Local Fishing Derby

Unfortunately, Inuujaq School wasn’t permitted to hold a spring camp for the students & teachers this year due to COVID-19 restrictions.  This is the second time the school had to cancel the annual week-long event.  We thought restrictions would be lifted by now, but we were wrong.  The camp is usually held in May because of the sunny weather and it’s the perfect time to hunt seals & fish for char.  There’s always next year.

I photographed many skidoos and qamutiks parked along the shores of Arctic Bay on May 26.  They belonged to families who travelled to far away fishing lakes last weekend during the annual fishing derby.  A few qamutiks are taken off the ice, but the majority stay, because families continue to go out on the land to fish at their own leisure.  The ice doesn’t fully melt until the end of June.  I only attended one fishing derby in 2016 when I travelled to Ikpikituarjuk with another teacher.  Hopefully, I’ll get the opportunity to do that again.

At school, the Inuit teachers informed me that the Hamlet Office had organized another fishing derby, later in the day.  The competition would be restricted to the Arctic Bay area.  Participants could fish in the bay or just past Uluksan Point and Pataatalik.  Cash prizes would be awarded to the largest fish caught.  The derby was scheduled to begin at 7pm.  I guess the Hamlet Office had extra money lying around or the community demanded another derby.  Anything to get people out of their houses.

I made sure my camera batteries were fully charged.  I wore my sealskin parka because the temperature was only mildly cold.  I stepped outside and started to walk down to the bay to take pictures of people fishing.  My original plan was to take pictures and then walk home.  I’m not a fisherman.  About halfway I noticed there were very few people fishing in the bay.  This puzzled me because I expected the area to be swarming.  I still took a few photographs and prepared to return home.  And then I looked to my right.

In the distance, at Pataatalik, a very long line of people was fishing along an ice crack.  (Why else would they be standing in a line?).  People were being ferried there on skidoos, qamutiks, and even ATVs.  I changed my plan.  I was now walking towards Uluksan Point to get a better view.

I followed the road to Uluksan Point.  I snapped several photographs along the way.  This is the first time I saw this many people fishing between Pataatalik and Uluksan Point.  I walked off the road, and ascended a tall hill to my right.  I moved from rock to rock, using them to steady myself, and prevent me from sliding back down.  After a short, demanding ascent, I reached the plateau of the hill and continued walking forward.  I stopped walking when I saw the roundabout at Uluksan Point.

Fishing near the airport.

There were only three cars at the roundabout.  All the action was happening along the ice crack at Pataatalik.  There were a lot of people.  Skidoo & qamutik trails were everywhere.  I could only hear the skidoos & ATVs.  I could only assume everyone was having a fun time.  I also saw a group of people fishing near the Arctic Bay Airport.  I was able to get some good clear pictures with my Nikon Coolpix A1000 camera. 

Tall rock face.

I decided to get a better view of the entire landscape by hiking up to a tall sheer rock face behind me.  Again, I moved from rock to rock.  As I was making my way up, I spotted another group of people fishing to my left.  I continued my ascent, but this time, I moved in the direction of the group, hoping to get a better view.  I was aiming for an inuksuk sitting on a ledge, but the path to get there appeared dangerous.  In the end, I got as close as I could and snapped a few good pictures.

I found a flat rock to sit on in front of the rock face.  I rested and took in the breathtaking scenery.  There were four fishing spots: Arctic Bay, airport, Pataatalik, and Uluksan Point.  Naturally, I took many more photographs.  Moments like this don’t happen very often.  There was no one else around.  I was alone.  Once again, all I could hear were the sounds of skidoos & ATVs moving people between the fishing spots.  I just sat there, on the rock, gazing, observing, and making mental notes. 

I photographed an Inuk pulling two large white qamutiks from Pataatalik to Uluksan Point.  The qamutiks were filled with people and supplies.  A skidoo is powerful enough to pull two qamutiks, but I wouldn’t do it often.  You may be pushing the machine too hard.  You also have to make sure there is enough space between the sleds because they don’t come with brakes.  They’ll rear end each other if you’re driving fast & then suddenly stop.  The experienced driver safely made it to Uluksan.

I stayed in the same spot for about an hour and then began my walk home.  I descended from the rock face and followed the route I came.  I took several more pictures of Arctic Bay.  I arrived home close to 9pm.  The sun was still high in the sky, thanks to 24-hour daylight.  I’m glad I got out of the house and documented the fishing derby.  I wasn’t present at the awards ceremony, but I’m sure the lucky winners were excited to receive cash.

May In A Blur

The month of May always goes by fast.  The school days just fly by.  May is the last full month of school.  The semester ends in early June.  I’ll give you a quick review of the last three weeks.

