Spring Camp for Staff 2025

May 9 was the last day of Inuujaq School’s Spring Camp and reserved for staff.  District Education Authority (DEA) members were also invited to participate.  The DEA assists in running the school and how the budget is spent.  Students were given the day off.

Staff arrived in the early morning, dress & packed for a day out on the land.  The remaining food supplies were moved down to the ice where the convoy of skidoos, qamutiks (sleds), and drivers waited.  The supplies were divided & packed into the qamutiks.  The staff also divided themselves and found seating on qamutiks & skidoos.  I drove my own skidoo.  The convoy left at 9:30am and then split into two groups heading to separate locations.

Staff were given a choice of either Pattaataliarusiq or Iqalulik.  The first choice was closer to Arctic Bay and where students went.  Iqalulik is a popular fishing lake 45 kilometres south of Arctic Bay and about a two-hour drive by snowmobile.  The lake is located inland.  I had driven by this lake on several occasions but never actually visited the place.  I wasn’t going to let this opportunity pass.

I drove across Adam’s Sound, heading southwest towards Admiralty Inlet.  Even though I wasn’t towing a qamutik, I kept a close eye on the skidoo engine temperature gauge.  I didn’t want another engine overheating incident like last year.  I stopped and photographed a large iceberg.  I rounded the southern point, entered Admiralty Inlet and followed an established skidoo trail.  I spotted a line of 4 black dots in the distance.  It was the convoy heading to Iqalulik.  I closed the distance and joined the line.  We stopped for a quick break and then continued driving. 

Iqalulik

The convoy turned east, drove off the ice, and followed an inland skidoo trail the lake.  There was one section of the trail that went across clear ice, so we had to drive slowly to avoid spinning.  The trail rounded a small hill and then gave way to a breathtaking valley with tall mountains with steep cliffs on both sides.  We stopped in the middle of the frozen lake.  Silence enveloped us as we turned off our snowmobile engines.  The time was 11:30am.

There was noticeable wind blowing, but we were warmly dressed.  You can’t let the sunny blue skies deceive you.  It may be May, but the Arctic weather can turn on a whim.  I stood, took in the majestic scenery, and then took out my camera.  I photographed & filmed my surroundings.  The Arctic feels like another planet.  It’s a place you must (safely) experience if you get the chance.  It’s one of the reasons why I stay.

Two men unpacked and assembled an electric ice auger with several extensions.  The ice can be as much as 9 feet thick!  They worked in unison and drilled a few ice holes while a third person shoveled away snow & ice.  They also stood on their skidoos on two occasions.  I never would have thought of that.  I helped them finish drilling one ice hole.  Having more than one person operate an ice auger makes things much easier. 

Lunch consisted of Sapporo Ichiban chicken flavoured noodles, Tim Hortons hot chocolate, tea, & Bannock.  I also brought Goldfish crackers.

The Arctic wind subsided in the afternoon as we each picked an ice hole to jig.  I borrowed jigging equipment from a staff member.  I’ve been told that people spend hours or even an entire day jigging for fish.  They sit on comfortable seats and/or cushions and have a thermos of coffee or tea & snacks at the ready.  Possessing patience and sunscreen is a must.  I only jigged for around 20 – 30 minutes and didn’t catch anything.  Some people caught a few small fish.         

We stayed at Iqalulik until 3:30pm.  Some of the staff said they would return to fish again and even lay fish nets under the ice.  We packed everything up and drove back the way we came. 

Iqalulik.

I was the last one in the convoy, and everything was going well . . . until we drove over that patch of ice on the inland trail.  I wasn’t driving fast, but apparently it was fast enough for my skidoo to suddenly spin.  I tried to maintain control, but my snowmobile hit a rock and flipped onto its side.  I let go and fell to the ground.  I didn’t land on rocks.  I immediately stood up and turned off the engine.  I wasn’t in pain.  My Backcountry skidoo is lighter than my old Expedition skidoo.  I tried but didn’t have the strength to push my machine back onto the track.  Thankfully, a staff member had come back to check on me because everyone ahead noticed I wasn’t following.  He helped me get my skidoo back on its track and told me to drive ahead of him.  Thankfully, the engine still worked.

Ice hole.

The other staff members were waiting where the trail enters Admiralty Inlet.  I stopped and explained what happened.  The plastic bracket holding the windshield was broken on one side and only being held by the remaining 2 screws.  A staff member’s husband instructed me to drive ahead of the convoy so that if my machine breaks down, I wouldn’t be left behind.  I agreed to the plan and informed everyone where I would stop for breaks.  We got back on our snow machines and proceeded north towards Arctic Bay.

Admiralty Inlet. Skidoo trail heading north towards Arctic Bay.

St Georges Cliffs. Near Arctic Bay.

I had to drive slower and periodically hold the windshield in place.  I should have packed duct tape.  The convoy behind me broke off a few times to look for seals, but they eventually caught up to me.  To make a long story short, we successfully made it back to Arctic Bay by 5:30pm.  Finding a mechanic to fix my windshield was now on my to do list.

The day trip to Iqalulik was a success despite my skidoo wipeout.  I got to see another part of Nunavut for the first time.   

 

ACR 2025

3045 Army Cadet Corps held its Annual Ceremonial Review (ACR) parade on May 7.  It’s like a year-end Parents Night Parade with more awards & fanfare.  I invited the mayor of Arctic Bay to be the Reviewing Officer (RO).  Planning & practice for the ACR began a month in advance.  The cadets worked on their dress, drill, and deportment while I prepared the program, assembled the awards, and purchased snacks for reception.  We ironed our uniforms and polished our parade boots the weekend before the parade.

