At last we seemed to be getting some truly Arctic summer weather. Or was it the onset of autumn? The skies were grey. The wind had picked up and so had the seas. Indeed the wind was gusting over thirty knots. The expedition team set out at 8:45 to prepare the landing site and to scout for Polar Bears. We watched from the Fram as the expedition team bounced across the waves to the beach only to return to the ship shortly after. They were all somewhat wetter than when they had departed. The landing seemed to be in jeopardy due to high wind and waves. It seemed luck was blowing in our favour. Soon the wind abated and the expedition team set out again. By 10:00 the landing site was secure and we started the landing process.
First on shore were the hardier souls that were going to climb to the top of Mt. Dundas. On a scale of 1-5 it was rated a 10!
Soon enough we all on shore exploring the ghost town. It was not officially the fall but autumn colours were showing strongly. The northern willow was turning bright yellows, red and orange.
The grasses were turning shades of yellow and brown. The last of the niviarsiaq was still in bloom but past its prime. It wasn’t hard to imagine the first snow flurries beginning soon.
