Saturday, June 28, 2014

Operation Spring Fix 14 - Part 3


I woke up the following morning with a part of the green tent flapping in my face.  The arctic wind had managed to push one of the ropes holding down the tent off the rock it was secured to.  Thankfully, the tent was still standing, but the grey pole in the centre was leaning off to the side.  Judging from all the commotion coming from outside, the wind was also pushing off the ropes from the other tents.  I quickly packed my sleeping bags, air mattress, and duffel bag, and headed outside.  It's one of the many golden rules in cadets & the military: on your last day in the field, pack up your bedding and kit so that you're ready to move at a moment's notice.
              
Cadet Sergeant Reid's tarp cape.
After breakfast, everyone went to work on tearing down the camp.  Originally, the plan was to stay until lunch time but the wind convinced us that leaving earlier was a better option.  Duffel bags, sleeping bags, and air mattresses were packed and brought out of the tents and loaded into qamutiks.  The interiors were emptied of garbage, tarps, and "cardboard flooring" before the tents were taken down.  Some cadets had to run after some garbage before it was blown away by the wind.  The fire & fuel storage points were also disassembled.  I used the handyman's secret weapon, duct tape, to secure all the unopened MRE packages in large boxes.  I then handed them off to the lead Ranger who secured them to a qamutik.  The final task was to do a garbage sweep of the entire camp area, picking up any leftover garbage, and placing them in a garbage bag.  Taking care of the land means leaving no human trace behind.
            
Camp tear down.
The Commanding Officer (CO) & I held a debriefing with the cadets, briefly reviewing the lessons they learned, and what they liked & disliked about the FTX.  Overall, they enjoyed the FTX and definitely wanted to have another one next year.  The CO & I also agreed.
            
CO's Debriefing.
We were two skidoos short because we were leaving earlier than planned.  Our other two drivers did not stay at the camp site over the weekend and had agreed with the CO to pick us up at around lunchtime on Sunday.  Thankfully, this wasn't a problem because the two skidoos we did have were strong enough to pull two qamutiks at once.  I gave the go-ahead to "return-to-unit" after making one final sweep of the area.  Everyone found a seat on a qamutik and we were off.  
       
The first leg of the ride back to Arctic Bay was uneventful.  The sky was covered with overcast clouds and we rode past the same picturesque mountains we saw on Friday.  The ice in Admiralty Inlet was still frozen but in the distance, I could see a few places where the ice was beginning to melt.  About halfway to Arctic Bay, we spotted two black dots approaching us in the distance.  As they neared, we saw that it was the other two skidoo drivers.  The convoy stopped and waited for them to come closer.  They were happily greeted by everyone and they attached a qamutik to their skidoos.  With the loads now even, we continued on our journey.
            
We noticed several large cracks in the ice closer to Arctic Bay.  And some of them were wide.  In fact, we stopped at one large crack that was almost too wide to let a skidoo cross.  If it had been too wide, there would have been a problem.  I photographed the cadets jumping across the crack, and how far it stretched across the ice.  "By the end of June," commented a cadet, "this will all be water."   
            
We arrived in Arctic Bay at 12:30pm.  I quickly jumped off the qamutik I had been riding in and walked up to the CO's house to get his pickup truck.  I drove it down to the ice so that the cadets could load their gear onto it and get a ride home.  After picking up my belongings, I declined the CO's offer to drive me home and walked back to my place.  I showered, changed, unpacked everything, and placed all my dirty clothes into the washing machine.  I then had a quick power nap before undertaking the task of transferring & editing all the photos I collected on my digital camera.   

Arctic Bay in the distance.
End of Operation Spring Fix 14 mini-series.

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Operation Spring Fix 14 - Part 2


Morning reveille was at 0800 hours.  As I slowly emerged from the warm comforts of my two sleeping bags, I noticed the arctic wind being a lot stronger than the day before.  The green arctic tent shook with every passing gust while I crawled into my boots, parka, and snow pants.  Sounds like today is going to be a breeze, I quietly remarked.  When I stood outside the tent, I noticed the wind wasn't actually as strong as I was led to believe.  However, there were a few occasions when I had to pull over my hood.
            
I went into the large McPherson tent after returning from the designated male washroom (an open space behind a snow bank).  The CO was inside watching the Coleman stoves melt snow collected from outside.  The male cadets had pushed their sleeping bags and duffel bags to the sides of the tent to make room for the stoves and cadets who would be eating breakfast.  The CO instructed me to head outside and open the MRE boxes and select enough breakfast meals for everyone.  He also told me to make a mental note to bring another white McPherson tent next time so that a male tent wouldn't have to double as a mess area.
            
