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Kanada
Nunavut

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    • ReisenderThe Great White North
      Tag 454

      An actual Visitor---A human one!

      8. Dezember 2018 in Kanada ⋅ ⛅ -26 °C

      Last week I had the great privilege of hosting my first visitor to Igloolik. My cousin, who was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, where peaches and pecans sell on the side of the road, braved the cold and Journeyed to the North. I capitalize "journey" because as anyone that has traveled further north than Iqaluit knows, it is always a Journey with a capital J. lol.

      After traveling from Atlanta to Ottawa by way of Philadelphia and Toronto, he spent the night at the airport and then got the dismaying news that he would be spending an extra day in Ottawa. The jet had a dent in it. Apparently. Boeing said it was too big to fly safely. So, my cousin got his bag, hotel voucher, and left the airport. He put on his tourist hat and ventured to Parliament Hill in Ottawa and joined a tour to learn about Canadian governance and history. He had his first shawarma, a delicious wrap not unlike a gyro but yummier that originates from Lebanon. If you like garlic, you will like shawarma! He learned about the canal that runs through Ottawa and freezes in the winter providing an ice rink for all to enjoy.

      The next day, he tried again and experienced his first flight in which you walk out onto the tarmac, to board the plane...from the back. The front of the jet coming from Ottawa to Iqaluit is for cargo. The lack of roads or rail leaves only the planes to bring everything that is necessary to support thousands of people. Once in Iqaluit, he once again, walked across the tarmac to the 1-yr old new airport. There, he managed to not get lost in the 6 whole gates of the airport. The final leg of the journey is on a twin prop, 18 passenger plane sitting out on the tarmac.

      He boarded the plane that had been sitting, unheated on the tarmac for hours, and learned how cold a plane can get! Turns out it's a metal tube! Two hours later, a brief stopover in Hall Beach allowed him to see a town even smaller than Igloolik. Hall Beach is our neighbor with 800 residents that is reachable by skidoo during the winter on the sea ice with a 1.5-2hr ride. My cousin saw the one-room airport with baggage carousel that is a sheet of metal angled down so when the airline employee shoves the bags through a baggage door, the bags slide down the metal slide.

      Then, it was short 15 min flight to Igloolik. I picked him up and showed him the town which he remarked seemed bigger than he expected. Over the next days, we walked and experienced the shock and awe of grocery prices, of walking on sea ice, of realizing the sun was not going to crest over the horizon.

      He saw me gather and prepare dinner at 3pm because it felt later. He had his eyelashes frozen and frosted all of his clothing. He got to shovel snow for the first time as we unburied the qamatik that was going to be pulled behind a skidoo so we could out for a ride around the land. It turned out to be too windy for a good ride, so my cousin got his own personal chauffeured ride on the back of a friend's skidoo.

      He got to buy a local carved narwhal made from caribou antler. Great find since he'd been wanting one of those. He got to visit my work and see animal specimens that he may never get (or want) to see again. lol.

      We played bingo over the radio and lost. We went to a party and he wowed everyone with his knowledge of Nunavut and Inuktitut. I had no idea how he knew all that he did. He said he just read the magazines and talked to the people next to him on the plane. I mean, he came in rattling off towns like Pangnirtung and Qikiqtarjuaq while explained the pronunciation of Inuktitut letters. It was hilarious.

      We threw hot water in the air and watched it vaporize. We did this particular exercise at least 5 times. We saw great Northern Lights and he was shocked to learn (as we all are) that I live too far north for the best Northern Lights. (I personally think that is one of the best things to say to convey to someone just how far north Igloolik is----"well, to see the Northern Lights, we have to look South." bahahaha)

      He got to feel -40 with the windchill...as we stood out there trying to take pictures of those Northern Lights. He quickly shifted to choosing the parka when the windchills got past -35C. He remarked as well that with the proper clothes, it is not bad. It is only bad for long periods of time or for exposed skin----it's not that my hands haven't been cold before---it just usually takes longer than 10 seconds.

      I am so lucky to have been able to share this with my family. A trip like this is not feasible for most and to have the stars align so that he could come was very cool.

