Tundra Buggy: Day 1

Today was the day we finally got to experience the grandeur of the North.

We went out on the Tundra Buggy, which was surprisingly comfortable with a heater and flush toilet included on this behemoth of a machine.

When the first bear was sighted he was greeted with awestruck silence, this was the first time many of us had seen a polar bear in the wild. The majority of our day was spent waiting for polar bears to pose for the cameras or trundling along the rocky roads searching for bears.

The camaraderie was evident as we worked together to help each other get the shots we need to WhiskerPrint the bears as well as estimate their body condition and body size.

We brought bagged lunches on the buggy along with some tomato soup and hot chocolate, they were a welcome addition to the cold winds blowing across the tundra.

            Returning to the research center tired but elated we spent the remainder of the day analyzing our findings, breaking for a delicious stir fry dinner then returning to work hard on a few different projects. We ended the day a bit later then usual, we were all a bit excited after the excitement of the day.

-Thomas Andrews (College Churchill)