Aug 9 - Arriving at Nester One!

We awoke, groggy and disoriented after an exciting night of denying sleep in order to catch our first glimpse (for the Baltimoreans at least) of the Northern Lights! We all stood, gazing at the dancing lights that captured each of our breaths.

While getting ready for the helicopter ride we ate a wonderful breakfast consisting of sad oatmeal as well as hard-boiled eggs and snacks, enough to fuel us for our day. While eating a scrumptious breakfast, we heard the bad news that the helicopter was gonna be delayed!! We decided to pack up and send a couple of groups into town to get gas. During the trip in town, we met a friendly gas station owner “the dog” to which we gave lots of pets and treats. On the way back to camp one group decided to make a quick scenic route where they found a polar bear mama and her two cubs! They were taking a snooze and so effortlessly amazed us.

Soon we noticed the time and rushed back so we didn’t miss the chopper. Eventually, we made it back in time and got on our way to the helicopter meetup spot! When we got there we went over safety briefings and learned about the helicopter before the first group went off. While the groups were slowly leaving one by one, we kept playing games to pass the time.

When each group arrived at nester one, we slowly started setting up the tents. We got everything unpacked for dinner and eventually arrived at the conclusion of how amazing this place was. Sadly, we realized that we didn’t have all the field gear we needed and we had to sort some stuff out. While the night was short, we were ecstatic to finally have a shower!!!!

By James Christie and Max Cooper