Eating breakfast with my hood up.
American Meals-Ready-to-Eat (MREs) are similar to Canadian Individual Meal Packages (IMPs), but they are not labeled nor categorized as breakfast, lunch, or dinner when packaged in large boxes.  It is up to the consumer to decide which meals should be eaten at a certain mealtime.  After examining the MRE menus online, I don't think there's one meal that can be eaten at all three mealtimes.  Thankfully, IMPs do not have this problem and the meals are designated breakfast, lunch, or dinner.  That's another reason why I prefer IMPs - there's more structure.
            
Eating breakfast with my hood down.
A few cadets assisted me in finding enough "breakfast friendly" MREs.  We brought them to the white tent, removed the main course packages from their cardboard wrappings, and placed them in the pots of boiling water.  Everyone got a meal package that contained a side dish, dessert, crackers, bread, spread of some kind, powdered beverage, spoon, and an accessory pack.  When all the cooked meals were distributed, breakfast began.  I ate my meal outside because they were too many people in the tent.  I felt like a true arctic explorer, eating with the wind blowing in my face.  I forgot what I had but it was filling enough to hold me until lunch.  Everyone cleaned up, placing garbage in garbage bags, and putting unopened MRE packages into a box.           
            
Before we left for Qajuutinnguat on Friday, the cadets had been organized into two training groups, making it possible to have two classes running simultaneously on Saturday (May 24).  For the morning, one group would stay in camp and learn orienteering with the Commanding Officer (CO) and the other would go ice fishing/jigging with the Rangers.  The groups would switch halfway. 
            

My group & the Rangers went to the nearby fishing lake the cadets explored from the cliffs the night before.  There barely was any wind because of the cliffs surrounding the lake.  This was my first time ice fishing in the arctic.  The Rangers used their skidoo to bring all the necessary equipment: drill, shovel, fishing lines, jigging sticks, and mats to sits on.  The Rangers drilled several holes into the thick ice allowing several people to jig at once.  Jigging, as it is known in the north, involves catching fish using a fishing line attached to a short stick.  There is a lure attached to the line.  You lower it down the hole and wait for a fish to bite it.  When you get one, you quickly pull the line up so that the fish doesn't escape. 
            
I unsuccessfully try to catch a fish with the help of a cadet.
I gave it my best shot but I didn't catch a single fish.  Luck was with everyone else and I think my group caught around six.  Even though I didn't catch anything, it was still fun looking down the hole and trying to spot small forms of life frolicking beneath the thick ice.     
            

Adrian. May 2014.
Before my group headed back to camp for the orienteering lesson, we found some small rocks on the ground and wrote our names on the cliff face behind the lake.  I wrote my name in Inuktitut.
            
The wind was still strong, but not fierce, as the CO instructed my group in the McPherson tent.  While he taught orienteering and map & compass, I stood outside drinking hot chocolate and keeping an eye out for aggressive wildlife.
            
When the other group came back with the Rangers, we melted ice using the Coleman stoves and broke out the lunch rations.  My lunch was a chicken meal of some kind. 
            

After lunch, the corps assembled around a tall rock spire for a group photo.  Our affiliated unit, the Royal Canadian Regiment, wanted a few pictures showing the cadets out on the land.  I acted as the photographer and took several pictures, hoping that at least one was the perfect shot.  I would review the photographs after the FTX and email the best one down south.
            
Frozen waterfall.
The RCMP arrived some time later to teach survival skills.  Since both of the town's officers were present, I humourously asked them if the town would descend into anarchy.  They replied that that was really unlikely and if there were any problems, they would be contacted on their SAT phone.  They were only staying for two hours.  Their lesson lasted a good 90 minutes and included a Q&A session.
            
I taught the next class which centered on the use of handheld GPS devices.  I'm not a GPS expert but I know enough to teach the basics (menu selection, compass use & calibration, creating & selecting waypoints, finding locations, etc).  If I got stumped by a question or an unfamiliar function, I could refer to the binder I brought that contained all the GPS lesson plans in the Silver Star training manual.  My lesson was okay but the only problem was that twelve cadets had to share four Garmin handhelds.  I made a mental note to speak to the CO after the FTX about getting funding to buy a few more handhelds.    
            

The cadets were granted a period of free time after dinner.  (My dinner was another chicken meal of some kind).  The cadets just had to stay within the boundaries.  At 2000hrs, everyone headed over to the western side of the camp for the evening bonfire.  On the last day of August last year, the corps cleaned up the shoreline behind the airport, picking up trash and collecting large discarded pieces of wood.  We held a bonfire at the site in mid-October, but there was still plenty of leftover wood.  The CO had decided to burn the remaining wood during the Spring Fix FTX and brought it over a few days earlier using a skidoo and qamutik.  He picked a spot where the wind wouldn't be a problem. 
            

