Sorry for the long silence. There wasn’t much happening during the first half of April. It’s been pretty much the same routines as vice principal & high school music teacher. A lot of emails to respond, forms to fill & send out, helping staff, students, & parents, and teaching guitar. The high school guitarists have improved since the course began in January. They’ve been learning more chords & songs.
Another senior cadet retired from 3045 Army Cadets, this time in early April. They aged out as a Master Warrant Officer (MWO), the second highest rank in the Canadian Army Cadet Program. At the end of the regular training night, the cadets honoured & thanked the MWO’s time & achievements by doing a March Past. Another cadet MWO led the parade. I gave the retiring MWO the opportunity to say a few words. He dismissed the cadets for the final time. I shook his hand and congratulated him for making it through the program.
The
annual Nunavut Quest dog sledding race, unfortunately, did not stop in Arctic
Bay this year. The race began in Pond
Inlet and will conclude in Igloolik. The
Start & Finish lines alternate between the three communities every
year. Arctic Bay being bypassed did not
stop a lot of people from the community from participating in the annual race
as competitors and support teams. I
still wish to follow, photograph, and document the race up close. Hopefully, I’ll make that dream come true one
day.
Staff
& students at Inuujaq School were given six days off for Easter this
year. The break occurred in the middle
of April. I took my skidoo out on the
land twice to enjoy the scenery and not stay couped inside.
Pattaataliarusiq.
The first day trip was on April 16. I didn’t travel far. I drove about 12 kilometres southeast to Pattaataliarusiq, a well-known camping site the school uses for Spring Camp. The weeklong field trip is happening early next month, and I wanted to check out the location in advance. I also wanted to see how far along the construction of the cabin was going. The school had secured funding to build a wooden cabin that would act as the kitchen during Spring Camp. Tents were used as kitchens in previous years. A cabin will provide a functioning, safe, and secure location to store & prepare food.
It was a sunny blue sky as I drove to Pattaataliarusiq. I followed a skidoo trail and didn’t encounter any issues. I drove off the ice and parked close to the cabin. Dead silence enveloped me right after I turned off the engine. The cabin sat on wooden stilts and was almost finished. The main entrance was boarded up so I couldn’t go inside. I took some photographs, sat at a picnic table, and some snacks. I stayed for about 30 minutes and then drove home.
Victor Bay.
The second trip was on April 18. I took advantage of another sunny day to travel to the Nanisivik Port Facility. I’ve already been there with my Backcountry skidoo, but I wanted to get more experience driving it out on the land. I also like driving in Strathcona Sound.
Strathcona Sound looking towards Admiralty Inlet.
Strathcona Sound looking towards Nanisivik.
I drove north, following a skidoo trail diagonally across Victor Bay. I reached Graveyard Point, turned right, and then stopped to survey Strathcona Sound. The snow & ice appeared smooth, but experience taught me not to be deceived. Driving east in Strathcona Sound for the first few kilometres was uneventful and surprisingly fast. Things got bumpy when I was halfway to Nanisivik. I navigated around snow drifts that felt like speed bumps and found a skidoo trail to follow. I expected to see seals sunbathing on ice, but sadly, I didn’t see any.
The Nanisivik Port Facility slowly came into view after about 30 minutes of driving. Driving in the Arctic is like flying through space. You’re covering distance but it looks like you haven’t moved at all. I stopped near the docks and turned off the engine. Dead silence replaced the monotonous drone of the engine. I’m used to the deafening silence; it reminds me I’m in the Arctic. I stretched my legs and then photographed the port. There was no human activity. I fired up my skidoo, drove off the ice, and parked it near the flagpole.
I walked around, noting the absence of the workers’ barracks and many vehicles. The barracks where contractors lived during the port’s construction phase was torn down months ago and their vehicles, including an ambulance, must have been shipped out by a large sealift vessel. The federal government is hoping to have the facility operational this summer, but many people are already doubting it. It’s sad it’s taking so long for the facility to become operational. It’s just a gas station for Canada’s newest Harry DeWolf class ships. Plans for the facility were announced back in 2007. It’s now 2025! It shouldn’t be taking this long.
I
followed the Road to Nanisivik back to Arctic Bay. The road isn’t maintained during the winter
months. I had to drive carefully because
were large patches of exposed rock. I
did my best to keep my skidoo on snow, preventing the skis & tracks from
being damaged. I quietly apologized to
my skidoo when I had to drive across rocks.
Second Bridge.
I stopped & photographed the Second Bridge and then continued along the road. When the road curved around a large hill to the right, I drove off the road, and followed a skidoo trail that took me past the water pumping station, airport, and onto Arctic Bay (the frozen bay, not the community). I drove towards the community, off the ice near the community centre, and then straight to my residence. I was glad to be home.