The cadets & I arrived at the school gym an hour before the start of the parade to set everything up.  We brought out chairs, tables, awards, trophies, badges, plaques, water, snacks, and flags.

The parade began at 6:30pm with the cadets formed up in the middle of the gym.  The mayor & I entered the gym and took our positions in the centre.  There was a General Salute followed by the playing of O Canada.  The cadet parade commander, a master warrant officer (MWO), escorted the mayor through the ranks during inspection.  While the cadets were being inspected, I welcomed everyone to the ACR and introduced the mayor as the reviewing officer.  The MWO led the cadets in a March Past after inspection.  A March Past is a way for cadets to demonstrate their drill & teamwork to the reviewing officer and audience.

I invited the mayor to address the cadets & audience.  He spoke in Inuktitut, thanking the corps for inviting him, the cadets for marching well, and the parents for supporting the cadet corps.  He then assisted me with handing out awards.

We started with marksmanship badges.  There are four levels; Level 1 is the lowest & Level 4 is the highest.  Two cadets achieved Level 3. 

The marksmanship team was called up next to receive pins & t-shirts for competing in the Stage 3 Regional Competition and winning first place in the Arctic Area!  I received the final results several weeks ago.  Everyone was ecstatic by the news. 

NSE Level 2 Recipient.

Next came the training badges.  Training years are organized into star levels: Green, Red, Silver, Gold, & Master.  It’s another way of saying Years 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.  After that, senior cadets can apply for the National Star of Excellence (NSE).  NSE has four levels.  Cadets were called up to receive their star levels and have their pictures taken with the mayor.  The cadet MWO achieved NSE Level 2.

Top Cadet Award Recipient.

The parade continued with the year-end awards.  The first is Most Improved Cadet.  This plaque award went to the cadet that showed the greatest improvement throughout the training year.  The next award is the Best Boots & Deportment trophy, awarded to the cadet that routinely wore & maintained their uniforms to the highest standards.  I rewarded four cadets with the highest attendance by giving them cadet themed t-shirts.  The last award was the Top Cadet Award and was given to the cadet who achieved the highest training results, best uniform & deportment, taking initiative, assisting other cadets, and being a leader.

I read the Closing Remarks, thanking the mayor, parents, guardians, and community members for attending the parade & supporting the corps.  I also thanked the cadets for being present and congratulated them for a successful training year.

The parade concluded with an Advance, General Salute, and the playing of God Save the King.

A corps group photo was taken and then the cadets were dismissed to reception.  Reception last about 30 minutes.  The cadets & I then spent 20 minutes cleaning the gym & putting everything away.  They were dismissed for the remainder of the evening. 

Spring Camp 2025 For Students

Before I get into the main topic of this post, I wanted to briefly address the conclusion of the annual Nunavut Quest dog sledding race.  The race began in Pond Inlet and concluded in Igloolik on April 23.  Eight competitors crossed the finish line with their dog teams after travelling 500km.  Their support teams arrived first.  Jinneal Uttak won first place, Joshua Ivalu earned second place, and Lee Inuarak came in third.  Jinneal is a former student of mine.  The media reported the mushers & supply teams dealing with whiteout conditions a few times, but in the end, everyone arrived safely.  Congratulations Jinneal & everyone who participated!     

The month of May began with Inuujaq School’s annual Spring Camp for students & staff.  The Events Committee spent two & a half months planning the weeklong event.  There are a lot of items to go through, too many to list here.  Weekly meetings were held to get everything on the list completed.  The last meeting included hired drivers, guides, cooks, and Elders.  We went over everything: schedules, procedures, emergency plans, food menu, and activities.  I led the meeting and snacks were provided.

Food for Spring Camp was ordered from the local Northern Store.  They shipped our order by air and delivered it over the weekend.  Staff sorted, organized, and labelled the food in the Home Ec Room.  Hired staff moved some equipment and set up tents at the camp site over the weekend.

Spring Camp officially began on May 5.  The first group to head out were the high school & Grade 9 students & teachers.  They walked down to the ice after morning announcements and packed the qamutiks (sleds) with supplies.  There were overcast clouds in the sky, but the temperature wasn’t too cold.  The convoy left at 9:30am and travelled 12 kilometres southeast to reach Pattaataliarusiq.  The drive usually takes between 20 – 30 minutes.  You can get there faster if you’re only driving a skidoo.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t go because I had to stay behind and run the school as vice principal.  However, I did keep a VHF walkie-talkie close to me in case the camp leaders called.

Based on the photographs & stories I received from teachers, everyone had fun and the students learned a lot.  They did seal hunting, putting up a tent, dog sledding, sewing, listened to stories told by Elders, and enjoyed a lot of food.  Everyone returned to Arctic Bay by 4:30pm.

The second day of Spring Camp saw students & teachers from Grades 6 – 8 head out and enjoy the same activities as the senior students.  The middle school students also learned how to make an igloo. 

Grades 3 – 5 students & teachers went to Spring Camp on the third day.  Their day was packed with similar activities and games. 

Kindergarten, Grade 1, & Grade 2 went to Spring Camp on the fourth day.  Kindergarten students only went in the afternoon.  The schedule for these classes was not rigorous and heavy.  I was told the students played games, listened to Elders telling stories, and did sewing.

The hired drivers got a lot of mileage ferrying people & supplies between the school & Pattaataliarusiq.

The last day of Spring Camp was reserved for school staff.  More on this in a future post.

 

The MWO Retires & Skidoo Day Trips

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.