3045 ACR 2021

The Annual Ceremonial Review (ACR) parade was held on Wednesday, April 21.  Attendance was restricted to 50 people, including cadets, and facemasks had to be worn.  I borrowed the school’s portable Phonak speaker so that everyone could hear me speaking during presentations & awards.  The previous ACR was held in 2019.

The cadets & I arrived at the gym at 5:30pm.  We needed an hour to set everything up.  I made things less stressful by preparing the awards, presentations, and programs in advance.  The cadets set up chairs, tables, flags, and coffee & water urns.  The corps provides coffee, tea, and hot chocolate to attendees.  The cadets changed into their dress uniforms after the gym was ready.

Parents, guardians, and community members slowly trickled in to find seats.  There weren’t many because of restrictions, but enough to put on a show.  The parade began at 6:30pm.

I marched into the gym and received the General Salute.  Canada’s national anthem was also played.  I inspected the cadets and observed the March Past.  Once the cadets returned to their positions, I welcomed the audience and thanked them for supporting the cadets.

Excellence in PT Cadets.

Red Star Spring Biathlon Winner.

I moved on to awards & presentations, beginning with marksmanship badges.  One cadet achieved Level 3 and another received Level 4.  (Levels 3 & 4 are the top two in the cadet program).  Next came physical training badges: two cadets achieved silver, one cadet got gold, and two cadets received excellence.  The two winners of the spring biathlon received t-shirts.  I then promoted one cadet to the rank of Lance Corporal. 

Senior Spring Biathlon Winner.

Cadet promoted to Lance Corporal.

The local Army Cadet League of Canada (ACLC) Representative briefly took over to award golden painted bars to two senior cadets for serving 5 years in the cadet program.  The Long Service Award is awarded to cadets who have been in the program for four years.  They receive bars for each additional year thereafter.  The bar(s) go(es) across the top of the medal.

Best Boots & Deportment.

Best Female & Male Athletes.

The year-end awards were next on the program.  I started with Best Attendance, awarding the cadet a backpack & t-shirt.  Next, I called out the Most Improved Cadet and awarded him a t-shirt.  His name would also be placed on a plaque.  The Best Boots & Deportment cadet received a t-shirt, got to hold the large trophy, and had his picture taken.  His name will also be placed on the trophy.  The Top Female & Male Athletes held the large trophy for photographs and also received t-shirts for their achievements.  The last year-end award was the Top Cadet Award, going to the platoon commander on parade.  His named would be placed on the plaque, and received a backpack & t-shirt to take home.  All the t-shirts were military themed.

Top Cadet of 2021.

Biathlon Coach (left), ACLC Rep (centre),
Parent (right). C.K. was unable to attend.

The ACLC Rep returned to publicly acknowledge three civilian volunteers for helping the corps awarded them specially made League coins.  Those volunteers were: the biathlon coach, local photographer C.K. who did the recruitment posters, and a parent for preparing food for various cadet activities. 

The parade ended with the Advance In Review Order (AIRO) and the playing of God Save the Queen.  I then marched out of the gym.  The cadets were dismissed to the back of the gym for a group photo.  The flags were moved to the back and I returned for the photograph.  Once I was satisfied that enough pictures were taken, I dismissed the cadets to the reception area.  Reception lasted for 20 minutes.

The cadets & I cleaned the gym, and put everything away.  Then I formed everyone up and congratulated them for putting on a successful parade.  I also announced that cadets would be shutting down until August due to low attendance.  The ongoing pandemic was to blame.  I wished the cadets a great & safe summer, and dismissed them for the night.           

Caribou Meat & Spring Biathlon

Warning: Some readers may find the images contained in this post graphic.

School continued on April 12.  Overall, my spring break was alright.

Inuujaq School received a large order of caribou meat to be distributed to the student body.  The frozen meat arrived on April 13 and was packaged in plastic bags & cardboard boxes.  The boxes were taken down to the Home Ec room.  Two staff members placed flattened cardboard boxes on the floor and then placed the meat on top of them.  Using knives, axes, and hammers, the two staff members cut & divided the meat into smaller portions.  These portions were then placed in plastic bags.  Classes were called down to the Home Ec room to receive a bag of meat before heading home for lunch.  Teachers were called down last.  I took one large piece.  Everyone was grateful for the free country food.

I’m not a meat expert, but I think the order included most parts of the caribou.  There were boxes that contained caribou heads & hooves!  I probably should have taken one, but I don’t have a large enough pot to prepare a head and/or hoof.  If I ever do get one, I’ll have to find out how to cook it from coworkers or neighbours.  If not, there’s always Google & YouTube.

