A gathering had been planned to honor Unaaq’s life, and I have to say that once it was underway, everyone was in such good spirits it was almost impossible to stay sad. Nuka’s father, Makaali, who is Unaaq’s younger brother, Erneq, and several of Unaaq’s friends were telling all these great stories and singing and dancing and laughing and carrying on.
“We all grieve our loss and will miss Unaaq terribly,” Makaali said to all those in attendance, “but today we must overcome our sadness. For today we celebrate my brother’s wonderful and adventurous life. He is a hero who saved many people. Honor him with warm memories of his smiling face, his laugh, his compassion. I assure you, that is his wish.”
After Makaali spoke, Wyatt and I approached him.
“We’re so sorry for your loss,” I said.
“I was stranded on the ice,” Wyatt said. “Lost in the blizzard. Unaaq, he came back for me. He saved my life. I’ll never…”
Wyatt got choked up and couldn’t say anymore.
“It’s okay, son,” Makaali said, placing a hand on Wyatt’s shoulder.
“When we were riding out the storm Unaaq told us a joke,” I said, hoping to lighten the mood. “He said you found it on the internet. The one about the three Eskimos debating whose igloo was the coldest.”
“Yes,” Makaali said, bursting into a hearty laugh. “I remember the joke.”
Wyatt even chuckled.
“He had us all rolling in the snow with laughter,” I said.
“That’s just like Unaaq,” Makaali said. “Even when the situation was desperate, he knew how to lift people’s spirits. Come now, let’s celebrate this beautiful day in memory of my brother.”
Afternoon sun shining in the bay
As Makaali requested, we rejoined the celebration, mingling among Unaaq’s friends and family. I have to say, the setting for this celebration couldn’t have been anymore spectacular, with all the jagged, sky-scraper sized icebergs adrift in the bay, the perfect blue sky overhead, the ice crystals shimmering like diamonds in the snow. Nuka’s mom, Kunik, prepared reindeer meat over a steaming grill, and next to her was a long table piled high with treys of fish and potatoes and vegetables and deserts. The food looked so good it actually brought my appetite back.
Parked just outside the store was a traditional wooden sled just like the one we used on our journey. Friends and family were painting it all these bright colors and passing around a black marker so that everyone could write a message to Unaaq. Nuka told me the sled would remain outside the family store forever, a memorial to a brave and loving man. I sat alone in the snow for a while and thought about what to write. I didn’t want to put down anything too heavy or sad or whatever, so I ended up writing this:
Unaaq,
See you on the flip side, buddy!
–Gannon
Cheesy, I know, but I bet it made Unaaq smile.
We’re back at the hotel now, and I’m settled into my bed and warm and comfortable and to be honest, I’m feeling pretty decent considering all we’ve been through. I know this might sound “way out there” or whatever, but I could totally sense Unaaq’s presence today. No joke, I really could. In some mystic way I know he’s still with us, guiding our path just as he did on the ice.
WYATT
APRIL 26, 3:11 PM
FLIGHT 4521 TO GOOSE BAY, CANADA
Ariel view, Southern Greenland
I am sure at some point in the near future I will be asked to explain the reason two young brothers with no Arctic experience would risk their lives to explore what many consider a barren wasteland of snow, ice, and rock. I am sure I will be asked to discuss the expedition’s end, both tragic and heroic, where a life was lost and many others were saved. In time, I will be prepared to talk about these things. For now, all explanation related to these matters will be left to the writings within my journal.
As for what’s next, we cannot say. I should mention, however, that my brother and I do intend to continue this business of travel and exploration. It is part of who we are, our true passion, and I honestly don’t know what we would do with ourselves otherwise.
Once you have looked death squarely in the eyes and accepted that your time is up, life is changed. At this moment, flying high along the southeast coast of Greenland where rivers of ice snake their way into the Labrador Sea, I can tell that something within me is different. There is a strangeness to this day. It’s as if my awareness has been heightened by a magnitude of one thousand. There is a new beauty to things big and small—to my parents and brother seated nearby, to the breathtaking view out the window, to the simple comfort I feel in this seat, to this Dash-7 airplane, which moves us so steadily through the air—life is magnificent and I am appreciating every bit of it.
Regarding our companions on this journey, I do have one thing left to write. I will never forget our great friend, Nuka, or his uncle, the heroic Arctic explorer, Unaaq. For saving my life I will remain in debt to him until the day I am called upon to begin my own journey in the afterlife. On that day, I hope that Unaaq is there to greet me. I hope that he is there so we can talk of this adventure. Most of all, I hope that he is there so I can thank him.
AUTHORS’ NOTE
There are places on earth so extraordinarily beautiful the mere act of being there gives rise to a spiritual awakening in the traveler. It is these places that inspire in us a lifelong desire to travel the globe, always searching for the next location that will leave us astonished by its splendor. Greenland is one such place.
Inevitably, such a profound travel experience sends you away with a deep affection for the place, its natural environment and the people who live there. The concerns of the people become that of the traveler. This happened to us in Greenland, where two issues were continually brought up in conversation: the preservation of Greenlandic culture and climate change.
Many Greenlanders we spoke with felt their way of life was misunderstood. Their culture, they said, was often dismissed as primitive and in need of modernization. Indeed, outside influence is already reshaping the country. After visiting the Greenland National Museum in Nuuk one rainy July afternoon, we walked back to our hotel in the center of town. Along the way, we passed high-rise office buildings, newly constructed condominiums, banks, an electronics store, and a clothing retailer carrying a variety of international brands. All were clear examples of how life in Greenland is already changing.
Of course, not all of these things are bad. Many Greenlanders actually appreciate some of the changes. As anthropologist Hugh Brody put it, the issue isn’t traditional versus a modern way of life, but whether or not indigenous people are free to choose how they go about their lives.
