Today was the tip of the iceberg. There is no way anything can top the day we had so I’m going to make sure that I give you guys all of it. As usual, we woke up because Robert was singing. We went down for breakfast in the dining car (breakfast is always good). Shortly after we were corraled and told about all of the safety precautions. Robert always has a way of scaring me. I was totally exdcited aboiut the helicopter ride down to the maternalæ den, but Robert pounded all of the extreme safety measures into us. I was a bit jittery after that. Then we grabbed all of our arctic gear and started getting ready (I had been hauling all of this extreme weather crap around and it had been beautiful all week).
Finnally, the Tundra Buggies drove us off into the tundra where we would wait for our helicopters to pick us up. Bill Watkins (Manitoba Conservation, nice guy) was reqwuired to walk around with a shotgun while we were boarding the helicopters. I was a nervouis wreck. The helikcopters arrived and I was going in the slickest, meanest, sharpest machine of the fleet. They told us to keep our heads down to avvoid decapitation. I walked with my chin touching the ground. But as soon as we got in the air, it was incredible. It was a huge rush; I could have flewn all day long. We left the other helicopters in the dust. Lotta fun.
The fleet arrrived at the maternal den pretty quickly. It was beautiful on the tundra. Now the big deal was the maternal den. We were about to cwwarl into a polar bear’s maternaj den. Of course I was the first person in. No one ever wants tyo go first, so I do. It was amzing. The den was a very tight fit (suprisingly tight) and the bears had torn much of the root structure to make smooth and solid walls. Clastrophbics couldn’t do it. The den was quite warm (yeah, but they made sure I was ready for –40 weather). For a moment I stopped to think about where I was. It’s truly undescribeable, you’d have to have been there to uinderstand it.
After that, Hendrick took us around the tundra to teach us about the lichens, mosses, trees, berries, and all the other vegitation. We were there for 2.5 hours, but it felt likje half an hour. We didn’t want it to end. But we were back on the choppers, back on the buggy, and back in the lodge in no time flat. Lunch was good (the food was real good in the lodge). And once again we were surrounding Robert in awe of his up and coming passing of knowledge. The new question was ”what do we do now?” We had to go back home now. What were we supposed to do with what we had learned up here? I didn’t have any plans. I wasn’t expected to do anything after this. Asfar as anyone knew, I was on vacation. But I have plans now. I’m going to do something. I’m not exactly sure just yet, but Winnipeg’s gonna know.
There’s still much more left for today. JB is going to teach us something called the ”Sub-Adult Form”, were going to finish our projects, and were going ot have supper (going to be good). Tommorow we return to the big town of Churchill, and then head down to the borreal forrest. There is still alot of potential left for our trip and have no doubt in the world that anything can go wrong. This is a good group and it’s gonna be a good finish. See you tommorow.
Jon

Today was the biggest day yet. We woke up and started running. Everyone ate breakfast (always good) and then immediately started work on our videoconference with Mapleton School down in Selkirk, Manitoba. The 3 groups got together real quick and distributed the questions the 4th, 5th and 6th grade classes had provided us. I had my question picked out and got straight to work on breaking it down for a 5th grader to understand and keep interest in the subject.
I was really excited and nervous at the same time. These kids had been following our program for a few weeks. That was really cool. I didn’t want to disappoint these guys with a weak performance on my behalf. So the groups practiced and prepared all morning until lunch (real good lunch) and then again after lunch. Robert gave us a presentation on how to properly give a presentation (seriously). It actually turned out to be very moving and ground breaking. His presentation really got me thinking about the whole trip in general and I got a feeling of belonging. I really felt that I knew I was here for a reason after his presentation. Helicopters were arriving in the tundra and dropping people off and they were escorted by buggy to the lodge. These guys of course were sponsors, the people who made all of this happen. No pressure on us.
It felt like an eternity until all of the connections, cameras, wireless internet, and all that other stuff were finally ready to go. I felt pretty intimidated until my question was asked. When it was all done we had had the huge curtain lifted and we could breathe again. We were a team after that. The groups were back out with our final chapter presentations. And then Robert started up a conversation about our plans after we returned home. I thought a lot about what I was going to do, because I really had no plan of my own.
Supper was real good (best meal of the day). And to finish the day off, we started working on our village project (the one Hendrick gave us the day before). It’s an interesting project and I had a lot of fun with it. My group was very competitive when it came to ideas and land use. It’s going to be a rocky finish but I think we’ll pull it off in time. Tomorrow is the big one. We go down to the dens. It’s gonna be good.
See you tomorrow,
Jon