In late March, the Commander of Cadets & Junior Canadian Rangers made the decision to cancel “all in-person cadet training activities through the summer of 2021.”  This is because the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) “continue to be dedicated to the mission of protecting Canadians during the pandemic, [and], as a result, will not be able to provide the resources required to safely run overnight Cadet Training Centres.” 

The cadets & I were greatly disappointed by this announcement.  We were hoping conditions relating to the pandemic had improved, but unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.  Looks like COVID-19 still refuses to be banished to the history books.  Another summer without camps & exchanges will further lower the morale & enthusiasm of cadets.  In Nunavut, out-of-town & territory trips are a major incentive to join & stay in the program.  You take that away and cadet retention becomes difficult. 

In an effort to retain cadet interest, I organized a spring biathlon competition for Saturday, April 17.  Participation was voluntary.  I’m not sure when the last one was held.  The corps mostly holds fall biathlons in October. 

The one major benefit of holding a competition in April is that there is snow for the cadets to ski on.  However, the cadets would ski out on the ice instead of the roads to avoid serious accidents.  They would also be timed separately because I didn’t want them sprinting across a main road with their skiing equipment.  Our volunteer biathlon coach would supervise & time the cadets skiing around a simple track.  Frank would help me time & keep score of the cadets shooting in the gym.

The participating cadets converted the gym into an air rifle range by setting up tables, chairs, scopes, plinker targets, sandbags, backboards, and bowls filled with 5 lead pellets each.  They also set up a hot chocolate & coffee stand.  The last items they brought out were the air rifles.  I used the same scoring cards I prepared for the fall biathlon, but made several alterations.  Once the gym was ready, the cadets were instructed to prepare their skis.

I held a quick briefing with the cadets & volunteer staff, going over the rules of the competition and the schedule for the day.  The cadets could begin their relays in any order.  The competition began at 11:30am. 

A few cadets completed their relays while the senior cadets boiled water on a Coleman stove.  Frank & I ran the range, making sure the bowls were full and the cadets not competing stayed out of the way.  We called a lunch break at 12:30pm.

Lunch consisted of Canadian-made Individual Meal Packages (IMPs).  They’re better than the American made MREs because the menu is more varied and the packages include candy.  Frank & I confiscated the matches for the safety purposes.  We also feasted on homemade chocolate donuts, prepared by a parent of a cadet. 

The competition continued at 1:30pm.  The routine was the same.  The cadets shot a relay, and then walked down to the ice to ski.  They repeated this process two more times.  The competition finished at 2:45pm. 

I collected all the score cards & placed them in an envelope.  The envelope was then placed in the cadet office, away from the prying eyes of curious cadets.  We put everything away and cleaned the gym.  I let the cadets play sports while I reviewed the score cards and calculated the final results.  The cadets formed up for a quick debriefing when it was time to go.  I congratulated them for participating in the competition and informed them that they would know the final results of the competition at the upcoming Annual Ceremonial Review (ACR) Parade on Wednesday.  The cadets were dismissed for the day.  

To The End Of Strathcona Sound, Again – Part 2

The weather started to change at 2:30pm.  Dark grey clouds appeared to the south and the wind blew stronger towards the north.  The wind felt like an omen telling me to head back.  I gathered my things and walked down to the skidoo.  The wind blew stronger as I was putting my helmet on.  It felt like someone was pushing me to get moving.  “Okay! Okay! I’m going! I’m going!” I said out loud.  I warmed the skidoo, turned it around, and drove back the way I came.  Driving with the wind is easier than against it.  I kept my goggles off.

The wind above the mountains must have been really strong because thousands of particles of sand & dirt blanketed the southern end of Strathcona Sound.  The clouds also looked menacing.  A blizzard must be moving across the land.  I sped up and followed my previous skidoo tracks.  The further I drove, the more clouds I saw slowly moving & descending over the mountains to my left.  A blizzard was definitely on the move.  The wind pushed me off my previous tracks and to the centre of the sound.  If I got caught in the blizzard, I would have to wear my goggles and hope they didn’t fog up.

The NNF was completely enveloped by low clouds as I drove by.  I could barely see the installation.  I kept driving, hoping to outrun the oncoming blizzard.

I successfully avoided the Strathcona Sound blizzard and got close to Graveyard Point.  I stopped, stretched my legs, and photographed the crowns of nearby mountains.  I turned into Victor Bay, thinking the rest of the way was clear.  I was wrong.

A large blizzard was present in the entire bay.  I could see less than 100 metres ahead of me.  “Oh, come on!” I yelled out loud.  I drove cautiously and found a skidoo trail heading south.  The wind became too much and I was forced to put on my goggles.  Surprisingly, they didn’t fog up while I drove.  “Oh, now you decide to work properly!? Thanks a lot!”

