Churchill Polar Bear Trip
November 2-8, 2016
Earlier in the year my
friend Barbara Cochrane invited me to go with her to see the polar bears in
Churchill. I was delighted, as I have heard about Churchill for years and many
of my birding friends have been there. It is also a good place to go in the
spring and summer for migrating birds but this was a winter trip. We signed up
with Natural Habitat, one of the major companies arranging polar bear tours. http://www.nathab.comThey are one of only two
companies that have permits to go out to the best polar bear viewing sites.
They guarantee polar bears, giving you another trip if you don't see them. They have never missed because they
only run the trips in October and November when they know the bears are around.
Following are some of my memories of the trip which I'm writing up to remember
some of the details that I might forget.
11/2/16
Barbara and I left for SFO at 4:30 in the morning. We left San Francisco about
7 AM arrived in Denver and easily caught our next plane, a small one, to
Winnipeg. Going through customs
was very quick and easy. We arrived in Winnipeg around 4PM Central time. We
were met by a Natural Habitat representative who drove us and several other
people to our hotel. We drove through downtown Winnipeg in rush hour traffic,
similar to what we have here in California. Winnipeg is only 60 miles north of
the US border and is near the geographical center of North America. Winnipeg is
a very enjoyable city with an interesting history both past and present. It is
very modern and active. Eventually we arrived at our hotel, The Fort Garry
Hotel. It was built in 1913 and is one of Canada's grand railway hotels. The
rooms were very comfortable and good sized. After stopping by our room we went
up to get our boots and coats. Natural Habitat keeps a supply of warm snow
boots and very warm down parkas which we borrowed for the trip. They were so
heavy and bulky but well worthwhile. I was never cold on this trip. After this
we went out looking for dinner. We were a couple of blocks from the Rail Road
Station so we walk through the station because on the other side was The Forks
Market - an area with lots of shops and restaurants. It is called The Forks
because Winnipeg was built at the confluence of the Assiniboine and Red rivers
creating this area, which was a focal point on these river routes. We quickly
found a place to eat because I was very hungry. We ate at a restaurant call
Beachcomber and it was very good. After this we went back to our hotel and
enjoyed a good nights sleep.
11/3/16 In
the morning we had a very nice buffet and cook to order breakfast in the hotel.
Then we met in the lobby for a city tour. We had come a day early to be sure to
be on time for the program that started this evening so we decided to do this
tour to cover some highlights of Winnipeg. There were six of us plus a guide.
We walked about The Forks area and heard about some of the history past and
recent. This is the area of the Hudson' s Bay fur trading company and has grown
and changed since then. The city has more than 40 cultures, headed by British,
Germans, and Ukrainians. In 1950 the Red River overflowed its banks, which led
to 80,000 people being moved. They have since built a 25-mile diversion
channel, which has saved Winnipeg several times since then. We then went to the
Manitoba Museum where we had a fascinating tour of two major exhibits. The
first program was the "Inuit: People of the North". So many
interesting things about how the culture lived and some of their history. I was
intrigued by the parka the women made and wore to carry their babies in the
winter. The Amautik was made so she could carry the baby on her back while
walking or working, flip it in front to nurse, pull down to change the
"diaper" all without exposing the baby to the cold air. They are
still used today but the old ones in the museum were very ornate. There were several other interesting
displays on the environment of Manitoba over time, and then a replica of Nonsuch,
a ketch that sailed into Hudson Bay in 1668 and returned to England with a load
of furs, the start of the Hudson's Bay Co. We could easily have spent all day there. Then we went to
the Manitoba Legislative Building, built from 1913-1919. It is a beautiful
building with an impressive history. Then we were off to lunch at the Promenade
Cafe. I remember having a very good soup there and something else that was
delicious. We certainly had good food all along this trip.
