I'm back in Columbus, back to real life and the not so cold weather. I missed my friends and family while I was away, but that didn't hold back the tears when it was time to leave Churchill. It was so beautiful up there. I will never forget that tundra stretching as far as the eye can see. I won't forget the mighty polar bears either, and the rapid beating of my heart I felt when watching them in all their bear glory.

Most of all, I am going to miss my new family, polar bears included. I became close to each and every person on that trip, and everyone is too amazing for words. I feel like I have a whole new set of grandparents, Robert and Carolyn. It was so sad not waking up to Robert's wonderful voice. And then there's everyone else. In only 7 days, I made friends for life. Just as suddenly as we met, we dispersed back into our own communities, and although I wish I could stay with them forever, the separation is for the better. We now have a network stretching from Canada to San Diego, and together but apart we are fighting for the polar bears. We won't let global warming stand in our way. These bears are too great to ever let go.

So join us! Be a warrior for the polar bears! Turn off computers that are not in use, unplug cell phone chargers at night, recycle, buy recycled products and plant a tree. The list goes on. Join us, and work to reduce your carbon footprint (go to www.thermo-stat.org to find out how). Robert told us that we were chosen to go to leadership camp to become the greatest generation on conservation this world has ever seen. That generation starts now.

Thank you PBI, for everything. Thanks to all my new friends, for making this experience absolutely wonderful. I love you guys. And of course I owe a big thanks to the Columbus Zoo. Now... let's get this party started! Go Polar Bears!!!

Oh, and don't worry Churchill, I'll be coming back someday. Probably in a helicopter. My helicopter.

Bear hugs,
Elaina Wahl

I love helicopters. All five of the Hudson Bay Helicopters landed right next to our buggy. I sat in amazement, stunned with the excitement that I was about to ride in one of these contraptions. My group (Katie, Molly M., Ritika, Katya, and Trisha), walked out onto the rocky tundra to meet our great pilot Daryl and get situated in our seats. Everyone had a headset to hear each other and our pilot talk over the engine noise. Our helicopter was the newest, the fastest, and of course had the best pilot.

We landed on the spongy, lichen covered ground, and waited our turn to enter the polar bear maternity den. Due to the thawing of the permafrost, it was actually collapsing and a lot smaller than it would have been when in use. Still, it was cool to be in the area where cubs were born and grew with their mother.

The return flight was what really made my day. I climbed into the cockpit, right next to the pilot, and I had the view of everything. The engine started, I took off for the ride of my life.

We hovered into the air and the lichen and shrubs grew smaller below us. We swooped over the river, tilting to the side and diving left and right through the air. The Boreal Forest spread out below us. Pine trees were stretching into the distance and water as far as the eye could see. Our pilot took us searching for moose on the islands out in the shallow Churchill River, but we didn’t see any. He then took us over the Hudson Bay, where we saw seals lounging on the rocks! It was amazing. I know I use that word a lot, so maybe I should say something like it was ecstatically super crazy awesome and amazing. Seeing the tundra’s beauty from such a different point of view made me fall in love with it all over again. Being in the helicopter was so thrilling, I wish I could explain how it felt and what it was like, but I just can’t. Not even a camera can capture it. Mom, I might want to become a helicopter pilot, just so you know.

Last night I didn’t blog because my team was on kitchen duty. We made hamburgers, and just as our beloved cook Robert George told us the burger smell might bring in the bears, our polar bear and another one were right next to the lodge. Robert Buchanan grabbed Molly A. and I and took us into the “basement”, a part of the lodge we don’t use. He lowered himself into a cage to get closer to the bears. I was instructed to lie on my belly and look out. I was so close, it was hard not to scream from excitement.

We also saw a wonderful display of the Northern Lights the night before. I, Elaina Michelle Wahl, saw the Aurora Borealis. Once again, this trip has been AMAZING.

-Elaina

My morning began how I’d always hoped it would out here. After Robert’s outburst in song, I stretched, changed out of my pajamas, and dangled my legs over the bottom bunk. Just then, Katie and the rest of this morning’s kitchen crew came bursting in, running down the narrow hallway screaming about the polar bear right outside the lodge. I was off my bunk and had both the digital and video camera on and ready in about two seconds. I have to say, my awesome jump from the top bunk to the floor was pretty James Bond-like.

So, I raced to the deck between the bunks and common room and I saw this majestic polar bear, right beside the lodge. He is a young male, but still huge when seen so close. I don’t think I truly realized until then just how BIG these bears are. As Robert told us, they could eat human heads like M&Ms. The bear walked past us to the kitchen car and we followed. He was just so beautiful; his mud-flecked fur, his giant paws, his long, strong neck. I could see the power even in his casual stride. As I write, he is sleeping among the tundra willow outside the window. I put away my cameras for a while earlier just to enjoy watching the polar bear, letting the moment sink in. I know the image of this great bear will be imprinted in my mind forever.

