浮冰边缘的探险之旅

by Terry Ward

翻译：寒星

六月，正值盛夏，你一定早已汗流浃背了吧？不怕，本期的“世界风情馆”将会让你在此时此刻没有一丝炎热的感觉。六月里四周仍是雪白的世界、罕见的北极生物、冰上的圆顶帐篷……在这里，你将会体验到一种生活在世界边缘的感觉。

Track6

In June， I went out to the1）floe edge on a camping trip with Canadian adventure company Black Feather. We departed from Pond lnlet注1， a small2）lnuit3）community on the northern4）tip of Baffin Island， reachable only by a seven-hour flight from Ottawa or Montreal. In its harbor， boats had been5）stuck in the sea ice since the autumn freeze，they’ll only come unstuck when the ice6）thaws again in summer.

While temperatures are relatively7）balmy in June—often right around the freezing mark—it’s important to stay warm when travelling in the wooden Inuit sleds which are pulled across the ice by8）snowmobiles. A thick9）parka with real fur can help cut the wind on your face and10）conserve body heat.

Hunting is an important part of Inuit culture in Arctic Canada， and the Inuit hunt everything from11）caribou and12）seals to polar bears and narwhals注2. Furs and skins from the animals are used for making boots， jackets and parka13）linings to keep warm in the colder months. On the day I was visiting Pond Inlet， a Canadian14）outerwear company was in town to donate15）fabric，16）zippers and other materials for Inuit women to use in their own parkas， mixing modern materials with traditional furs.

What looks like a lake is actually frozen sea ice，17）measuring up to 3m thick， with a few centimeters of18）melt water on top. The 60km snowmobile journey from Pond Inlet to the floe edge took about three hours， with stops along the way to warm up and to take in the wonderful views of the back mountains of Bylot lsland注3， just north of Baffin Island.

Our tents were set up in a straight line along the floe edge， about 50m back from the open ocean，allowing a19）corridor for polar bears to pass through. Tents were equipped with20）air mattresses and warm sleeping bags， and there was a21）communal22）dome tent for meals as well as a small toilet tent.

1） floe ［fləu】 n. 大浮冰，浮冰块

2） Inuit ［'InjuIt】 adj. 因纽特人的

3） community ［kə'mjuːnItI】 n. 社区，群落

4） tip ［tIp】 n. 端

5） stick in 陷进……

6） thaw ［θɔː】 v. 融化

7） balmy ［'bɑːmI】 adj. （气候）温和的

8） snowmobile ［'snəuməbiːl】 n. 机动雪橇

9） parka ［'pɑːkə】 n. 派克大衣，风雪大衣

10） conserve ［kən'sʒːv】 v. 保藏，保存

11） caribou ［'kærIbuː】 n. 北美驯鹿

12） seal ［siːl】 n. 海豹

13） lining ［'laInIŋ】 n. 内衬，衬里

14） outerwear ［'autəweə】 n. 外衣，外套

15） fabric ［'fæbrIk】 n. 布，（毛、丝）织物

16） zipper ［'zIpə】 n. 拉链

17） measure up to 达到，符合

18） melt water 融雪水

19） corridor ［'kɒrIdɔː】 n. 过道，通道

20） air mattress 气垫

21） communal ［'kɒmjunəl】 adj. 公有的

22） dome tent 圆顶帐篷

注1：庞德因莱特（Pond Inlet），加拿大北部的一座小城镇，地处北极圈内，位于世界第五大岛巴芬岛的东北岸。其冬天的温度范围在-25℃～-30℃，如果刮风，温度会瞬时降到-60℃甚至更低，而夏天的温度范围在5℃～15℃之间。主要居民为因纽特人。

注2：一角鲸，深层潜水动物，大多数集中在加拿大北部和格陵兰岛西部的海湾和水湾。它们会在海洋各层深度觅食，冬天捕食底栖生物，特别是生活在厚厚冰层下的比目鱼，夏天的主要食物是北极鳕鱼、比目鱼和其他鱼类。

注3：拜洛特岛（Bylot Island），加拿大北部巴芬岛以北的一个岛屿，是世界第71大岛屿、加拿大第17大岛屿。该岛有着非常崎岖的海岸，并且群山内部有许多冰川，对于因纽特人而言是一个重要的捕猎区。

“We’d all love to have a fancy camp，” said Polar Sea Adventures’ David Reid. “But we’ve learned from the Inuit， who understand how23）dynamic the ice environment is， to travel simply and24）effectively. You have to be ready to go if it’s time to go，” Reid said. “If it’s 2 am and the ice is starting to go， then we have to go. It’s not a conversation.”

While Nunavut sees sunlight 24 hours a day in June， weather and ice conditions can change quickly. “The purpose for being out here is adventure and a sense of being on the edge of the world，” Reid said. “But you’ve got to be aware of your surroundings 24 hours a day.”

As the ice starts to melt and eventually25）cracks apart， it draws a lot of wildlife. Polar bears will26）stalk on the ice edge， hunting the27）harp seals. Narwhals28）congregate here too， waiting for the ice to break apart so that they can migrate into western waters in search of better hunting grounds for29）Arctic char and30）cod. During my visit， we saw hundreds of these “31）unicorns of the sea.”

Anytime you come out of a shelter or tent， you don’t just start your task， you always scan first. Firing up a snowmobile’s engine is usually enough to32）scare off a bear， the next course of action would be to33）fire a shot in the air or into the snow near the animal.

23） dynamic ［daI'næmIk】 adj. 动力的，有活力的

24） effectively ［I'fektIvlI】 adv. 有效地

25） crack ［kræk】 v. 破裂

26） stalk ［stɔːk】 v. 偷偷地走，蹑手蹑脚地接近

27） harp seal 格陵兰海豹

28） congregate ［'kɒŋgrIgeIt】 v.（使）聚集，集合

29） Arctic char 北极鲑鱼

30） cod ［kɒd】 n. 鳕鱼

31） unicorn ［'juːnIkɔːn】 n. 独角兽

32） scare off 吓跑，吓退

33） fire ［'faIə】 v. 射击，开枪

参考译文

六月里，我与加拿大的黑羽探险公司来到浮冰边缘展开了一次露营之旅。