      And of course the Journey couldn't be complete without a little leaving drama. His exit flight out of Igloolik was cancelled 5 days in advance. The auxiliary power unit that starts the planes after they've shut down in cold temps broke in the town north of us. Thus, no plane could leave there. My cousin's flights were canceled for 4 days. I guess that's the time it takes to get a replacement sent up. Rather than bank on the fact that they might or might not get the power unit replaced, I immediately booked him on the only other airline that serves here (though those airlines just merged a few months ago so after January, we will only have one airline----what could go wrong---nothing bad gonna happen with that situation. Sigh). We drove to the airport in somewhat foggy conditions not knowing if the plane would make it out. The plane was fully booked. They landed in Igloolik and my cousin safely left in a fuzzy, dusky morning.      Weiterlesen

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    • ReisenderThe Great White North
      23
      Tag 637

      Back on the ice and back to the books

      9. Juni 2019 in Kanada ⋅ ⛅ 3 °C

      More melting means time to hit the sea ice on the Fat bike! Yea! First foray out today and only almost crashed once when I didn’t see a foot-wide crack in the ice. That was jarring.

      It is still freaky and disconcerting to pedal out on the ice. However, I wasn’t as afraid this year as last year, so I suppose one would get used to it and take it for granted….like all things.

      I didn’t ride too long because I learned that if you bike a certain direction you will bounce yourself to death and my butt is not into those bike seats anyways, let alone BOUNCING on them. No thanks. If I rode basically parallel to the shore, the ride was much smoother. I am no ice expert, but I would say that it has to do with the ridges formed as the ice formed with the wind.

      I got some pics and decided to give my butt a rest. But first I had one more stop to make. The LIBRARY! That’s right, I finally found it! It was an epic journey to locate this 21st century speakeasy. I had tried multiple times before, but failed. Figuring out the location or hours of things here is much like becoming a detective. First you canvass the area looking for signs or notices. None exist in Igloolik. There are no markings on ANY buildings except the grocery stores. Churches are smart---they put a cross on top. Easy. Next you look online. Nope. No set websites for any services here in Igloolik, like the Arena, or Headstart, or the Library. Then you start interviewing people…just like a cop. “Hey, you seen a library around here? I heard there is one but don’t know where it is.” You get tidbits of info like, “Oh yeah, it’s in the elementary school.” Cool.

      “Does that mean it’s only open during school hours?”

      “I don’t know.”

      I went to the elementary school and always the doors were locked. There were no signs (remember, no signs here. In fact, the elementary school entrance isn’t even labeled…I just assumed it was the double doors).

      On to the next interviewee. So it goes until finally I found someone who had actually BEEN there! Like, in person, flesh and blood. They swore it was real and so I knew I only had to try harder to find it. I was determined now. I pumped them for when they went and where exactly. True to form, they couldn’t exactly tell me other than it was in the elementary school.

      “Did you use the front doors?”

      “I don’t know. I went from inside the building so I don’t know where I was.”

      Gah, useless.

      I vowed to try every damn door on the building until someone either shooed me away or I was successful.

      On a Saturday, I tried 7 doors that were all locked. I was at the last 2 to try. They looked like they went into a side part of the building. They looked abandoned. One opened and there inside, was the library room! I was so stoked.

      I got a library card and everything. Checked out 3 books that day and was so happy to hold a real book in my hands again instead of just being the creeper in the airport bookstores fondling the books but never buying because I have no room.

      So back to today, I went by the library to return the books I had borrowed and was greeted by a wholly unfriendly dog that was staked out at the top of the steps like a sentry with very sharp teeth. I had no desire to have my face bitten off so I gently tugged her leash to see if she would submit. She did not. She leapt up and started furiously barking. I was happy with this because I knew this would attract the attention of her owner and maybe they would come out and get ahold of Cujo.

      The owner did hear the dog who was inaccurately named Daisy. She never did stop barking at me. But, I got my books returned and pedaled on back home to relax.      Weiterlesen

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    • ReisenderThe Great White North
      Tag 400

      Signs you're field rotten

      15. Oktober 2018 in Kanada ⋅ ⛅ -7 °C

      3 months. 11.5 weeks since I left my home in Igloolik to do field work. That is a long time to not have any privacy and share cabins with 4-5 of your very best stranger-friends. Now, don't let me misinform you dear reader. I spent many days in communities in hotels. You see, however, this is the Arctic and hotel rooms are a rare and precious thing. This means that although I had a hotel room, this room was shared with someone else. That's right, for the low low price of $250-$300 per night, you get a twin bed in a room shared with someone else. I chose to share with my colleagues rather than pure strangers.