As for climate change, Greenlanders do not need a scientific report to tell them what’s happening. They are witnessing the impact of climate change with their own eyes. Temperatures in the Arctic are warming faster than anywhere else on earth. Waterways that used to freeze solid in the winter, no longer do. Storms are more severe, the ice sheet is melting, and sea levels are rising. Nature is in flux, disrupting the indigenous peoples’ ability to hunt and fish and provide for their families.
Given this truth, it may be the indigenous people of the Arctic who sound the loudest alarm in the years to come, motivating the rest of the world to take the decisive action necessary to ensure the long-term health of our planet. In the Travels with Gannon & Wyatt books, we encourage young people to learn from the world’s indigenous cultures. Their teachings might just provide the inspiration we need to reevaluate our own relationship with nature—this being the critical first step if we hope to make good on our responsibility to leave behind a cleaner, safer world for our children.
Gannon and Wyatt in Greenland
MEET THE “REAL-LIFE” GANNON AND WYATT
Have you ever imagined traveling the world over? Fifteen-year-old twin brothers Gannon and Wyatt have done just that. With a flight attendant for a mom and an international businessman for a dad, the spirit of adventure has
been nurtured in them since they were very young. When they got older, the globetrotting brothers had an idea—why not share all of the amazing things they’ve learned during their travels with other kids? The result is the book series, Travels with Gannon & Wyatt, a video web series, blog, photographs from all over the world, and much more. Furthering their mission, the brothers also cofounded the Youth Exploration Society (Y.E.S.), an organization of young people who are passionate about making the world a better place. Each Travels with Gannon & Wyatt book is loosely based on real-life travels. Gannon and Wyatt have actually been to Greenland and run dog sleds on the ice sheet. They have kissed the Blarney Stone in Ireland, investigated Mayan temples in Mexico, and explored the active volcanoes of Hawaii. During these “research missions,” the authors, along with Gannon and Wyatt, often sit around the campfire collaborating on an adventure tale that sets two young explorers on a quest for the kind of knowledge you can’t get from a textbook. We hope you enjoy the novels that were inspired by these fireside chats. As Gannon and Wyatt like to say, “The world is our classroom, and we’re bringing you along.”
HAPPY TRAVELS!
Want to become a member of the
Youth Exploration Society
just like Gannon and Wyatt?
Check out our website. That’s where you’ll learn how to become a member of the Youth Exploration Society, an organization of young people, like yourself, who love to travel and are interested in world geography, cultures, and wildlife.
The website also includes:
Cool facts about every country on earth, a gallery of the world’s flags, a world map where you can learn about diff erent cultures and wildlife, spectacular photos from all corners of the globe, and information about Y.E.S. programs.
BE SURE TO CHECK IT OUT!
WWW.YOUTHEXPLORATIONSOCIETY.ORG
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We would like to pay tribute to the spirits of the grandparents that have gone before us; William Altor Gause, Sr., William Altor Gause, Jr., Mattie Alma Dean-Brock, Thomas Wyatt Davis, Thomas Franklin Davis, Alice Naomi Nesmith-Davis, Lebel Michael Wheeler, Mary Luella Fitzpatrick, Thomas Morgan Wheeler, Cecil Howard Fitzgibbon, Bertha Ellen Allinghom, Nancy Ann Fitzgibbon-Wheeler, Mary Louise Kippenberger, Clair Phillip Kippenberger, Opal Marie Paradise, John Nicholas Paradise, John Alexander Beckham, Joanna Ernestine Hock, Herbert Melville Hemstreet, and Jack Eugene Kippenberger.
As the Inuit proverb says, “Glorious it is when wandering time is come.”
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
PATTI WHEELER, producer of the web series Travels with Gannon & Wyatt: Off the Beaten Path, began traveling at a young age and has nurtured the spirit of adventure in her family ever since. For years it has been her goal to create children’s books that instill the spirit of adventure in young people. The Youth Exploration Society and Travels with Gannon & Wyatt are the realization of her dream.
KEITH HEMSTREET is a writer, producer, and cofounder of the Youth Exploration Society. He attended Florida State University and completed his graduate studies at Appalachian State University. He lives in Aspen, Colorado, with his wife and three daughters.
Make sure to check out the first three books in our award-winning series:
Botswana
Great Bear Rainforest
Egypt
Look for upcoming books and video from these and other exciting locations:
Ireland
Hawaii
Mexico
Australia
Iceland
The American West
Don’t forget to check out our website:
WWW.GANNONANDWYATT.COM
There you’ll find complete episodes of our award-winning web series shot on location with Gannon & Wyatt.
You’ll also find a gallery with spectacular photographs from Greenland, Iceland, Egypt, the Great Bear Rainforest, and Botswana.
And wait, one more thing…
Check us out on Twitter, Pinterest, and make sure to “like” us on Facebook! With your parents permission, of course.
If you enjoyed Gannon and Wyatt’s adventure in Egypt, make sure to read the book that started it all …
National Outdoor Book Award Winner
Nautilus Award Silver Medal Winner
Winner of Five Purple Dragonfly Book Awards
Moonbeam Children’s Book Award Silver Medalist
Colorado Book Award Finalist
“Botswana has rarely had a portrayal that so accurately captures the physical and emotional spirit of Africa … This is a brilliant first of what I hope will be many books in a travel-novel series.”
—Sacramento Book Review
Discover more adventures in …
“A groundbreaking series of adventurous stories like nothing else in children’s literature. Kids of all ages and from all backgrounds love these stories because they are packed with action, humor, mystery, and fun adventures.”
—Mark Zeiler, middle school language arts teacher, Orlando, Florida
MY JOURNAL NOTES
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