The weather usually gets better around this time of the year because it’s spring.  There’s still ice in the bay, but the snow in town begins to melt.  It’s also the time I wear my sealskin parka.  I snapped a selfie on May 6 before heading home on my skidoo.  I wanted to see what people see when I drive by.

My guitar students spent the last three weeks learning chords, riffs, and short songs.  They also looked at the songs they requested to be included in the class fake book.  I collected their requests in February, and researched, organized, & printed the books in March. 

My Grade 10 Social Studies students continued their study of Canada’s residential school system and my Grade 11s looked at globalization’s affects on quality of life in Nunavut, Canada, and the world.

Speaking of quality of life, living conditions in Venezuela are getting worse due to the hyperinflation of the country’s currency.  The Bolivar, as it’s called, has been losing value with every passing day, and prices have skyrocketed, reminiscent of what happened in Zimbabwe, and, if you want to go really far back, the Weimar Republic.  I bring this up because one of the middle school teachers showed me a gift they received from a Venezuelan friend: a purse made out of Bolivars.  The teacher let me photograph it because I wanted to use it as a visual aid when I talk about hyperinflation in Social Studies.

May 14, 2021.

The annual fishing derby was held over the Victoria Day weekend.  Many people left to fish at far away designated lakes, while others chose to fish in town.  I hiked up tall hill on May 23 to take pictures of the community and the surrounding area.  The weather was perfect.  The sun shined brightly and there were clouds in the sky.  The clouds cast large shadows on the land & ice below.

May 23, 2021.

Downtown & Uptown.

Eastside.

It took me about 25 minutes to get to the top of the hill.  There wasn’t enough snow on the ground to use the skidoo.  My efforts were rewarded by the breathtaking views.  I took out my newly purchased Nikon camera and snapped as many photographs as I could.  I took pictures of people fishing out on the ice, all the neighbourhoods, the school, prominent landmarks, and the many skidoo trails that crisscrossed the ice.  The town was relatively quiet.  There were only a few vehicles driving around.  A lot of people do leave the community to go fishing.

Inuujaq School.

Arctic Bay Airport.

I also took a few pictures of Victor Bay and reminisced about my day trip at the beginning of the month. 

I descended the hill and stopped into the Co-op to buy a few things.  I walked home and immediately went to work editing & sorting the photographs I took. 

Victor Bay. May 23, 2021.

Back To The Hidden Valley

I began the month of May by returning to the hidden valley I explored in 2017.  It’s not officially called that on any maps I’ve seen; it’s just a name I gave the area because I suddenly noticed it when I was driving to the end of Strathcona Sound.  The valley gets narrower further inland and then stops at an enclosed rock face.  A small part of this rock face acts as a waterfall during the summer & fall.  The waterfall freezes during the winter & spring months.

Getting to the end of this valley required me to drive just over 71km.  A full tank of gas and two 5-gallon red cans would be more than enough for the round trip.  My backpack was full of snacks, batteries, extra ammunition, toilet paper, first aid kit, and GoPro & Nikon cameras.  I was armed with a machete and 12-gauge shot gun.  The essentials, such as, GPS, SPOT, and extra spark plugs, were attached or inside my Canada Goose jacket.

There were many clouds in the sky on the morning of May 1.  However, they weren’t foreboding like the ones I had to deal with in April.  There were also many strips of exposed blue sky, letting in sunlight.  I gathered up everything and started the skidoo.  Just like my previous trip in April, I notified two coworkers of where I was going and left a map of my planned travel route on the coffee table.

Victor Bay.

Strathcona Sound.

I followed the same route I took last month.  I stopped the skidoo when I drove onto the ice in Victor Bay to take a picture of the sky.  I continued driving diagonally across the bay, following an established skidoo trail.  Thankfully, my goggles did not fog up.  I reached Graveyard Point with ease and continued into Strathcona Sound.  The ice in the distance appeared flat, but I knew there would be bumps along the way.

I drove at a moderate speed, making my own trail, and enjoying the scenery.  Seeing the vast open landscape is always fascinating.  Even though it was May, I still wore my heavy winter clothing.  Better to be overdressed than underdressed.  I successfully made it to Nanisivik after 25 minutes.  The dock looked exactly the same since my last visit.  I stopped, stretched my legs, and took a few photographs.  It will be interesting to see this refueling station in operation.

Nanisivik Naval Facility.

Nanisivik Naval Facility.

Dark clouds hovered above the land beyond Nanisivik.  The weather forecast didn’t call for any blizzards, but anything can happen up here.  Thankfully, the clouds didn’t stretch infinitely and I could see bright skies in the far distance.  With any luck, the dark clouds would be gone by the time I arrived at the hidden valley entrance.  I pressed onward.

Strathcona Sound.

Luck was with me today because the dark clouds were moving north, away from where I was going.  This was possible due to strong winds blowing north.  A strong gust happened to hit me while I was driving and for a split second, I thought my skidoo was going to flip over.  I guess there “ain’t no mountain high enough” to stop wind.

