Big Walls of Baffin Island.
Adventure started in the morning, about 200 metres below where we were sitting. Quartz rocks at this point are slightly red, some covered with a thin layer of seaweed. The path is quite simple, full of little rocks, which you should never throw down. Even a tiny little stone can badly injure the person below you. We took our time to make sure, that the gear and ourselves are well secured. Even our spoons and covers of camera lenses are attached to the harness. All of us are wearing only a soft-shell jacket, but we are all hot because of the effort that it takes to go up.

There are 8 belay points on the way and a qualified climber on each to help us reattach to the next rope. Our group is really big and we have to wait for each other so climbing isn’t that exhausting. Breaks are great opportunities to chat, share famous daypacks (dried fruits, chocolate, muesli etc.), laugh. If someone told me I would have so much fun yesterday that time, I would never believe him! I’m here because someone had a dream to show me this place. We all feel privileged.

The amazing view changes, as we are getting higher. Some parts of the track are exactly vertical, some demand jumps, scrambling on ropes. You need to look carefully at your steps and keep in mind that stones can move all the time. The group is attached to one rope and we secure each other – all for one and one for all.

Even instant noodles got a new taste with changing altitude. We were welcomed on the top by our friends and an amazing view. When the sun disappeared behind the rock cliff, nothing could stop the fog to reach us, but we didn’t notice that as we were served delicious hot dogs.  Thanks to the food we got enough energy to climb safely into our portaledges, better than 10000000000 star hotel.

Today was our third day on the glacier, hiking on this amazing glacier was just surreal! We had some tough times pulling our sleds over 40km of ice, crevasses, and rocky moon landscapes.

Sometimes it was so steep that the sleds were pulling us down these massive white ice cream shape of hills flowing down to the oceans ending in impressive waterfalls into the ocean.

We had a nice long sleep because we finished hiking early the previous day, after setting up tent and having super, we hiked up to the peak close by to admire the view in this remote, unique, beautiful area! The usual routine of waking up, packing and then some oats for breakfast awaited us but we had the most amazing view as we climb out of our tents early morning.

After eating and packing sleds we took a few pictures for the sponsor quechua, and then our decent to the fjord started to meet up with the boat. We had to cross some really deep crevasses icy rivers and really steep slippery slopes, some places were really technical causing some falls but nothing serious.

Unfortunately I lost my sunglasses jumping over one of the many crevasses! Just when we thought it was all over we had to navigate down a very steep, never ending moraine carrying all our equipment including the sleds to reach the fjord after 3km!

We are all looking forward to a nice meal on the boat this evening and then a good night sleep before we start with the amazing big wall climbing.

There are mixed emotions about the climbing but personally I'm looking forward to the challenge!