Mighty glam furnishings inside the Arctic Circle.  And as the only solo traveler amongst the wealthy, brother lucked out with his own tent.  My Arctic animal: the Owl.  Choice of 2 cots, both topped with sleeping bag & down quilts.  Hours into my first nite, would raid covers from the spare.  LOL>  Crazy windy, even in the inlet.  Tents well-protected from precip but found myself [in] gloves & beanie as summer night dipped near 10 degrees.

Camp generators kicked-in every morning @ 5am.  Heaters blasted for an hour, taking the chill off while campers dressed, stumbled to the central lodge & community bathrooms.  Lodge, big as a circus tent & heated (50 degrees) 5am to 9pm.  Dining area, library, living space adorned with comfy couches & chairs.  Briefing every morning detailing day’s excursion opportunities (signup first come/first served), most activities lasting 6-10 hours.

Evening meal: Guides stand & reprise excursion highlights, introducing guests & day’s top experiences.  Musk ox sightings.  Wolf tracks.  Birding.  ATV rides.  Kayaking.  Fishing.  Canyon hikes.  Waterfalls.  Permafrost finds.  Ocean ice-shoeing.  Polar bears.  In addition, camp included summer residents — scientists, photographers, float pilots & Netflix crew awaiting [breaking ice] to film season’s beluga whales 🐋

Lotta cautionary speeches/warnings & public shaming Day 2.  Never EVER go on a long run pre- 5am.  Diatribe probably didn’t last more than 10 minutes but mighty humiliating.  Added to the love & opinion many share of Americans.  So... solo traveler/solo vacation first couple of days.  Kept a positive attitude, head high, eventually shed my horrible American persona.

first impressions:  AMAZING DAY hike.  Rugged interior/canyons.  Snow-fed waterfalls.  Hike athletically aggressive.

Slept hard Day 2, ‘though never managed 5am wake-up with 24-hour daylight.  Would layer-up, hat/parka/gloves & sit quietly outside, soak-up ocean solitude ’til the noise of generators (smell of gasoline) denoted morning run-time again.  No further drama 🙂

Somerset Island Day Hike