A Dying Polar World

"Man your computers - GlobalWarming101.com might give you a last glimpse of a dying polar world."
                    Bryan Walsh,

                   "Global Warming, Up Close & Personal"
                    from Feb. 22 TIME MAGAZINE

A dying polar world. The phrase punched me in the heart this morning as I read Walsh's recent interview with polar explorer, Will Steger.

Flying over the arctic sea en route to Clyde River on Baffin Island my daughter Allison wrote, "The clouds look like clotted cream." She has witnessed first hand, this remote polar world. From her descriptive words my imagination takes over. I can see a frozen land of majestic ice-clad mountains, frozen rivers and glowing blue glaciers. It would be as astonishing to see as the Grand Canyon.

Have you ever seen the Grand Canyon? Oh, I saw plenty of pictures growing up on television, in my school books and on post cards. I remember watching, my tummy tight with fear, as Evel Knievel tried to jump across the canyon's massive rocky maw. I was 18-years old the first time I saw the Grand Canyon in real life.

Nothing prepared me for it.

Sitting on the rim with my friend Gerald, whose dad was a park ranger, I was astounded. Thunderheads boomed in the sky over head and built into a storm. Soon we were running in the rain, staying back at a safe distance while water poured like god-crafted fountains over the edge. I'll always remember the feel of the slabs of rock beneath my feet. So earthy, so permanent.

To the residents of Clyde River, I am sure their massive glaciers seemed just as permanent. To adventurers like Steger, courageous enough to trek across the arctic icescape, seeing the glaciers and sea ice for the first time must have been overwhelmingly beautiful. Like a monk he makes the pilgrimage, leading his young initiates into the mysteries of the arctic realm.

If you decide to go see the Grand Canyon, you could buy tickets online today. But to visit the arctic would require greater logistics and a fondness for dogs. Steger makes this possible for us through his GlobalWarming101.com cyber-educational website. While seeing the arctic on your computer screen is not as awe-inspiring as it is in first person, Steger's daily reports put you right there. It's a connection.

I try to think how I would feel if the Grand Canyon were dying. Like a beloved friend not seen in years I would want to see her one last time. I would want to remember her eyes, the lines of her face, the feel of her hand.

But there are people living in this dying polar world. I know; I've fed them raspberries in my living room. You do not truly understand the word 'savor' until you see the amazed looks of blissful surprise upon the faces of four teen-age girls from Baffin Island, tasting fresh Minnesota raspberries for the first time. They devoured a pint in a matter of seconds, laughing at the discovery. What is their future now, these beautiful Inuit girls who have tasted berries? Traditionally they have lived on the fruits of the sea; fruits that are disappearing with a dying polar world.

I close my eyes and I can see the clotted cream of their world below. I pretend my duffle is packed and that I, too can make a difference.