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. 

 

S3M 2025 Part 2

Everyone woke up in the early morning to get ready for breakfast.  The temperature outside was noticeably cold as we walked to the nearby mess hall.  Cold weather is a given in Winnipeg, Manitoba.  It’s the Prairies; the land is very flat.  Breakfast was served at 6:30am.  The cadets & I didn’t have to pay because all meal expenses were covered.  Thank you!  We just had to tell the cashiers we were participating in the cadet marksmanship competition.  I normally don’t eat breakfast, but I decided to take advantage of the “free” military food.  We returned to barracks after finishing our meal to get ready for the day.

I was assigned a military van to ferry cadets between barracks & competition venue.  The venue was a large gym, the same one used in last year’s competition.  I possess a license to drive civilian vehicles owned by the military.  Unfortunately, it doesn’t allow me to drive tanks.  My cadets & I loaded the van with our air rifles & gear, and headed over to the gym. 

The gym had been turned into an air rifle range for the weekend.  There were 30 shooting lanes.  Each lane had a mat and a SIUS electronic target system.  The systems were connected via wires to a single computer on a table at the back of the gym.  The installed SIUS software tracks, maps, and calculates shooting scores in real time.  It’s an expensive setup.

The competition organizers held a short meeting with all the coaches.  We were given schedules, washrooms locations, reviewed range safety procedures, and selected judges.  We were dismissed to instruct our teams to get ready for rifle & equipment checks.  Air rifles, shooting jackets, and other equipment are inspected to look for defects and/or unauthorized modifications.  No cheating is allowed.  My cadets passed their checks.  (So did the other cadets). 

The first day of the competition focused on shooting prone.  Teams were given time to practice shooting and zero in their rifles.  This was spread across two relays.  Teams were organized into two groups because the gym can only accommodate 30 shooting lanes.  You’re on break & waiting when you’re not shooting.  The real competition began after the practice relays.

Teams shot three 30-minute prone relays.  Cadets are allowed to shoot practice shots but are encouraged not to spend too much time on this because they don’t count.  I stood & observed my cadets while they competed.  I also took photos. 

Lunch was catered by Subway.  Boxes of premade Subway sandwich meals were delivered after 11am.  There were several options to choose.  Each box came with two six-inch sandwiches, bottled water, and cookies.  I selected the cold cuts meal.

Shooting continued in the afternoon and concluded around 4pm.  The cadets assisted the officers in setting up the range for standing shooting the following day.  We returned to barracks and enjoyed dinner at the mess hall.  I drove my cadets to a nearby mall for evening shopping.  We stayed there for an hour and then returned to base.

The second day of the competition began the same way as the first.  Early wake up and early breakfast at the mess hall.  I was put to work ferrying a few cadet teams between the barracks & gym.  It’s expected when you have a military driver’s licence. 

The second day was all about standing shooting.  This is more challenging because you don’t have the floor to rest your arms.  You need to rely on your entire body to aim straight and hit the target with each shot.  Teams were once again given time to practice & zero in their rifles.  Then the real shooting began.

Teams shot three standing relays.  I stood behind my cadets and gave them advice when needed, just like the previous day.  Lunch was catered by Pita Pit.  The competition organizers ordered boxes of pitas in several flavours as well as cookies & bottled water.  All shooting relays were completed by 12:30pm.

Cadets & officers spent the next hour tearing down the air rifle range & cleaning the gym.  The SIUS target systems were taken apart and placed in large metal boxes on wheels.  The gym floor was swept, and the cadets did a garbage sweep to make sure nothing was left behind.  The cadets were formed up on mass, congratulated for competing at Stage 3, and told the final results would be published next month. 

Several teams were dismissed early because they had flights to catch.  My cadets & I weren’t one of them.  An officer took a photo of us before we returned to barracks for the remainder of the day.

We didn’t get much sleep because we had to be at the Winnipeg Airport in the (very) early morning.  I’m not a fan of red eye flights but sometimes you have no choice.  An officer dropped us off and wished us the best.  We checked in our luggage and got through security.  Getting through security was quick because my military ID got us into the priority line.  The flight to Ottawa was uneventful.

