Onward To Elwin Inlet – Part 2

Elwin Inlet.

I stepped off the skidoo and scanned the horizons.  No polar bears in sight.  I walked over to the red kill-switch button on my skidoo, already knowing what was coming.  I pressed it.  Silence, my old friend, greeted me.  The deafening silence was everywhere but I could barely hear a light breeze blowing.  Once my mind adjusted to the massive drop in sound, I immediately took out my shotgun and fired 2 slugs into the air to ward off any polar bears.  I carefully set the gun down and refilled the gas tank.  I continued looking around.  When that was done, I topped up the oil tank on the side.  I threw some light snow on the silver-coloured exhaust, watching it melt instantly.  The hissing sound told me the exhaust was hot from all the driving.

I filmed a 360-degree panorama video of the area; I wanted proof that I was actually there.  I also filmed a short clip of me firing a slug into the air from my shotgun.  My skidoo acted as the camera’s tripod and the tall slanted mountain served as the backdrop.  There was an echo but I didn’t hear it because of my earplugs and helmet.  Thankfully, the microphone on my camera recorded the sound.

I kept my helmet on and ate some snacks.  I had to maneuver the helmet a few times to get the food in my mouth.  I sat on my skidoo and enjoyed the scenery and near-overwhelming silence.  This was extreme social distancing at its best.  There were clouds in the sky but the sun was shining brightly.  I stayed at the entrance to Elwin Inlet for about 40 minutes.

All great day trips have to come to an end at some point.  I sighed, packed up, and got back onto my skidoo.  The time had come to head home.  I took one last look at the inlet and then began driving south.  I followed the main skidoo trail.

First seal spotted.

Seal in Baillarge Bay.

I spotted a seal sunbathing between Elwin Inlet & Ship Point.  It disappeared under the ice when I came closer.  I spotted another seal sunbathing in the middle of the entrance to Baillarge Bay.  I stopped and snapped a picture with Ship Point in the background.  The seal disappeared into a seal hole when I continued driving.  The seal hole was near the main skidoo trail.

Third Seal.

The third seal I spotted was closer to Ship Point.  This one appeared larger than the other two.  It was sunbathing near an ice crack and frequently looking in my direction.  I was expecting it to slip under the ice like the other two, but, surprisingly, it didn’t.  Even when I drove closer, it stayed in its place.  I stopped driving and took out my camera.  I quickly took a few close-up photos and filmed a short video.  This seal was either fearless, confused, or friendly.  I decided to see just how close I could get to it.

I drove a few metres passed Ship Point, stopped, and hit the kill-switch.  The engine went silent but the seal didn’t move.  It just kept looking at me.  I started slowly walking towards it, my camera at the ready.  I took a few steps, stopped, then repeated the process.  I think I was about halfway when the seal decided it had enough and slid into the water.  I should have crawled along the frozen ice, fooling the seal into thinking I was a large black seal.  I turned around and returned to the skidoo.                    

Low hanging clouds drifted over, across, and between the mountains on the way to Cape Strathcona.  I was still the only human travelling by skidoo in this area.  I wish I had an expensive hi-tech drone flying above me, filming my journey from the sky.  The footage would have made an excellenct short film.

Frozen Admiralty Inlet.

Strathcona Sound (left), Victor Bay (top middle), Admiralty Inlet (right)

Victor Bay.

I followed the main skidoo trail across the entrance to Strathcona Sound and returned to Graveyard Point.  I continued into Victor Bay, slowly driving over to the other side.  I arrived at the same place where I drove onto the ice.  The qamutiks & the mattress were still there.  I drove off the ice and followed the same trail back to the road to Victor Bay.  I stopped at the hill where you can see all of Arctic Bay.  I photographed people ice fishing and the French boat Vagabond.  The ice fishers were fishing derby participants.  I continued driving until I got home.

Arctic Bay. May 16, 2020.

Vagabond.

My day trip to Elwin Inlet was fantastic!  I got to see another part of Arctic and am closer to reaching the floe edge.  I only saw seals; no polar bears.  When I refilled the gas tank, I deduced that I had enough gas to explore a small portion of the Inlet.  I would need another 38 litres (10 gallons) to explore the Inlet in its entirety.  That would require me pulling a small qamutik with two 5-gallon cans tied to it.  I wonder what’s next on my list of places to explore? 

                                                  End of Onward To Elwin Inlet Series.