Ranger Napassi takes aim.
As we headed to the bonfire site with coolers full of marshmallows and hot dogs, the cadets spotted a snow goose walking around.  They called over Ranger Napassi who was walking with her .303 rifle.  She had never hunted a snow goose before and decided this one would be her first.  She and a few male cadets quietly crawled closer to the snow goose as we all crouched and waited in silence.  It took me several minutes to spot the goose and take a picture.  Napassi got on top of a small hill, laid in the prone position, and fired a shot.  Unfortunately, the bullet missed but the goose landed several feet away from where it stood.  Napassi took two more shots but was unsuccessful.  You can't win them all.  As the goose flew high into the sky, we continued on towards the bonfire site.
            

Upon arrival, the cadets began taking pieces of discarded wood and assembling it into a pile.  Ranger Napassi and a few cadets left the group to hunt the snow goose that surprisingly came back.  "I think that goose is taunting her," I remarked to the CO.  Using some fuel, we got the fire going and it slowly grew into a large bonfire.  As gunshots echoed in the distance, we all huddled around the fire for warmth and to roast hotdogs & marshmallows.  I sat down with my boots pointed towards the fire and took pictures of the flames and glowing embers.  I roasted a few tasty hot dogs and marshmallows using my machete.   
            
Ranger Napassi returned with a big smile on her face.  She finally managed to shoot the snow goose.  Flanked by her mentors, she prominently held the goose in her right hand and displayed it for everyone to see.  The final bullet had penetrated the goose's main body.  It would have taken me many more bullets to score a kill shot.  The goose would later be skinned and the meat eaten.  I'm not sure what would we done with the feathers.
            
The bonfire was extinguished at 2200hrs using large amounts of snow.  We returned to camp with the coolers & shovel, and got ready for bed.  Lights out was at 2300hrs.  As I settled into my sleeping bags for the second night, I concluded that the training day went very well.
            

The wind continued to blow against the tent, causing it to flap, but somehow, I fell asleep.


To be continued . . .


Friday, June 20, 2014

Operation Spring Fix 14 - Part 1


The staff and cadets of 3045 Army had their final Field Training eXercise (FTX) of the regular training year on the weekend of May 23 - 25.  Cadet corps are required to organize at least three FTXs per year, in order to give cadets the opportunities to apply what they learned in the classroom out in the field.  These areas of study include: map & compass, bushcraft, knots, lashings, first aid, fieldcraft, and leadership.  The skills and lessons learned from FTXs also prepare them for a variety of summer camp courses.
            
Operation Spring Fix 14 would take place at Qajuutinnguat, a small isolated fishing area 33km to the southeast of Arctic Bay.  It only takes an hour to get there by skidoo.  The Inuit visit the location to ice fish, camp, and hike up the surrounding mountains.  Previous FTXs have been held at Qajuutinnguat but this would be my first time visiting the place.  It would also be the furthest I have travelled out on the land from Arctic Bay thus far.  To ensure a full day of training on Saturday, cadets & staff would travel to the camp site Friday evening, and return Sunday morning.    
            
CO - Lt. May
Planning an FTX requires a lot of time and effort from a collective group of dedicated individuals.  Going it alone is never a safe option.  In early May, the Commanding Officer (CO) assembled his senior staff for a meeting to discuss the necessary preparations and what kind of training should occur.  Using the 5 Ws & 1 H, (Who? What? Where? When? Why? How?), we put together a list of everything we would need (ie. food, warm clothing, tents, sleeping bags, cooking equipment), came up with a training schedule, and decided how many skidoos & qamutiks were available for transportation.  We also contacted two Canadian Rangers to provide protection against possible polar bear attacks.      
            
I was designated the FTX's Officer of Primary Interest (OPI) - the person in charge.  It was my responsibility to make sure everything ran smoothly.  If something went wrong, it would be my fault.  (In military jargon, OPI also stands for "only person interested").  I would also be teaching a class on how to use handheld GPS devices. 
            

Preparations for the FTX kicked into overdrive two weeks before May 23.  With a small platoon of cadets, we collected everything we needed from the storage containers at the gas station and loaded them into the back of a pickup truck.  There were tents, sleeping bags, Coleman stoves, naphtha fuel, American-made Meals Ready to Eat (MREs), and kitchen utensils.  On a regular Wednesday training night, cadets were assigned sleeping bags, air mattresses, duffel bags, and heavy parkas if they needed them.  After that, I had them test the Coleman stoves to see if they were working properly and put up the tents to see if any were broken.  We would be bringing two green five-person arctic tents and one white Fort McPherson tent.  Thankfully, everything was in working order and we stored everything in a storage room until the big day.
            

