Cape Breton and Sable Island NPR Expedition: Days 10-12
Day 10 of our expedition kicked off at a surprise destination, the 100 Wild Islands. This archipelago, actually made up of closer to 200 islands, is maybe one of Canada’s best-kept secrets. It’s even one of the last remaining intact and ecologically rich island groups of this size in North America and is more than 85% protected, with more progress being made! We landed on a beach where we broke off into two groups. One of which went with Peter Croal for a discussion on the rocks that make up these islands, and how climate change and our daily lives are intertwined with their geological history. The other group joined Sue Abbott to explore the plant life growing along the shoreline. We even managed to find some Searocket, which tasted like peppery arugula. Upon reuniting as a group we kept up the SOI tradition of taking a cold swim, polar plunge Atlantic edition! We also played an Inuit game that Danica taught us, One Foot High Kick. We all gave it a kick, but Danica showed her experience and managed to hit the highest kick.
In the afternoon we returned to the ship for lunch and a game of SOI Jeopardy that tested our knowledge gained on this expedition about IPCAs, protected areas, and the ocean. Once the winning pod was announced, we wrote ourselves a letter reflecting on our time on expedition. It’ll be an amazing reminder of our journey when SOI mails them out in a year’s time. We also wanted to take the time to thank our amazing sponsors and partners who helped make this expedition a reality.
In the evening we gathered in the hanger for our final briefing and an impromptu talent show. George kicked it off with an original piece dedicated to our chef, Gail, who made sure we ate well all throughout the expedition. She absolutely loved it, and said she felt so welcomed by our group. We also got to hear two songs by Yaya, and Jody blended throat singing, English and Inuktitut lyrics with George on guitar into an incredible original song. We wrapped up the evening by watching our first three highlight videos, which if you haven’t seen, you should check out on our other blogs!
The next morning we woke up in Mulgrave. It was a busy morning as we packed out our bags and disembarked the ship. Waiting for us on the dock, we met their Excellencies Mary Simon and Whit Fraser who are both SOI alumni and great friends of the foundation. Mary shared stories of her life path, encouraged us to maintain connections to our culture and languages, and be proud of who we are. We also got to meet some of our partners from Oceans North and National Geographic. Oceans North is a registered charity that supports marine conservation in partnership with Indigenous and coastal communities, and even sponsored several of the youth on expedition. Paul Rose from National Geographic told us all about the Pristine Seas Expedition which he will be leading this summer. They are taking the Polar Prince to set sail on July 5, 2022, with the goal of documenting IPCAs and connecting with communities in Canada’s north. Stay tuned for more on this expedition later in the summer, as SOI will be joining for the second half of their journey.
Just like on the day we boarded the ship two weeks ago, we stopped to enjoy some ice cream with the Polar Prince perched in the background. We then boarded a bus back to Halifax where we enjoyed a slideshow of some of the best photos on expedition so far, exchanged contact information, shared lots of hugs, and signed each other’s journals. Finally, just as we started the expedition, Ryan Tony conducted a celebration song to mark the end of the expedition.
Our final day together was filled with more farewells and see-you-soon’s than goodbyes. Some of us had early morning flights back home, but those that didn’t depart until the afternoon went on one final impromptu adventure. A nice morning visit to nearby Oakfield Park to toss around a frisbee, splash around in the water, and enjoy the beautiful weather was a perfect way to spend some final time together. As we all got ready to board our flights we got to say our final, final goodbyes and made our way back home, from coast to coast to coast across Canada.