A couple who recently kayaked through Newfoundland and Labrador's newest National Park Reserve said they had numerous close calls with polar bears.
Jerry Kobalenko and his wife Sasha were dropped off in the Torngat Mountains National Park Reserve at the northern tip of Labrador three weeks ago.
Kobalenko is a writer for Canadian Geographic magazine who has done many articles on hiking and kayaking in the North.
'Your senses are twitching like a bird who's watching for a hawk.' -Jerry Kobalenko, on polar-bear alert
The pair planned to disembark with kayaks, camping equipment and enough food to last a month while they paddled south to Okak, Labrador.
However, speaking on satellite phone Wednesday, Kobalenko said the first week of his Labrador trip was harrowing.
"There are a lot of polar bears up there and at one point we were dealing with three bears every day, and usually within about 15 metres of our camp, so it was quite stressful," said Kobalenko.
"You're on full alert. Your senses are twitching like a little bird who's watching for a hawk — and sure enough, they're in almost every cove and once a day you'll see them.
"We've seen polar bears 400 feet up a cliff. How it got there I have no idea … and it just watched us for the longest time as we paddled past."
Kobalenko is now paddling near Hebron in northern Labrador, where, he said, there are fewer bears.
A longliner from Nain is expected to pick the paddlers up once they finish the trip in a couple of days.