I lost the trail.  Either I drove off it without noticing or the blizzard blew it away.  I stopped and assessed my situation.  I could wait out the blizzard, keep driving south, or find another way.  I was dressed for extreme cold & had enough supplies for a day.  Continuing south seemed like the worst idea because I would have to drive through the heart of the blizzard.  I looked to the right and realized there was a “trail” on the other side of the bay: the ice road.  I turned west and drove slowly.

My progress across the bay was slow because all I could see was white.  Even with my eyes seeing clearly through the goggles, I couldn’t determine if the snow ahead of me was flat and/or bumpy.  I couldn’t drive fast unless I wanted to risk tipping over a large snow drift.  I was driving blind.  I found myself leaning to the left to get a closer look at the snow.  The wind howled but my helmet, and Canada Goose & Baffin outer clothing protected me from the elements.  Truth be told, I was concerned, but not scared.  If I had to stop, I could use the skidoo as a wall & hide behind it.  I also had a SPOT device in case I had to send out a distress call.  This blizzard wasn’t going to beat me.

After a time that felt really long, I finally reached the other side of Victor Bay and saw the snow banks of the plowed ice road.  I stepped off my skidoo and found a spot where I could drive onto the road.  (The visibility range was long enough for me to step off my machine without the fear of losing sight of it in the blizzard).

From here, the Victor Bay blizzard wasn’t much of a concern.  The way had been plowed for me.  I followed the road to the very end.  I drove off the ice, passed the cabins by the shore, and followed a skidoo trail to Arctic Bay.  Visibility increased substantially and there was much less wind.

There was snow falling in the community as I descended the last hill on my skidoo.  I pulled up to my place and turned off the engine.  I walked inside my residence and breathed a huge sigh of relief.  I had made it.  I spent the next 90 minutes putting everything back the way it was.

Overall, my day trip was fun, but challenging at the end.  I revisited an area previously explored, but had to fight through a blizzard to get home.  Maybe I should have postponed the trip, but then I wouldn’t have this story to tell.  I’ll admit I don’t have any pictures of the blizzard, and even if I did take any, they would be all white, like printing paper.  Next time I’ll pay more attention to the weather forecast . . . and buy a better pair of goggles!

                                                                End of TTEOSSA Mini-Series. 

To The End Of Strathcona Sound, Again – Part 1

The area I chose to revisit was Strathcona Sound, specifically its eastern end and the southern valley attached to it.  The last time I was there was on April 10, 2017.  (Click on the link to read about my first trip).  I was going back one day before the 4^th anniversary.  Hard to believe that that much time has passed.  Better late than never.

I laid out everything I was taking on the coffee table the day before.  Toilet paper, snacks, juice boxes, first aid kit, Kleenex, matches, earplugs, duct tape, GPS, SPOT, batteries, binoculars, machete, gun, spare bullets, multitool, spark plugs, Ziploc bags, and spare gloves & goggles.  But wait, there’s more!  I would also be wearing many layers of clothing to protect me against the cold.  The weather can suddenly turn when you least expect it, so it’s best to be prepared.  Having everything out and ready the day before saved me a lot of time on the day of the trip.

I woke up on the morning of April 9 to the sight of overcast clouds.  The forecast predicted this would last the entire day, but I decided to proceed with the trip.  I spent an hour putting everything in my backpack and getting the skidoo ready.  I printed a map of my route and wrote a brief message stating my estimated return time.  I left both papers on the coffee table.  I also informed two coworkers of where I was going.

I left at 10:30am, following the road to Victor Bay.  I stopped at the top of the first hill and turned on my GPS & SPOT.  I drove off the road, followed a skidoo trail for some time, and then continued down a side road towards the cabins on the left side of the bay.  Driving onto the ice, I immediately noticed a plowed ice road heading north along the left side.  I replaced my goggles because they were fogging.  I found this strange because I was wearing a helmet that covered my nose & mouth.  I followed the road, enjoying smooth speeds of 96km/h.  The road came to an end just before the Grade 1 teacher’s cabin at the top of the bay.  Little did I know how important this road would be later in the day.

I drove off the ice road through an opening in the snowbank.  It didn’t take long for me to stop again because my vision was getting obscured by fog.  I wiped the interior of the goggles with Kleenex, thinking this would help.  No such luck.  Frustrated, I removed them and placed them on the left handle bar.  I continued driving across the bay, my eyes exposed to the Arctic air.  Maybe this is how Inuit strengthen their eyes & vision?  I originally wanted to continue driving north beyond the bay and then turn towards Strathcona Sound, but changed my mind.  I drove carefully, avoiding large snow drifts.  Tipping over is not fun, especially when the right panel has been removed, because the exhaust & battery can be seriously damaged.  (The side panels are often removed so that the engine can be continuously cooled by the Arctic air.  I usually just remove the right panel).

