Operation Spring Fix 24 – Part 3

Sunday’s reveille was at 8am, but I woke up early.  Officers are supposed to do that.  Lead by example and follow the rule of “time appreciation”.  I walked around the cabin and tent to get some exercise and scout for possible hungry polar bears.  Thankfully, there were none.  I woke up the cadets and they slowly got ready.  MREs were prepared & consumed for breakfast.  Breakfast lasted an hour.  The cadets & I spent the next hour cleaning the cabin, packing our gear, and disassembling the green tent.

I drove up to the main camp site to meet with the Canadian Ranger and hired adult driver.  They were cleaning out their tents.  I briefly went over the plan for the day and then returned to the cabin to brief the cadets.  I brought the cadets over to the main camp site so they could fish one last time.  The fishnets would remain in the lake and the Canadian Ranger would return to Ijuyuarjuk in a few days to pull them out and retrieve the fish he caught.

The cadets & I returned to the cabin and packed the wooden qamutik.  The Ranger instructed me to leave several boxes of MREs in the cabin for future visitors.  This would reduce the amount of stuff to bring back and help any stranded hunters.  A senior cadet wrote “Free food” on the boxes in Inuktitut & English.  The cadets did a garbage sweep around the cabin and where the green tent once stood.  We returned to the main camp site.  I drove my skidoo and pulled the qamutik with the cadets riding on top.

The cadets packed the remaining two qamutiks that would be pulled by the Ranger & adult driver.  I had the adult driver take a few pictures of the cadets & I standing in front of the mountains at Ijuyuarjuk.  The cadets divided themselves among the 3 qamutiks and the convoy began the trek back to Arctic Bay.

A rather strong wind blowing south greeted us as we began driving north on the main skidoo trail in Admiralty Inlet.  Normally, this would be an annoyance, but for me, this was perfect considering the overheating problem my 600 EFI Backcountry Skidoo gave me on Friday.  Driving into the wind provided additional cooling to the hardworking skidoo engine, greatly lessening the chance of overheating.

The next few hours went by without incident.  They were spent driving and listening to the continuous monotone droning sound of my skidoo.  I kept myself focused by looking ahead, left, right, and behind.  I had a few cadets riding on top of the qamutik I was pulling, and I didn’t want to leave them behind if they fell off.  I also had to look behind because my snowmobile didn’t have rearview mirrors.  The weather was perfect despite the strong wind.  The sky was mostly blue and the sun was shining brightly in the sky.

The convoy stopped near Iqalulik, a secluded fishing lake closer to Arctic Bay.  I had driven by it several times but haven’t camped there yet.  I’ve been told it’s a great place to catch Arctic char.  The Ranger needed to make a detour here for an hour and took a few cadets with him.  He instructed the adult driver & I to continue north and he would meet up with us near the Qikirtaukkat Islands.  They’re a pair of islands south of Cape Cunningham and a good indicator that you’re getting close to Adam’s Sound.  The adult driver was armed with a hunting rifle so I didn’t object to this arrangement.

The adult driver & I continued driving north.  The cadets with us enjoyed the scenic views while riding in the qamutiks.  The adult driver made a detour to shoot a large seal that was sunbathing on the ice.  He landed a successful hit, and we drove up to see the catch.  A few cadets helped in tying the seal to the front of the adult driver’s qamutik.

We made it to the Qikirtaukkat Islands and stopped for a snack break.  The cadets prepared the remaining MREs.  The adult driver showed me his DJI drone and flew it around the area recording footage of the land.  A high school student happened to be returning from a hunt, and he stopped to see how we were doing.  The adult driver gave him the seal he shot because the high school student was hunting food to feed his dog team.  Eventually, the Canadian Ranger arrived.  We rested some more and then continued the journey home.

The convoy passed Cape Cunningham and turned northeast, proceeding into Adams Sound, the final stretch.  Unfortunately, the main problem I had avoided the entire drive, returned.  There was no wind in Adams Sound, most likely due to the surrounding mountains & high cliffs.  It didn’t take long for my skidoo to begin overheating.  I had to stop several times and wait for the engine to cool down.  I told the Ranger & adult driver to continue, reassuring them I would meet up with them in Arctic Bay.  I had two cadets to help me out.  We finally made it after some time.  One thing was for certain after I stepped off my machine to give the cadets a debriefing: I wasn’t bringing my 600 EFI Backcountry skidoo on a weekend FTX until I could figure out a better cooling method.  Bombardier and the other snowmobile companies don’t really design their machines according to the ways they’re used in the Arctic.  They say they do, but I have doubts, especially after what I just went through.

The Ranger got a pickup truck, and the cadets loaded all the corps equipment we brought and their personal gear.  We drove to Frank’s Shop and put away the corps equipment in a designated sea container.  The Ranger then drove the cadets home.  I thanked him once again for his assistance and he dropped me off in front of the Northern Store.  I drove my skidoo off the ice and parked it in front of my place.  The skidoo driving season was over for me.

Despite the obvious skidoo engine problem, Operation Spring Fix 2024 was a success.  I was glad the cadets & I got the chance to get out on the land, fish, hunt, and experience the real Canadian Arctic.  We all got tans.  I keep forgetting to apply sunscreen.  I hope we’ll be able to the FTX again next year.     

                                                   End of Operation Spring Fix 24 Mini-Series.