Torngat Mountains Expedition 2023: Day 14
We woke up this morning to thankfully much calmer seas and brighter skies while entering the Mealy Mountains. With this being the last day on the ship, the energy was mixed with excitement and reflection.
At our morning briefing, SOI Expedition Team Leader Geoff shared that he received a message from Her Excellency Mary Simon after hearing that both Julie and Abraham are also from Nunavik (Quebec). She encouraged us to think about our connections to the land to each other and to be proud of who we are.
“In the greatness of those mountains, take a moment and think about your place in this great country. I have been on SOI expeditions many times but I have not been to the Torngat Mountains. It must be breathtaking. Enjoy it to the max. Flexibility is the key! Sending hugs to all of you.”
– Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada and Vice-regal Patron of the Students on Ice Foundation
As we continue to think about our post-expedition next steps and how to share what we’ve experienced, SOI Team Members Tarek and Nicholas both shared some words of wisdom and their personal stories about how they each became an SOI Alumnus. Tarek’s curiosity with the Arctic along with his background in entrepreneurship, emphasized to us to take risks, persevere and give back. SOI Media Team Member Nicholas shared how he started as an SOI participant in 2016 on a Torngat Mountains Expedition and found his ways of sharing SOI experiences and connecting with people is through storytelling on film. Nicholas has received SOI Alumni grants to assist in the making of his documentaries. Both Tarek and Nicholas emphasized our ongoing SOI approach of “flexibility is key” which can be used beyond expedition life whether that be at school or work.
With ship safety always top priority, we played the intensely-timed “SOI Amazing Race”. Challenges included rope-tying, geology identifying, songwriting, and a science lab mystery. Team “Girl Power” completed the race in record time and as their prize, they got to blow the ship’s horn together!
While having lunch we anchored in Swallow Harbour in the Mealy Mountains in Labrador just South of Lake Melville. It was the perfect afternoon to spend some final time together ashore. We set out on zodiacs for our last landing for some beach volleyball, swimming, and for our final Pod time together we wrote thank you letters to our sponsors and a ‘letter to self’ on our expedition reflections. The bugs also decided to join our time on the beach so several of us left with some bug bites as souvenirs.
In the evening, for our final time together on the ship, we had our final briefing and the SOI Media Team presented some videos and a slideshow of photos to recap our Expedition. We also had our SOI Torngat Mountains 2023 Talent Show co-hosted by Giselle and Serenity, both energized the crowd and they could have a future in hosting a television show! We had a full and talented line-up of poetry readings, magic, storytelling, portrait drawings, Rubik’s Cube and musical performances. Such a talented group!
A 4:30 am wake-up call awaits as most of us have early morning flights back home; so we tuck into bed for our last sleep on the ship as well as prepare to flight-hop and travel back home from coast to coast to coast across Canada, the United States, and Europe.