The Ranger leads the way.
The cadets took their duffel bags home to pack civilian clothing and wash kits.  I did the same but added more things.  I have a habit of packing more than I need because I like to be prepared for most, if not all contingencies.  Even though we would be camping in late May, I decided to wear my Canada Goose Resolute parka, a pair of thick snow pants, and heavy winter boots.  I had no intention of falling ill like I did back in September.  I would later thank myself for making the right choice.  The cadets would also be wearing parkas, snow pants, and boots on this trip, but they were not as thick and heavy as mine. 
            

When the bell rang at 3:35pm on Friday, May 23, I made my way to Inuujaq School's gym where the CO was waiting for me and the cadets who were going on the FTX.  Working as a team, we loaded everything onto the pickup truck and drove down to the frozen ice where the skidoos and qamutiks were waiting.  With the assistance of a Ranger, the cadets emptied the back of the truck and placed everything in the qamutiks.  The general rule for packing a qamutik is to use every bit of available space.  Everyone was dismissed until 1845hrs so they could have dinner at home.  I headed back to school to collect my belongings and got a ride home with the CO.  I changed into civilian clothing, had a quick dinner, and checked to see that everything was packed.  When it was time, I walked down to the ice, fully dressed in winter clothing, with a backpack on my shoulders and carrying a green duffel bag.  I looked like a soldier heading off to war.
            
When all the cadets had assembled, a roll call was taken, and the CO gave a quick briefing.  Everyone hopped onto a qamutik and the skidoo drivers started their engines.  I turned on my SPOT device so it could record my location every 10 minutes.  If anything serious happened to me over the weekend, the device would enable me to call for help. 
            
The long drive began.
            
The convoy drove along the right side of the frozen bay, passing the cemetery and the point where the high western cliffs come to a drop.  We then crossed over and followed the skidoo paths on the left side of the coast, heading southeast, deeper into Baffin Island.  The qamutiks rocked up and down over the frozen ice.  We passed the location where Inuujaq School holds its annual Spring Camp and I photographed the mountain I hiked up last year.  The further we drove, the more taller and majestic the surrounding mountains became.  I think there was a moment when we spotted a seal in the distance, but the black dot disappeared in the blink of an eye.
            

About halfway to our destination, the convoy stopped in front of a large brown & grey rock that was sitting out on the ice, just a few feet in front of a large mountain.  The Inuit drivers concluded that the boulder must have broken off from the top and tumbled all the way down to the bottom.  Looking up at the mountain that was littered with small rocks, I could only imagine the speed at which the large boulder had attained.  If something or someone was in its way, the boulder would have just smashed through.  I snapped a few pictures of the cadets posing in front of the rock before we continued on our journey.
            
We have arrived.
We arrived at Qajuutinnguat after 2030 hours.  The fishing area is hidden between two large sloping mountains.  I photographed them from a distance last year when I was seal hunting during the school's Spring Camp (Part 1 & Part 2).  The sun was still in the sky but concealed behind a thick layer of clouds.  The cadets assembled into two platoons and were briefed by me on where to set up the tents, kitchen area, and fuel storage area.  The female cadets would sleep in a green tent, the adult staff in the other green tent, and the male cadets would share the large white McPherson tent.  The two Rangers had their own white tent to sleep in.  As the cadets set up the campsite, the CO designated two separate areas to serve as male & female washrooms, and the civilian supply officer collected ice in a large grey pot using my machete.  The ice would be melted to provide hot water for hot chocolate.  Once all the tents were pitched and everyone moved their personal belongings into them, a hot chocolate and snack break was called.  There was a gentle wind as everyone drank and ate outside. 
            

While the "night" was still young, the cadets decided to explore the high cliffs surrounding the two fishing lakes.  The CO and I followed closely behind.  The Rangers stayed in camp in case a polar bear paid an unannounced visit.  I left them one of my walkie-talkies so that we could stay in touch.  A river, formed from all the melting snow in the summer, runs through the small lakes towards Admiralty Inlet.  Due to the high cliffs surrounding the lakes, the river generates two waterfalls.  Unfortunately, there would be no falling water to photograph because it was still too cold for the ice and snow to melt.
            

I took plenty of photos of the lakes, cliffs, cadets, and surrounding mountains.  The cadets pointed out a hidden cave and wondered if a polar bear was inside.  Thankfully, there was none.  They also directed me to photograph a few patches of frozen ice that were clear blue underneath.  They explained that the frozen water in those spots were fresh.  After hanging out for some time, we made our way back to camp.  We slid down a hill covered in thick, slippery snow, as a loud formation of snow geese flew above us.  Upon arrival, everyone brushed their teeth and got ready for bed.  Lights out was at midnight.  As I got comfortable in my arctic sleeping bags, I wondered what tomorrow would bring.        


To be continued . . .