Students on Ice, Day 13

From the tundra of Iceland, to the open Arctic Ocean, to the icebergs of Greenland, to the fjords of Labrador, we have witnessed more incredible sights than many people do in an entire lifetime. We’ve tasted new things (including caribou). We’ve learned new skills; I, for one, will be a pro Zodiac driver once I sort out left and right.
We’ve marveled at some of the most stunning landscapes on the face of the planet, and mourned the loss of glaciers almost as old as time. We’ve missed our homes, and made new friends for life. It’s a challenge just to take it all in, and we won’t forget a single moment.

Torngat Mountains National Park (c) WWF-Canada/Sara Falconer
We saw polar bears earlier today, several mothers and cubs. Yet this moment, soaked from the rain, quiet and savouring some rare alone time on a rocky cliff, is just as precious to me. I can hear a waterfall nearby. But above that, I can hear the sound of my own breath. It’s been too long.
We Students on Ice will carry these days with us, in classrooms, in offices, at climate meetings, at demonstrations, in conversations with our loved ones and strangers on the subway. The Arctic is part of us now, and we will not stop working to protect it.