We had to wait at the Ottawa Airport for four hours before boarding the Canadian North plane to Iqaluit.  Like the old Tom Petty song goes, “the waiting is the hardest part”.  We enjoyed a dinner meal on the plane.  We landed in Iqaluit in the early evening.  We collected our air rifles & luggage, and took taxis to our hotel.  The military staff who arranged our travel called ahead and ordered dinner meals from Yummy Shawarma.  They were delivered to our hotel.  The cadets & I went to bed with full stomachs.

We returned to the Iqaluit Airport the next morning and boarded a Canadian North turboprop plane.  The plane took off and flew northwest to the top of Baffin Island.  The plane landed in Arctic Bay at 11am.  Parents were waiting inside the terminal to greet their kids and give them rides into town.  My ride into town was Frank.  He helped me move the air rifles back to the locked storage room in the school.  I was then driven home.

Overall, the trip went well, and the marksmanship team had fun.  Now we have to play the waiting game until the final results are announced.    

End of Stage 3 Marksmanship 2025 mini-series.

 

CWO Retires & S3M 2025 Part 1

The day had finally arrived for the cadet Chief Warrant Officer (CWO) of 3045 Army Cadets.  Their last day to be exact.  As I mentioned before, the Canadian Cadet Program is for youth aged 12 – 18.  You retire - “age out” - on your 19^th birthday.  It was time for the CWO to hang up his uniform for the last time.

At the end of the regular training night, the cadets honoured & thanked the CWO’s time & achievements by doing a March Past.  He stood tall & proud as the cadets marched passed him.  The cadet Master Warrant Officer (MWO) led the parade.  I stood on the sidelines taking photographs.  The MWO gave the CWO the opportunity to say a few words to the cadets.  The CWO thanked the cadets for supporting him and encouraged them to keep going in the program.  He dismissed the cadets for the last time.  I shook his hand & congratulated him for making it to the end.        

I received a March Past when I aged out as an MWO many, many years ago.  To be honest, I didn’t expect it, but I was honoured.        

The following day, 3045’s Marksmanship Team departed for Winnipeg to compete in the Stage 3 Regional Marksmanship Competition.  I was granted leave from my civilian job to attend as their escort officer & coach.  We spent the previous weekend packing air rifles, shooting jackets, safety glasses, tools, and our personal kit.  We were excited.

The plane took off from Arctic Bay in the afternoon, and we successfully landed in Iqaluit.  We proceeded through security, waited a few hours, and then boarded the Canadian North plane bound for Ottawa.  I enjoyed the chicken Tuscan dinner meal.  We landed in Ottawa just after midnight, picked up our luggage, and took the free shuttle to the hotel.  We slept well in our hotel rooms.

The cadets enjoyed breakfast on the ground floor of the hotel.  Our flight to Winnipeg wasn’t until the early evening so we had time to spare in Canada’s capital.  I suggested we take the newly built light-rail trainline to a nearby Wal-Mart to shop.  The cadets happily agreed.  The cadets & I spent an hour at Wal-Mart.  We then enjoyed lunch at Montana’s.  I ordered steak.  We then returned to the hotel.

We boarded an Air Canada jet in the late afternoon and flew to Winnipeg.  The flight was uneventful.  We picked up our luggage in the Arrivals Area and were greeted by a former 3045 army cadet who happened to be in Winnipeg on personal business.  He took a group photo of us sitting in front of the large YWG sign.  (YWG is the code for the Winnipeg Airport).  We were picked up by an officer who drove us to CFB Winnipeg.  He dropped us off at a barracks building where all the other out-of-town cadet teams would be staying.  My cadets & I were assigned rooms.  I had a room to myself.  The benefits of being a CIC military officer.

Lights out was at 11:00pm.  Everyone was told to get a good night’s rest because the weekend was going to be busy & competitive.

To Be Continued . . .