From the moment we boarded the 10-seater plane in Nome, Alaska, we knew we were in for an adventure.

Headphones in place, to protect our ears from the loud engine noise, we were off to Russia!

Three hours later we would land in Anadyr, Siberia after crossing the Bering Strait.

So close, but yet so far away!

After arriving, it took hours for our small group to get through Russian customs.

Finally, after a tense entrance, we left the airport and boarded an old school bus which took us to an equally old and rickety barge.

Our luggage was taken off the bus and thrown into the back of the barge and the eight of us followed our luggage, standing for a brief ride that took us to our ship, an old Russian expedition vessel and icebreaker, the Kapitan Khlebnikov.

Hours later, our ship, which held about 100 passengers, set sail, heading north to the Siberian Arctic.

For 14 extraordinary days, we were immersed in a wild world, where few people ever go.

Our adventures eventually took us to Wrangel Island, an island of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, in Russia located in the Arctic Ocean between the Chukchi Sea and the East Siberian Sea.

Wrangel Island, with its adjacent Herald Island, are federally protected nature sanctuaries administered by Russia’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.

In 1976, this area was classified as a “zapovednik” (a “strict nature reserve”) and, as such, receives the highest level of protection excluding virtually all human activity other than conservation research and for scientific purposes.

In 2004, this area was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Wrangel Island is one of the few breeding grounds for polar bears internationally, having the highest density of polar bear dens in the world.

We saw over 100 polar bears throughout our travels, and many of them close up.

Some were “nested” in rocky outcrops or walking along the shores, while others drifted by our ship or Zodiacs on sea ice.

There were several occasions when we were gifted an opportunity to watch as mother and cubs romped around the ice in full display.

Also on full display were walrus; seals; Arctic foxes; bowhead, gray, and beluga whales; and muskoxen as well thousands of birds. Wrangel and Herald Islands are designated as “Important Bird Areas” by BirdLife International.

As a former professor of Native American art, my key interest in taking this trip was the indigenous peoples, past and present, who have and continue to inhabit this area.

Our group visited some unique cultural sites during our visit.

Most interesting for me was Lavrentiya, a village of about 1,500 people.

It was originally an indigenous Yup’ik and Chukchi community, but is now home to Russians as well.

There, we walked through the village, visited a tiny museum, ate local food including muktuk (whale blubber and skin), and enjoyed a beautiful Yup’ik dance performance.

About Leslie and Alan

Leslie Saxon West is a retired professor of Native American art and dance, including dance history and dance in world cultures.

Her research related to dance, culture and art has focused on the First Peoples of the Pacific Northwest and indigenous Arctic peoples of Alaska and Canada, the Eskimo and Inuit peoples.

Alan West is a retired professor of biology specializing in marine biology.

The couple enjoys adventure travel as they like visiting lesser known and more difficult to reach travel destinations.

Leslie’s primary interest is in people — their cultural history and customs and the material objects that they produce, sometimes called “art.”

Alan’s primary interest is in the natural world — flora, fauna and the environment.

About Traveler’s Journal

Traveler’s Journal is an adventure presentation speaker/photo series presented by the Peninsula Trails Coalition to raise funds for Olympic Discovery Trail projects. Only one presentation remains.

Feb. 27: “Siberian Arctic” by Leslie Saxon West

Time: 7 p.m.

Location: Dungeness River Nature Center, 1943 W. Hendrickson Road

Admission: Suggestion donation of $10

The Wests saw Muskoxen on Wrangel Island, Siberia.

Photos by Leslie Saxon West The ship used Zodiacs to transport the Wests and other passengers from the ship to remote areas where they could do some hiking.

Travelers Alan West and Leslie Saxon West bundled up for their 14-day adventure.