Hidden Valley Entrance.

I crossed several small cracks in the ice and then arrived at the entrance to the hidden valley.  I drove in the centre and found a spot to drive onto land.  I followed long patches of snow so that my skis & track would not get damaged by rocks.  The amount of snow on the ground dwindled the further I drove.  About halfway into the valley, there was more exposed ground & large rocks.  I stopped in front of a large precipice to assess my situation.  The land ahead of me was flat with smaller patches of snow, but they were much further apart.  And the thought of having to turn the skidoo around on exposed ground didn’t appeal to me.  I decided I would walk the remaining 2.5km.  But before that, I would take a closer look at the precipice.

Precipice.

I switched off the skidoo engine and refueled the tank.  I removed my helmet and put on a toque.  There were no birds or other animals in the area.  I ate a few snacks and prepared to hike into the precipice.  (I only photographed this natural feature in 2017).  Armed with my shot gun & wearing a GoPro camera on my head, I filmed my 10-minute hike.  I was tired at the end, but amazed at the sheer size & height of the precipice.  There was a very large ice & snow formation at the bottom in the centre.  Snow & water appeared to have fallen from a large opening at the top and then froze in a large pile.  I took more photographs, laid down in the snow, and looked up at the clouds in the sky.  I was alone with my thoughts. 

View from within the precipice.

Several minutes passed before I stood back up.  I filmed two short videos of me firing five slugs from inside the precipice.  I made sure no one was around and wore earplugs.  The echoes were loud & clear.  The slugs now rest somewhere on top of a nearby hill.  I put the casings in my backpack for later disposal.

Walking towards the frozen waterfall.

I left the skidoo behind and walked the remaining distance to the enclosed frozen waterfall.  I stopped several times to look around, making sure I wasn’t being followed by a polar bear, and to remind myself that yes, I really was out here in the wilderness, all by myself.  The feeling of being very far away from another human being is surreal.  True, I was only about 52km from Arctic Bay, but the distance & isolation are amplified when it’s in the Arctic.  I think you would get the same feeling in the middle of the Sahara Desert.

The enclosed rock face remained unchanged since 2017.  I doubted the solid rock formations had changed in four years.  Even the ice formation of the frozen waterfall looked the same, but I bet there were some minute differences.  I took several photographs & selfies and then sat down on a large rock.  “I’m back!” I said out loud.  My voice echoed for several seconds.

I used my GoPro camera again to film a video of me firing two slugs in the air.  The echoes weren’t too loud.  I picked up the discarded casings for later disposal.  I stayed at the enclosure for about 20 minutes, regaining my strength.

The time had come to return to the skidoo and head home.  I gathered my belongings and walked back to the machine.  Thankfully, it was still in the same place where I left it.  I fired up the engine, turned the machine around and drove towards Strathcona Sound.  I followed my previous tracks.  I increased my speed when I entered the sound.

Walking back to the skidoo.

Back to Strathcona Sound.

I spotted two black dots in the distance.  At first, I thought they were two seals sunbathing, but then I realized they were moving too fast to be seals.  They were hunters on skidoos looking for seals.  One of them was pulling a qamutik.  I drove towards them to exchange greetings.  I don’t think it’s a written rule, but out of all the times I’ve been out on the land, when you see someone coming your way, you normally exchange greetings.  You don’t have to stop; you can just smile and/or wave.

Two of the hunters were on one skidoo and were students.  They stopped to see who was approaching them.  I think they quickly guessed who I was because I think I’m the only person in town who wears a skidoo helmet while out on the land.  I stopped, removed my helmet, and greeted the students.  The third hunter pulling the qamutik happened to be Moses, Arctic Bay’s current mayor.  The students asked if I was hunting seals.  I replied that I was just exploring a part of their land, and pointed in the direction of the hidden valley.  I briefly explained what I saw because they hadn’t been there before.  I asked them if they had caught any seals, to which they replied, “Not yet.”  I wished them the best and continued driving to Arctic Bay.

The rest of the drive was uneventful.  There were plenty of clouds in the sky, but no blizzards.  I arrived home just after 6pm.

Overall, the trip was a success.  I revisited an area I previously explored.  Now I have to find the time to make & upload the GoPro videos to my YouTube channel for you to enjoy.

On an entirely separate note, since I’m publishing this post on May 4, Happy Star Wars Day!

Update: I finally uploaded the videos to my YouTube channel.  Sorry for the long wait.  You can watch them here:

Hiking Up To A Precipice – Short Musical Version

Shooting A Shot Gun From Within A Precipice – Part 1 (POV)

Shooting A Shot Gun From Within A Precipice – Part 2 (LS/WS)

Shot Gun Slug Echoes At A Frozen Waterfall