Day 5 was the first full day on the tundra. We woke up, had breakfast, and then got on the buggy. The family of bears (mom and 2 cubs) were walking around early in the morning so we spent half an hour taking pictures of them.
Soon after that, we presented our chapter presentations with our teams. That was pretty cool. We ate lunch after that (the day was pretty basic) and spent a few hours after that driving around in the tundra. Only 2 bears besides the mom and cubs were seen. When we got back we ate (again) and there had yet to be something that struck me about the day.
It was weird because everyday something came up that really stood out. However, some news was given to me that was a bit of a shock. We were reminded that we had a teleconference were we would educate students down in Selkirk, Manitoba (Steeltown). REMINDED? I guess I wasn’t paying attention when they told me months before. It shouldn’t be anything difficult, but it will definetly be different.
Supper was real good today, no bears though. There was a lot of colour in the sunset tonight. We again had some presentations at the end of the evening. Kendrick (on of the teachers with us) had a presentation on a canoe trip through northern Canada. And later, 3 well local trappers came by to teach us about the life of trapping. They brought a hockey bag full of skins and albums full of pictures. I had known trapping for quite some time now but most of crew was absoloutly shocked. They had no idea people did this for a living. There were very wise and down to earth people and another great example of the characters who keep the Churchill area living.
I hope tomorrow’s videoconference goes well and we can see more wildlife than we saw today.
See you tomorrow,
Jon

Day 5 was long. We woke up early (again) packed (crammed all our junk into our bags) and walked down for breakfast at the Gypsy Bakery. But forget that stuff, after breakfast we headed straight for the Tundra Buggy Lodge. The Tundra Buggies are huge! All our stuff was at the back of the buggy and we took off to the lodge.
It was a really bumpy ride. We drove steady quite some time before we found anything. First, we a Tarmagin (Churchill Chicken) walking on the side of the road. And later we saw a Polar Bear. That was the first time that I saw a polar bear in its natural environment. Personally, I was a little upset that the bear didn’t move while we were there. Actually, we came back hours later and he was in the exact same spot. After the bear we had lunch (prepared by the Gypsy Bakery), we caught a glimpse of a young arctic fox in the tundra and an arctic hare between the rocks. The only real problem with spotting something is that everyone pulls their windows down to take pictures for about 10 minutes. That gets cold.
The Captain (John, the Bus Driver/Tour Guide) drove us to the lodge after lunch on the tundra. The Tundra Buggy Lodge is a number of buggies joined together to make a small community. There are 2 buggies used as sleeping quarters. There are 1 shower, 2 bathrooms, a closet, and a number of bunk beds. There is also a living room buggy, an emergency tundra buggy, and a kitchen. So we don’t exactly walk on the tundra at all.
We went back on the tundra after we were unpacked. We saw a bear way off in the distance but that was basically it. When we came back for supper, a family of polar bears (a mom with her 2 cubs) had followed the scent of the chicken served at supper. They came right up next to the windows. They were so close that they were looking us in the eyes. It was the first time I saw the bears living their lives and doing there thing. The cubs were curious and the mother was cautious. It was incredible.
Dinner was good and we saw guest speaker who works for the Wupask National Park. He grew up in Churchill and had many interesting experiences with polar bears. And before the entire crew had passed out, we saw the Northern Lights. I’ve never seen the lights like that. I’m from here, so I’ve seen them, but never like that. The curtains had stretched across the sky and could glow and dance like nothing else. It was awesome. Today was the first day where we actually apart of the arctic. I hope the camp can build off of this and just keep on going.
See you tomorrow,
Jon
PS: Moose season kicks off tomorrow. It’s our year!

Day 4 was rough compared to the previous days. We had to be at the lobby for 6:30 am (Jesse woke me up at 5:00). We had breakfast at the Gypsy Bakery and got on a tour bus. We were going to spend the day on a tour of the Churchill area. Kelsey, our bus driver/tour guide, was a very interesting guy. I guess anyone who lives in an isolated subarctic community is bound to develop some serious character.
We went everywere in the Churchill area. First we saw the flats (a desolate part of town) where we had a great view of the Churchill river. I was dying to see the Bay (Hudson's Bay). The Bay is part of so much of our countries (never mind provinces) history. I've always wanted to see it. Later Kelsey took us to see daybeds. Daybeds are big openings in the limegrass where the Polar Bears go to hang out in the middle of the day. We also say the dump (shut down last October), the Ithica (an old ship thats been stuck just off the Bay for years),and the Polar Bear Compound (or jail). Actually, just before we left the bus to see the Compound, Manitoba Conservation came by to drop of a bear that had snuck inot town last night.
Finally we arrived ath the Churchill Northern Studies Centre. The CNSC relies on membership and donations to create a world class reasearch experience in the Canadian Subarctic region. We were given a tour by Executive Director Micheal Goodyear. He gave us an extensive tour of the whole facility. Its an incredible building. It was formally an American Millitary base used to test rockets (they were fired into the tundra). People come from all over the world to stay and study for months on end at the CNSC. Its bassically what were doing. It seem so much more extravagent when you see it all from a different point of view.
Before the day finished we still saw 2 presntations from Parks Canada. One was from a park director, and the other from a conservation officer who protects the town from polar bears (he doesn't kill them). And after half an hour of rest, we went back to the Seaport Hotel Restaurant for supper.
Some huge news came to us today before supper. Someone had donated $1500 to PBI to fund next years leadership camp after following us on our journey. It's really inspirinbg that people are following at home and want to support education programs for todays youth. Thank you all following at home, you made my day.
Its been a long day. Tommorow should be a little rockier. I would like to thank Kelsey (ou tour guide), The Gypsy Bakery, The Seaport Hotel Restaurant, The Churchill Northern Studies Centre, and Parks Canada for giving us this day out on the tundra.
See you all tommorow.
-Jon