After lunch we were
scheduled to go to the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. I had considered
skipping this museum because I thought it would be so depressing, but I changed
my mind and I am glad I did. It was completed and opened in 2014, the first
national Canadian museum outside of Ottawa. There was a lot of controversy about the museum at its
opening but I think it is more accepted now. The architecture alone it worth
seeing and much of the design is filled with symbolism. The purpose of the museum is to "explore the subject of human
rights with a special but not exclusive reference to Canada, in order to
enhance the public's understanding of human rights, to promote respect for
others and to encourage reflection and dialogue." So in this way it is
somewhat uplifting because it involves and acknowledges the lack of human
rights and, now the means to work to assure all humans have such rights. It is
a place where you could spend a great deal of time. After this we went back to
Fort Garry Hotel and had an orientation dinner with our traveling group. There
were 16 of us plus our leader Katie Crafts - who just had to be one of the best
group leaders of all times! We had dinner along with a slide show of what to
expect. We each introduced ourselves and told why we came and what we hoped to
get out of this trip. Many people said they wanted to see Polar Bears before
they disappeared, nice to be among people who are aware that global change is
real and is affecting our world. I also decided to openly tell them that I was
hoping to see a ptarmigan in the white phase. I'm glad I told them because
while many people didn't even know what a ptarmigan did they soon found out and
they were such good and fun sports about finding them for me and sharing in my
excitement when we did see them. We had a really good dinner and then off to
bed in order to get ready for our adventure.
11/4/16 Today we had a nice breakfast and then
loaded up in a bus. The were three NatHab groups of 16, each with a different
guide. We were driven to the airport where our charter awaited us. The gates
were opened for the bus and we drove out to the airplane. We didn't go through
the airport or security, as this was a private charter so we just climbed up
the back stairs and loaded up the plane from front to back. It was a pleasant
2-hour flight to Churchill. Upon
arrive we were separated into our groups and boarded the appropriate bus with
our guide. We went to the Eskimo/Itsanitaq Museum, a one-room museum that had a
large collection of Inuit carvings made of whalebone, soapstone, and caribou
antler as well as several other exhibits including some from pre Inuit
cultures. It was an amazing collection.
Then we drove to the Churchill hotel and went to our rooms. They were so efficient in all the ways
of handling the group, we were given the keys to our room as we got off the
bus. After settling in we again boarded the bus and drove to our Polar Rover
for our first trip out to the tundra. The Rover is an amazing vehicle and very
comfortable. There are 16 double seats so we each had two, one window and one
aisle. The vehicle is built on an old military fire fighter so it can handle
the very rough terrain we would encounter. It is as big as a very large room.
We can stand up inside - probably 4 abreast, you have to see a photo to understand.
It has a very comfortable flush toilet and a small kitchen. There is a small
outside porch so we can stand out in the elements and experience nature in
person. We had a wonderful driver, a real character, very skilled in driving,
and very knowledgeable, we didn't miss a thing. Tonight we mostly drove out in
the tundra and while we didn't see any polar bears we had the full tundra
experience, what a beautiful place. Watching the sunset was awesome. We also
were served a very elegant dinner, wine, appetizers and very good food, all
very nicely served. After dark we went back to our bus, it was so dark I can't
imagine how he knew the way but we made it. Drove back to our hotel and went to
bed. Later that night we heard a knock at the door and were told there was an
auroral display so we put on our boots and jackets and went out in front. While
it was nothing like the full sky colorful photos you often see we did see some
dancing white lights that had a tinge of green so we watched them for a while which
was a fun experience.
11/5/16 Our first full
day on the tundra. Up early for a good buffet breakfast. Then we drove outside
of town to board our Polar Rover.
