“Careful Frank there’s a second bear”. JF sounded urgent. “he’s right by the shore”. The small skinny polar bear just emerged from behind a rock 50 m away from Frank. We were all on the water, watching a much larger male stride along a low brow. The large bear had been lounging on a grassy knoll when we first spotted it. When he saw us he walked away, then reemerged, and strode casually along the shore. “That’s a big healthy male that ate lots of seals over the winter”, frank said. It seemed like the smaller bear was now moving away from the large bear. He didn’t eat so many seals. “That one’s more dangerous”, said JF. Hungry bears are more likely to take a chance on humans.

Frank had moved offshore and we all watched both bears move slowly but deliberately. The small bear was walking away, looking over his shoulder cautiously. The large one changed course and followed slowly behind. “The big bear could eat the small one”, Frank remarked. “But the small one could probably run away because the big one would overheat so they’re both saving their energy.” We watched the two magnificent creatures for a few more minutes, then turned and headed on our way.

It was another warm day and we were paddling in sheltered waters, so I had my dry suit tied around my waist. The mosquitoes took full advantage, while I was taking photos of the Bears. With my drysuit fully on we continued. The dramatic striated ridges on grimington Island soared to our left. Lower hills undulated to the right. Unlike the outer Coast, there were small sandy or gravel beaches everywhere. A minke whale surfaced 30 m in front of me. And another one surfaced three times after lunch. We had our sights on a cabin we’d been told about and had a relatively short day on the water, covering 27 km. The gray building blended in well. It was tiny, but well made. we removed the usual plywood sheets covered in nails from the door and opened it with anticipation. After we evicted three mice, There’s just enough room for the four of us to sleep and store our things. We’ll put our fence around the kayaks and have a full nights sleep. This afternoon I went for a short walk and collected some labrador tea leaves. While in Labrador…