      I have decided to share a few insights that I've had since returning to the capital city of Iqaluit. Then, over the next weeks, I plan to share singular stories and instances of life/work in the field. Thus, they won't be in real time, but rather a revelation of stored stories.

      Signs You're Field Rotten (aka: not fit for society)
      1. Taking daily or every-other-day showers seems inordinately excessive.

      2. It is perfectly reasonable and acceptable to wear the same clothes for at least a week. Pants could go longer.

      3. You don't notice holes or dirt on your clothes unless the holes are are allowing cold air in, in which case, the are either repaired with tape or burned.

      4. You return to society and try to leave the hotel room in search of the bucket bathroom. (I did this the first night back in Iqaluit).

      5. "Dirty" becomes very subjective. Unless there is visible, accumulated dirt, it is not dirty.

      6. You don't worry about skin care because the daily micro-dermabrasions and saltwater scrubs from the helicopter's rotor wash keeps your exposed skin nice and fresh.

      7. You have trouble sleeping in a proper sized bed or room because both are too big to feel secure.

      8. You have separation anxiety upon returning to society because there are not 4-5 strangers within arm's reach at all times.

      9. You notice clouds or fog and immediately think, "Oh no, not good ceilings for flying."

      10. You forget to bring your wallet places because where you've been, money is not a thing.

      11. You brush your teeth and wash your hands in the instantly warm, ever-running water because it's fun and easy.

      12. You see Tuck Tape as viable, reasonable fix for everything---ripped wallet, torn pants, etc.

      13. Footwear needs only be "boots" and varying degrees of "warmer boots".

      14. Sights, noise, movement, and activities of people jar you. Restaurants are overwhelmingly loud. You order take out to get away from the bustle.

      15. You find toilet paper in random pockets of all your outerwear---prepared for bathroom breaks anywhere.

      These are the things that have popped into my head though I am sure there will be more. Nevertheless, I survived and hopefully will be home soon!!      Weiterlesen

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    • ReisenderThe Great White North
      1
      3111
      Tag 320

      Pistachios and Parsley!

      27. Juli 2018 in Kanada ⋅ ⛅ 7 °C

      I arrived in the capital, Iqaluit yesterday and proceeded to ooh and ahh in every aisle of the incredible grocery store.
      There was fresh basil! Pistachios! Parsley! Pineapple and so much more. Goat cheese and feta cheese. Fresh meat! There were sodas and gluten free cookies. I could go on and on. It's amazing. I was there to buy stuff for snacks this week and field camp odds and ends so my boss was with me. He was so excited by the parsley that he just grabbed a piece right off the cooler shelf and proceeded to gnaw on it. The passing shopper was a bit taken aback judging by her swiveling head and wide eyes. Savages we already are.
      Then, the evening finished off with night. That's right, darkness. What a good cue that it's time for bed.      Weiterlesen

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    • ReisenderThe Great White North
      2
      32
      Tag 318

      Summer was short and sweet.

      25. Juli 2018 in Kanada ⋅ 🌬 3 °C

      Settle in dear readers. Settle in. If you follow this little blog, you'll know that I haven't posted in over a month. I would like to update you on the goings on in Igloolik and in my head.

      Currently, it's 3C (37F) with a feels like temp of -3C (26F). I get that it's the Arctic. Well, at least I get that in a factual way, but stepping outside in late July and shivering is just bizarre. It is like I'm in upside-down world. Maybe I need to travel to the Southern Hemisphere so that I can have these chilly temps set a "normal" for me. So, is summer over? I don't know. All I know is that I have ridden to work approximately 1 day in almost a year of being here without a hat. I have ridden multiple days without gloves, so yay summer!

      The ice in the bay was blown out to sea in a matter of two days when we had gale force winds slicing through town. Seeing the bay completely iced up one day and then completely open water the next is also bizarre. Another bizarre (bizarre is the word of the day folks) experience was when the water was freed from the ice, I was instantly struck, upon stepping outside, by the ocean smell. The smell of the sea exists even in the cold Arctic. It made me smile. That's a smell I have known. It made me feel that there is life. I found that odd given that I am not a fisherman and so the sea doesn't really represent "life-giving" in that sense to me. However, the smell and sight of blue sparkling ocean is just beautiful anywhere....no matter how cold.