It was a beautiful day driving out on the tundra, cold, quiet, and
still. We had a beautiful sunrise to start our day. Basically we drove around
the tundra all day enjoying several long periods of just staying in one place
and watching the activity. I was so delighted to find white forms of the Willow
ptarmigans. I saw three interesting shapes in the white snow and when I got my
binoculars on them and saw the dark eye I knew they were real. I was so excited
and it was fun because so was the rest of the group and they continued to find
more for me. We could even tell from one of the photos that we also had a white
phase of one Rock Ptarmigan. In addition to that we had a wonderful white phase
of a gyrfalcon which we got very close to and enjoyed good views. None of these
were new species for me but they were the only time I had seen these in the white
phase and I've always wanted to see them. But onto the polar bears - they were
magnificent. We saw about 26 today. I spent a good part of my time outside on
the back porch, our borrowed parkas and boots keep me nice and warm and I enjoy
being outside more than inside. One time a polar bear was walking around our
vehicle and stopped and looked at me while I was looking at him and I swear we
made eye contact and shared a moment of communion, it was so special. Today was
my birthday and I hadn't told anyone and was going to keep it quiet but I
decided to share it after this. Later on I asked Katie if we would be buying
our own wine for dinner that night. (They had supplied the wine for the past
two nights.) She said yes unless it was someone's birthday - so she already
knew. Well I told her I would like to treat everyone to a class of wine. So she
helped me arrange it - at the restaurant she told everyone I was treating and
would explain later. So I told them and of course received lots of Birthday
wishes. I was glad I did this instead of keeping my birthday a secrete because
it was a lot of fun. In addition to this they brought out a lovely birthday
cake that we all enjoyed and then to top the evening off... When I went to pay
for the wine the owner had comped the wine. What a treat and what a memorable
birthday. #77.
11/6/16 Today was a
repeat of yesterday (without the birthday). We watched polar bears as well as
more of the ptarmigans and gyrfalcons. We had a couple of young bears play
fighting, which was fun and many beautiful scenes. Today we saw about 22 bears.
We were very comfortable on the vehicle because we could walking around
comfortably both inside and out. In addition we were very well taken care of.
On both days we had a morning snack that included hot chocolate. Then we had a
good lunch, soup and sandwich and dessert. We had another good dinner this
night in town. Churchill is a very small town so there aren't many choices but
they were very well set up to serve us. We also had a presentation one night
from an Inuit woman who was taken as a child and sent to a government boarding
school so she could learn English and the Canadian ways. She talked to us about
how hard it was.
11/7/16 This morning
we were supposed to go on a dog sled ride but the road was too icy for the van
to go up the hill that led into the area where the dog sleds ran so we went
back into town and spent some time in a museum for Wapusk National Park of
Canada. Canada takes its responsibility very seriously to preserve the Arctic
area. On the way to the airport we stopped at the bear jail. If a bear gets too
close to town they set a trap and then keep it in a hut until they move it
further out. They keep all human contact away from the bear and do not feed it
so that hopefully it will not come back. They do a lot of patrolling and there
are signs all around town, you are not allowed to walk beyond the town
boundaries. We then went to the airport - not checking in or security because
again this was a private charter. The same three groups of 16 boarded and we
flew back to Winnipeg. We
turned in our boots and parkas and then met as a group where we said our
farewells and talked about our special moments. It was a very nice group of
people to travel with and we had a wonderful leader.
11/8/16 [1]We
didn't have to leave for the airport until the afternoon so after breakfast
Barbara and I walked around the Forks area and crossed over the bridge to walk
around some more of Winnipeg. It was very cold but there were a lot of people
out. We could have easily spent several days exploring the city. We went back
to the Forks market and walked through various shops and areas. I found a food
souvenir to take back to my family. Eventually we were picked up and driven to
the Airport, a nice clean and friendly place. After going through security we
actually went through customs. When left customs and went through the glass
doors a sign read "Welcome to the USA". So when we arrived in Denver
we did not have to go through customs. It was very efficient. The trip home was
uneventful and I was glad to be home. But it was a very good trip and I have
good memories.
Some photos are at:
https://goo.gl/photos/GXxxwSZSzyvNDKB56
written 12/5/16