On our last day, we woke up to find the ship still parked in the fast ice of Ekmanfjorden, and it was a nice morning for an after breakfast stroll! The expedition team even broke out the snowshoes for those who wanted to try them out, and the rest of us wandered about enjoying the spectacular scenery and perfect weather. Our bear guard Jon Ove found a seal "breathing hole" for us to see just in front of the ship. When the fjords are frozen, seals maintain small openings in the ice so they can surface to breathe. A smart polar bear will wait near a breathing hole and ambush an unsuspecting seal when they come up for air. There were a few seals around, but this breathing hole looked as if it hadn't been used in a while.
Our afternoon was spent cruising around Isfjorden, in search of more polar bears. The winds increased, but the skies remained clear and blue. The exhilaration of the past two weeks is foremost in our minds as emails are traded, photos are exchanged and begin the mundane chores of packing and preparing to leave the National Geographic Orion.
While the guests walked on ice, our Undersea Team deployed the ROV off the back deck for some last shots of the world below the ice, which they showed before the Captain's Farewell Cocktail Party.
We leave the National Geographic Orion with our heart, minds and memory cards filled with images and memories of another great adventure.