We didn’t go out on the buggy today, because our schedule was so thrown off, but the other buggies couldn’t find any bears other than the one by our lodge anyways. We did learn a lot though, from the life of ringed seals to the enrichment of animals in zoos. Team B also presented their two chapters in an Ice Queen pageant form. It was hilarious to say the least.

The sky is becoming very clear above us, and there is talk of a chance of the Northern Lights tonight. Waking up to a polar bear outside and going to bed after gazing at the Aurora borealis, I think that sounds like a pretty amazing day!

-Elaina

Actually, I typed this earlier, and the lights are forming RIGHT NOW!!!

Camp isn’t complete until Robert wakes everyone up with singing, “Oh what a beautiful morning!”, and he did just that at 6:30 today. He also held the door open, letting in gusts of cold air. Just to give you a brief description of the lodge, there are two bunk cars, a lounge/meeting room, and a conjoined kitchen and dining room. I have a top bunk, which is complete with curtains, a window, shelf, outlet, and a fuzzy green blanket that is very warm.

We spent a good portion of the day working our presentations from Impacts of a Warming Arctic (my group is Ritika from Canada, Molly A. from Rhode Island, and Josue from D.C.) Because I am losing my voice, I don’t talk during our presentation, but I will be acting like the storms and modeling our wonderful coats. I have been drinking gallons of tea to get my voice back, making me feel a little British.

There are Arctic foxes that have been showing up around the lodge. It was hilarious when someone would spot one, because one second we’d all be working diligently on our presentations, and the next second there’d be a sighting and people would jump into action. Notebooks were thrown down and people ran everywhere, crashing into each other, grabbing their cameras and racing to the decks. I think at one point I grabbed another person’s camera! Although it was chaotic, we all helped each other out. We leaned on each other’s backs for a steady shot, and we made sure everyone got a good picture. After the third mad rush for the cameras, we were all laughing. I think that brought us together even more. Freddie, as I have named one of the foxes, has become a welcome friend and wonderful model for our pictures. When Freddie isn’t around, its really tempting not to yell, “FOX!”, just to see everyone go crazy.

We went out on the Tundra Buggy later in the afternoon, and stopped to watch the mother and her cubs again. We stayed where they were laying for a good hour, enough time to see them wake up and saunter away. Also on the list of tundra animals seen today were Arctic hares, ptarmigans, buntings, a flock of golden eye ducks, and a bald eagle flying across the landscape. The sky has become a little clearer, so maybe we’ll see the Northern lights tonight. My fingers are crossed!

Bye!
Elaina

Hello Everyone!
Yesterday I flew to Chicago, met with four other girls and we made our way to Winnipeg. The day was dedicated to getting to know each other (there are so many amazing people!) and adjusting to life at camp. I think it took us ten seconds at most to become comfortable with each other. A highlight of the night was receiving our brand new Canada Goose coats. They are big, blue, warm coats complete with a coyote fur hood. We were all so excited to get them and we took plenty of pictures modeling them.

Today was magical. That sounds incredibly cheesy, but it’s true. We flew to Churchill on a cute little plane and as we landed and emerged outside, the cold hit us hard. There was wind, rain, and biting cold. I knew I was in Canada. We explored Churchill for a while, seeing things like the school, post office, and Hudson Bay. At the bay, the waves were roaring onto the shore, crashing against the field of rocks stretching out in front of us. It was an amazing sight, and we all stood there in the fierce wind, the fur on our hoods fluttering about crazily, taking it all in. I think that moment was when I finally realized that this is really happening. I’m really here with people from everywhere, ready to become leaders in polar bear conservation.

After some time in the “downtown” of Churchill we loaded onto a bus and headed to the Tundra Buggy. That’s when we saw our first two polar bears! We were driving along and someone said, “BEAR!”. There was instantly clamouring to get cameras and shoving the windows down as we climbed over people and bags to get a good view. The excitement was buzzing around the bus.

After we switched from the bus to the buggy, we saw even more bears! It was a mother and her two cubs, walking along across the tundra (Oh, one thing to know about Churchill is that it isn’t a snow-covered landscape. Actually, there isn’t any snow yet, but there is a lot of water. Lakes, ponds, puddles- water is EVERWHERE.) They came right past our buggy, and the cubs stopped to check us out on the back deck.

We’ve been lucky enough to see a lot today, including ptarmigans, an arctic hare, and even a snowy owl. Hopefully tomorrow brings even more!
-Elaina

I almost forgot! My school’s homecoming game was tonight, so I brought everyone some beads in our school colors. Go Bishop Ready!!