“One night when there was a full moon I went for a walk on the ice and stopped about a hundred yards from the ship. The larger hummocks of ice stood out in all their weird shapes and sizes, casting fantastic shadows in the moonlight. The winds had swept their tops clear of snow, exposing glare-ice, which glistened like giant emeralds. All over the pack, the small lumps of ice scintillated in dazzling brilliance, like diamonds scattered in all directions as far as the eye could see. The stars shone in a cloudless sky, dimmed by the resplendent moon. A faint auroral arch was criss-crossed by shimmering dancing streamers. As I turned round to face the ship, old Karluk seemed to be doing her best to outdo nature. Her deck covering of snow shimmered like tinsel. Every rope and spar was magnified by a fluffy coating of frosted rime. Once again I became aware of what I can only describe as a Presence, which filled me with an exaltation beyond all earthly feeling.”
–William Laird McKinlay, The Last Voyage of the Karluk