      Two days later, the winds changed and all the ice blew back in. Okay. It's like there's a gigantic fan in outer space oscillating back and forth on us. The winds have been relentless. Without sunglasses, my eyes instantly water from the air forcing tears out.

      In good news, the summer feels less dry. I have not had bloody boogers or pain sleeping in quite some time. I recently visited Calgary and had zero problems with their air. This is the first time on a visit that my nose hasn't hurt in Calgary.....guess I've adapted. I would likely instantly ooze fluid from every pore on my body should I happen to feel Tennessee humidity and heat again. In fact, when traveling to Calgary, I had to stop over in Ottawa. They were having heat advisories. It was in the 90s (+30sC). I stepped on the jet bridge and involuntarily gasped at the suffocating humid heat. Just the air in the airport felt so wet. The air conditioning was keeping the air reasonably cool, but the moisture was palpable---to me. Felt like I was in a moderately cool cave.

      Calgary was great. I laid on the grass and was rewarded with ants in my pants for my leisure. Returning from Calgary was hard. I returned to no water and then a boil water advisory that has not lifted in 2 weeks. Ah. So lovely.

      The town is going through withdrawal. There are no sodas/pops/cokes in the town. It's a crisis. On the Sell/Swap page I watched the auction of 4 cans of soda. The starting bid was $10. I stopped watching when it hit $40. That's right my friends. Ten dollars for a SINGLE can of coke. 12 oz, 355 ml. I suspect the bid went higher than $40. The store got 10 cases (not sure what a case is in terms of store supply/inventory-----a pallet? A box? Not sure) of coke and it was gone from the shelves in about 5 minutes. The sugar addiction is real here. And strong. I find it fascinating. Such dire straits regarding food security and general poverty, but there is money here. It's here. I do not know how these things work.

      We got a new hire here that started last week and that is very exciting because I may now be able to do the job that I was hired to do. Previously, me and another co-worker were doing the duties of this vacant position that just got filled. This person was excited to come to Igloolik because they'd been in the capital, Iqaluit, for 18 months and found it too big and busy. Yep. Igloolik will not be too big or busy I'm almost certain. A week and a half later, I am not sure he isn't having a reality check on what being not as big and busy as Iqaluit means in terms of daily life. He mentioned that his tub is not draining and that there is a bullet hole in his bedroom window that has apparently remained unfixed for over a year. They put him in this housing unit without fixing the window. Housing said maybe they can fix it when the supplies come in on the sealift, but no promises. That is going to be chilly for him in the winter. Then, he was wondering where I got my meat for eating. He noted that there is no fresh meat here. Yep. There isn't. He mentioned that he'd gotten the ground beef thinking that there was no way to go wrong with ground beef. Wrong. Our ground beef is more beef paste, a slimy concoction of pink, hopefully beef, meat stuff. I laughed when he told me this. Yep, no good meat here. You're lucky if you can get any chicken that is mostly breasts or boneless. There are no other options for ground beef either. It's that one or nothing. Take your one pick. Then, he noted that they lost one of his moving boxes. Us around him nodded in encouraging affirmation. Only 1 box? That's not bad. Nice. Iqaluit to Igloolik is one flight.....straight shot. One box lost. Yep, that checks out. He's mentioned the unrelenting wind....and the dirt.....and how he isn't worried about fixing his hair...that he is just mixing the dirt in and mussing it for the "textured" look. Welcome friend. Welcome. He too is enjoying the boil advisory. He also got his first introduction into trying to get things done here....I know I shouldn't say it, but it's been fun to watch the boyish excitement as he thinks that a shipment we need at work will actually arrive when a rep says it will. hahahahaha. He's already figuring ways to get foods and goods up from Iqaluit by having friends in Iqaluit pick up things and send them. It seems to me that the smaller, less busy, Igloolik is giving him a real dose of the real North. One point five weeks. Bless his heart.

      Meanwhile, I'm over here like an old, crotchety weathered pessimistic hag. lol. Just watching with amusement.

      Speaking of amusement, today is the last day you'll be hearing from me. I leave tomorrow to start field work. We are anticipating approximately 2 to 2.5 months of work out of cabins in the Arctic. There will be a few days here and there in a town while we get gear ready and go to meet the helicopter in the North starting point. Other than that, it will be no plumbing, no electricity, nothing with 3-5 of my closest stranger friends. Ah, I cannot wait to burn more shit. Igloolik will seem like paradise upon my return.

