 During this time, when the steam whaler "Narwhal" was wintering at Herschel Island in 1906–07 with Leavitt as her captain, the Arctic explorer Vilhjalmur Stefansson first met Leavitt and his Native guide.Leavitt and the explorer went on to become fast friends, with Leavitt often offering advice on the area to Stefansson, as well as bringing him supplies from the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.In 1908, Stefansson hired Leavitt's Native guide, who went on to aid the Arctic explorer on his subsequent expeditions.