I successfully made it across, passed Graveyard Point, and continued into Strathcona Sound.  There was no one else around me.  I followed a previously made trail until it made a u-turn.  I was now making my own trail.  This wasn’t a concern because I’ve previously travelled this way on several occasions.  Driving with my eyes exposed was not as bad as I thought it would be.  I did, however, have to squint.

It took 30 minutes to arrive at the Nanisivik Naval Facility (NNF).  The base is not operational but it looks nearly complete.  The most noticeable addition is a tall crane by the dock.  I’m guessing it’ll be used to hoist & hold the fuel pipe while it’s connected to the ship needing refueling.  The primary purpose of the NNF is to refuel the Harry DeWolf class of Arctic offshore patrol vessels, but I bet other large vessels will use the facility.

I stretched my legs and took several pictures of the facility. 

The snow & ice usually smooths out past Nanisivik, but this year, I had to travel further to reach the smooth ice.  I found myself travelling near the centre of the sound.  I stopped a few times to photograph the same mountains I saw in 2017.  It’s hard not to because they’re majestic.  There were still clouds in the sky.  I was hoping they would open up by now, but they didn’t.

I passed the entrance to the hidden valley I explored in May 2017.  I thought I should also revisit that area later this year.

Maybe I'll revisit that valley next time.

I reached the end of Strathcona Sound and headed south.  I drove off the ice and continued on solid ground.  The landscape looked the same, but there was less snow.  I followed the snow and avoided the rocks.  I maybe got halfway when I realized the end of the valley was unreachable.  I could have driven over rocks but I risked (seriously) damaging the skis & track.  I didn’t want to become stranded out here because I was 74km away from Arctic Bay.  Time for Plan B.

I parked my skidoo in the middle of a large patch of white snow, next to a small pass I ignored in 2017.  The time was 1:00pm.  Silence invaded my ears after I turned off the engine, but there was a faint breeze.  I replaced my helmet with a toque and refilled the skidoo with gas.  Once that was out of the way, I slowly began hiking to the pass.  I carried my backpack and firearm.

There were a lot of rocks leading up to the pass.  I hiked for 20 minutes before stopping near a hill on the right side.  I had no intention of hiking up the jagged mountains because it would take too long.  I photographed the mountains, my skidoo in the distance, and the valley itself.  From where I stood, I could see many snow paths criss-crossing the ground.  Maybe I could have made it to the southern end if I had followed another path?  Maybe next time.

I rested, ate some snacks, and looked at the landscape.  I wasn’t bothered by the lack of sound; it just made my situation all the more real & calmer.  People down south go to their cottages to escape the cities; me, I just drive somewhere out on the land.

I found a large flat rock to set my camera down and take some timed photographs.  There was a lot of running because I only had 10 seconds to get into position.  I followed the trial & error method. 

                                                                    To Be Continued . . . 

Spring Break Begins & The Second Shot

Spring break began on Good Friday, April 2.  (Let’s be honest: every Friday is a good Friday).  Everyone was looking forward to a week off school and surprised by how fast time was moving.  Midterm exams & report cards were held 2 weeks ago, but it felt like that was yesterday.  My plans for the break were simple: eat, sleep, relax, and go out on the land at least once.  Time would have to be set aside for school.  There’s no avoiding that.

The community held Easter games on Monday, April 5, out on the ice in front of the Northern Store and next to the breakwater pier.  Trucks, skidoos, and atvs were parked in a makeshift parking lot.  From a distance it looked like the adults were running relay games for the kids.  Local sled dog owners were taking people out on rides in the bay.

The Logan GeoTech Drill had been moved off the ice and was sitting next to the breakwater pier.  I snapped a photograph because this was the first time I could clearly see the machine.  The machine was hiding inside a large wooden box when it was being moved & used.  The drill looks complicated and expensive.

I received my second dose of the Moderna vaccine on April 6.  The procedure was the same as before.  I arrived at the community hall, signed in, answered several questions for the nurse, and then received my injection.  The nurse wrote the date on a business-sized vaccination card.  I waited 15 minutes before heading home.  I laminated my vaccination card.  One less thing to worry about.

A co-worker of mine fixed the electrical system on my skidoo, bringing the dashboard & headlights back to life.  I didn’t really need the headlights because the sun was in the sky for most of the day.  Twenty-four-hour sunlight is just another 2 weeks away!  With my machine out of the shop, I could finally take it out on the land.  I spent two days getting gas & oil, buying snacks at the Northern Store, and selecting an area to visit.  I settled on an area I hadn’t been to since 2017.  I set my day trip for Friday, April 9.

More on this in the next post.