Blog Series Explores the 'Heart of the Arctic'

Hazel Borys chronicles an Arctic expedition adventure, rife with environmental insights. If you ever wondered what it felt like in the olden days to receive dispatches from explorers off in distant mysterious lands, maybe it felt something like this.

1 minute read

July 31, 2015, 2:00 PM PDT

By Scott Doyon


Borys follows her Circumpolar Region blog with a 12-post travel log of an Arctic expedition to Nunavut and Nunavik in Canada, and along the western coast of Greenland.

“'When we understand the hardship someone has lived through, only then can we hear the beauty of their song of resilience,' Inuit elder Aaju Peters shared. 'This is a huge country. We have experienced starvation here. This is a people that have not only survived, but have done it with humor and laughter. And have formed a new state, without shedding a drop of blood.'”

"Coming to the Arctic by sea has its own special magic. It signals we have more time to listen. More time to look. One man on board celebrated his 75th birthday today, but this isn’t his first trip to the Arctic. He came here at 17 and has returned many times, so often the Inuit have renamed him, 'The One Who Comes Back.' I’m rather certain that most on board aspire to that name, and to deeply understand any community, it may be an essential."

Glaciers and sea ice south of Cumberland Sound. Image credit: Hazel Borys, Creative Commons Sharealike With Attribution License

Glaciers and sea ice south of Cumberland Sound. Image credit: Hazel Borys, Creative Commons Sharealike With Attribution License

Thursday, July 30, 2015 in PlaceShakers

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Wastewater pouring out from a pipe.

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage

Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

April 13, 2025 - Inside Climate News

High-rise apartment buildings in Waikiki, Hawaii with steep green mountains in background.

Study: Maui’s Plan to Convert Vacation Rentals to Long-Term Housing Could Cause Nearly $1 Billion Economic Loss

The plan would reduce visitor accommodation by 25% resulting in 1,900 jobs lost.

April 6, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Streetcar and bus stopped at station on Market Street in San Francisco with Ferry Building visible in background.

Waymo Gets Permission to Map SF’s Market Street

If allowed to operate on the traffic-restricted street, Waymo’s autonomous taxis would have a leg up over ride-hailing competitors — and counter the city’s efforts to grow bike and pedestrian on the thoroughfare.

6 hours ago - San Francisco Examiner

Parklet with wooden benches and flower boxes on street in Ireland.

Parklet Symposium Highlights the Success of Shared Spaces

Parklets got a boost during the Covid-19 pandemic, when the concept was translated to outdoor dining programs that offered restaurants a lifeline during the shutdown.

7 hours ago - Streetsblog San Francisco

Bronze statue of homeless man (Jesus) with head down and arm outstretched in front of St. Matthew Cathedral in Washington D.C.

Federal Homelessness Agency Places Entire Staff on Leave

The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness is the only federal agency dedicated to preventing and ending homelessness.

April 16 - The New York Times