“Seeing the northern lights was amazing, mom and dad,” Charlie said, watching the clouds pass by as he looked out the plane window.

“Where are we going next, dad?” Charlie asked.

“We are going almost to the north pole to see the icecaps and icebergs, Charlie, and of course to meet the Inuit people,” Mr. Tucker replied.

“Ooh, the north pole–think Santa Claus will be out and about?” Charlie questioned.

“You never know, but we won’t be going up quite that far,” Mrs. Tucker replied, as Mr. Tucker looked at her.

“Hmm, what about penguins, mom?” Charlie asked, leaning forward to see his mom, who was sitting on the other side of his dad.

“Oh no, Charlie, penguins live in the Antarctic, not the Arctic where we are going,” Mrs. Tucker replied.

“You might be able to see polar bears, Charlie,” his dad suggested, sensing Charlie’s disappointment.

“Really?–a live, big, white bear, so exciting,” he responded squirming in his seat on the plane.

“I have another question. Are we going to the place where people sleep in igloos? George mentioned people up north live in igloos,” Charlie said.

“Those people, out of respect, my little man, should be referred to as Inuit people, and the majority of them now live in houses just like us,” she replied.

“Ha,” Charlie responded.

“To clarify, on some occasions, the Inuit people will build and sleep in igloos when they are on hunting expeditions, but as a rule, it isn’t their place of residence all of the time, that’s for sure,” Mr. Tucker added.

“Are we going to go on a hunting expedition?” Charlie queried.

“No, but we will be meeting the Inuit people, and even staying in one of their houses. You know, we may get to see an igloo… although, I doubt there is that much snow up there to make an igloo now as it is springtime, Charlie,” Mrs. Tucker remarked.

“The natural wonder that we are going to see, and that we would like you to remember for years to come, are the icebergs that are floating in the Arctic Ocean.  Not very many people get to see the beauty of these floating pieces of ice, Charlie, Mr. Tucker emphasized.

“We also want you to see the vast icecaps which are also part of the natural wonders of our world,” Charlie’s mother said with enthusiasm.

“So, we are going to go and see mounds of ice, but what is so important about these surfaces made of ice, dad?  Is it that we can go skating on them?” Charlie asked, looking a bit miffed.

“No, not skating, Charlie.  You see, what is so very special about these enormous icecaps and big icebergs, too, is that our planet depends on having these large chunks of ice around.  That is, the Arctic, and for that matter the Antarctic, ice keeps our world from heating up.  Some say that the icecaps and icebergs act to reflect some of the heat the sun sends our way,” Mr. Tucker replied.

“And, not only that, Charlie, if we all keep heating up the earth, these large bodies of ice will keep melting, and certain places in the world may then be under water, permanently,” Mrs. Tucker added.

“Oh, I see, so not only are they a natural wonder, mom, but both the ice bergs and ice caps are melting away. Hmm, that’s not good,” Charlie said, with a concerned look on his face.

“No, but people are doing a lot to slow the melting process by being more conscientious, and not doing as many things that would heat our planet up and thereby melt those icecaps,” Mr. Tucker responded.

“You know that old truck that sits in our yard at home, Charlie, with the flower garden coming out of the hood?  We parked it there about ten years back, before you were born, and bought a very functional, fuel-efficient car.  By that choice alone, we are helping to keep our planet cool and slow the melting of the ice,” Mrs. Tucker added.

“But how does that keep our planet cool?” Charlie questioned, with a puzzled look on his face.

Mr. Tucker jumped in, saying, “Well, the old truck used an awful lot of gas and was not at all fuel-efficient. The CO2 emissions coming out of its muffler were affecting our world’s temperature system in a negative manner.  So, by choosing a very fuel-efficient car that doesn’t expel as many fumes, we are reducing our carbon footprint and our harm to the environment and icecaps!”

This tended to be the type of conversation for the next couple of hours until they landed.

After landing the Tucker’s then took two other short flights where they  finally landed in Greenland. Once in the lobby of the airport, they then met the kind Inuit family that they were going to stay with for the next couple of days.

After settling in and having a wonderful lunch and some tea, as well as listening to the vibrant Inuit family at times speaking their own fascinating language known as “Inuktitut”, it was time to explore.

For the remainder of their day, Mrs. Tucker had planned a dog sledding adventure that would take them where they would be able to listen and watch the many sea birds.

First, though, Charlie made an interesting discovery. “Mom, look at all of the puppies, wow!” Charlie said in awe.

“Can I pet them?” Charlie asked the Inuit guide.

“Yes, just let them smell your hands first so they can become familiar with your scent,” the guide said, while demonstrating to Charlie what he meant.

“Wow, they are so soft,” Charlie exclaimed, as he was being kissed by the beautiful huskies.

As the day progressed, the Tucker family had an amazing sled ride, where they traveled in between large icebergs and watched numerous seabird colonies.  Charlie even saw a seal, and Mr. Tucker watched as a walrus dived off the ice sheets into the frigid water.

“I can see why we need to look after and value this part of our world, mom and dad.  There are so many species that depend on this type of habitat, and they love the colder weather!” Charlie said, leaning against his parents to keep warm.

“Not too many people know about the Arctic regions of our world, and we all should make an effort when home to learn even more about this region,” Mrs. Tucker emphasized.

Before leaving the north, after having a wonderful stay, the Tuckers reflected upon their visit to the Arctic, noting that they had managed to visit two hunting camps, and that Charlie did even experience a traditional igloo!

© 2011 Crystal Buchan