Photo Credit Unsplash: Isaac Demeester
189 miles/Day 13
After four (4) days of waiting out the weather on the overlook of Bluff Head, the Arctic Cowboys finally made a move on Sunday, 8-14-22. They paddled 26 miles across the northern coast of Sirmilik National Park.
Initially, the going was rough due to higher waves and wind. We knew what they were going to be fighting against, but this was their best opportunity to jump off that cliff and get moving. More severe weather was headed their way. Once they got past the higher winds and waves, the paddling was better. The sun came out for 3-4 hours which was a welcome treat. They had not seen the sun in almost a week.
The cliffs they passed were majestic. They said there were caves and arches all along the cliffs. This area they paddled is the north coast of the park and is closed to the public due to it being a polar bear denning area. About a third of the way along their journey, the cliffs started to dissipate and, if they felt the need to stop, they had many opportunities because there were a lot of beaches along this stretch of the coast. They are encountering more ice and icebergs. The water is blue green and beautiful.
They are camping at the mouth of a fresh water creek and will be able to resupply their water easily. As they arrived at camp, a cute black fox was watching them intently. He did not seem to shy away from the team. A light rain was falling and was expecting to last a couple of hours. In the morning, they will experience one hour of higher wind but it should settle down and be another nice day of paddling. They will sleep in and get a little bit of a later start, which is looking like an ideal plan.
–Barbara Edington