Day 3 was essentially a travel day. Get up, eat and get on the plane. I was ready for the flight the night before in case of emergency. Just so happens, I had an emergency. I accidentally kicked Joseph’s luggage while walking in the dark and I split my pinky toe open on the wheel well. It was a real mess and I’m still trying to walk without my right foot.
Breakfast was pretty good. I grabbed a paper and we headed to the airport. Naturally there were no problems in the Canadian airport. That was a real bonus at 10:30 in the morning. The flight was a simple 3 hours in a pack of gum. The bathroom was smaller than my hockey bag.
We arrived at the airport in Churchill and it was nice, but cloudy and gently raining. We threw our bags on the bus and headed to the Hotel without a thorough tour of Churchill. The Aurora Hotel has two story rooms. There nice. I share a room with Jesse. After dropping off our bags, Jake took us around town (this is his hood). Churchill is a peaceful town right now; I wouldn’t mind spending more time here.
We had supper at the Seaport Hotel Restaurant. We were dining with the Mayor of Churchill. He had a very heartfelt speech about the community and their polar bears. It gave me a true example of how much the locals care and are proud of the bears up here. Churchill seems like a very united community, a good example of spirit and pride.
I have to say thank you to everyone who made this all happen. We meet more and more new people everyday, and these people have donated their services and given all they have so that we can be apart of this program. They are equally apart of the crew as anyone else. They are people who believe that we are making a difference. People out there have faith in us. So I would like to say thank you to Calm Air, The Four Points Hotel, The Tundra Buggy Lodge, The Aurora Hotel, The Seaport Hotel Restaurant, The City if Churchill, Manitoba Conservation, and much more to come. They have given us not only an experience, but an obligation.
See you tomorrow,
Jon

Day 2 started off pretty well. We had the standard Hotel breakfast (bacon, sausages, hash browns, pancakes, eggs and cereal) and started the day off with some speakers. First off was a girl form the University of Winnipeg with a presentation on the effects of climate change. She really knew her stuff and gave a strong presentation on a growing social topic. Next at bat was a guy named Robert Taylor, a well known photographer who does a lot of stuff up in Churchill. His pictures were incredible. And finally Heidi Cook spoke to us about how aboriginal groups were being affected by the impacts of global warming. All in all we met some really smart people who truly cared and appreciated what we were all doing.
We grabbed boxed lunches and jumped on the bus. Before we got to Assinaboine Park we had a nice drive though the city of Winnipeg, great city; you should check it out some time. We ate lunch at the sculpture garden and headed for the zoo.
What really stuck with me was when we were at the Assinaboine Park Zoo. We stopped to see a polar bear (of all things) that was obviously in an artificial environment. The group immediately broke out into discussion. It was nothing special or unpredicted, but it really put things into perspective for me and I was able to identify us as a group. I understand now why were here. People out there believe in us to fix what we as a people have screwed up (environmentally). It’s an amazing feeling.
See you tomorrow,
Jon

Alright, today is the first day. I’m pretty excited about the trip. I said good bye to everyone at school and got to miss chemistry (I’m going to be swamped when I get back). The traffic was disgusting! I almost didn’t make it to the hotel.
When I arrived at the Four Points it didn’t really strike me that I was going on a trip at all. School has been really steady lately, plus things don’t faze me for a while. And then the whole “everyone’s a stranger” thing starts and we have to introduce ourselves; that’s always got the same feeling. So then right before we sit down in the conference room, the CBC camera crew comes in. I’ve never had a camera in my face before and it felt kind of weird. The orientation started shortly after that.
So we went back to our rooms for a minute and I met my roommate Joseph. He’s from St. Rose Manitoba and plays guitar (he’s got serious skills). Then we went back down for supper. The Hotel food never significantly changes, buts its good stuff and they keep everyone happy. I caught a glimpse of the Bomber game from the Hotel lobby and a guy there immediately pointed out to me that we had scored on our first drive (nice guy). Back at the dinner tables in the conference room we were getting to meet the whole crew from leaders to sponsors to guides to reporters to camera guys and to the students. It’s a good group. I think its going to be a good trip.
So now I’m writing my journal entry and wondering what to say about day 1. All I can say is that it brings promising thoughts about the days to come. It’s going to be good.
See you tomorrow,
Jon

PS: Talked to some of my friends from school last night after dinner. I just want to say thanks to everyone down in SBDHS (St. B). I’ve got a lot of support back home and I’d never be where I am today without the opportunities they gave me. Oh yeah, the Bombers lost, again.