      I'll be taking notes so that I can relay the escapades that will surely transpire in the next few months. So my friends, stay tuned! Enjoy your warmth and summer.....and plumbing....and grocery stores.....and Netflix.......and, and, and. Much love and talk to you soon!      Weiterlesen

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    • ReisenderThe Great White North
      31422
      Tag 282

      Biking on the frozen ocean

      19. Juni 2018 in Kanada ⋅ 🌬 3 °C

      Surreal. That's what biking on a frozen ocean feels like. I was mumbling to myself, "it's okay, it's okay, it's frozen, there is ice there. you're all good." If I could have rocked myself while saying those soothing things I would have.
      Moving yourself onto the ice is frightening because you can't see the ice. You only see the insane blue of the water (obviously capturing the color of the ice) that is on top of the water. You have to pedal on faith that you won't fall off a precipice of ice into the Arctic Ocean, and you know, DIE.
      My entire life was built on the fact that you do NOT, under really any circumstances get on frozen water. That is because I grew up in Tennessee where when ponds or creeks freeze, the ice usually isn't thick enough to be safe. It's like when I was canoeing in Washington State and folks were jumping out and swimming next to the banks of the river. Not me. Nope. My life lessons taught me that you NEVER swim close to creek banks because that is where water moccasins and cottonmouth poisonous snakes live, waiting for dum dums to swim up and become a snack. Well, in Washington State, the water is far too cold for those reptiles, so it's perfectly fine to sidle up to the sides of water bodies. Unfortunately, the fear that has been cemented in my brain doesn't let go that easily.....just like it doesn't when I'm bicycling on top of a frozen ocean. Deep breath.
      Not only was it scary with the water on top---which does rise with the tides----and no, I didn't check the tide tables to see if I was gonna end up in 3 ft of water out there on my bicycle---like an idiot----but it was also hard to pedal. There was still some slush in some places which makes it hard and slippery to pedal through. It was quite the workout---between my accelerated heart rate due to fear and exertion, I probably burned more calories than I have all winter.
      I can't wait until the cracks in the ice form and allow the water to drain. Then, you can see the ice and pedaling is super easy (so I'm told) on top of the ice.      Weiterlesen

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    • ReisenderThe Great White North
      1
      1
      Tag 272

      Sunburn

      9. Juni 2018 in Kanada ⋅ ⛅ 1 °C

      Apparently, light reflects off white and, um, well, burns your skin with UV rays. Who knew? Who could have predicted that? Two years ago, I was in Alaska for 3 weeks for a conference, a visit to Denali, and a trip out to a colleague's field site. I came back browner that I had been in 10 years. Those long days of bright sun at high latitudes really tans the ole skin!

      These days, in Igloolik, the temps have been above freezing by about 1-3 degrees C (2-6 degrees F) for two weeks now. Birds have arrived. Geese and buntings. The streets are dusty and dirty. The melt reveals 8 months of trash hidden by the snow. With no consistent sanitation department, other than the one trash truck that comes by and empties our house trash cans, the trash is strewn all over town and everywhere. These are the things that bigger cities do that I never notice until they stop. (I believe there have been some sanitation worker strikes in some big US cities over the last 100 years or so that really highlight the importance of the job!).
      With the better weather, many many people are headed out of town to camp, hunt and fish. At +3 C (37F), outdoorspeople can actually enjoy the fishing and hunting or just relaxing away from the dust of the town.
      There's a road that leads to many of the townsfolk cabins and shacks along the water. One day I'd like to bike it, but this day was ATV. The vastness of the landscape is breathtaking. I hope to one day see other towns in Nunavut---like Pangnirtung and Pond Inlet because they are at the base of awesome mountains and fiords.

      I also include an example of how living here really works for folks that make things work with few resources. What do you do when kids constantly vandalize, well, everything? You improvise with cheap solutions that are easily replaceable....and, we all know duct tape fixes everything!      Weiterlesen

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    • ReisenderThe Great White North
      1
      2221
      Tag 272

      1st week in June=we hit freezing temps!

      9. Juni 2018 in Kanada ⋅ ⛅ 1 °C

      That's right all you fair and sweating readers. We, here in Igloolik, hit the freezing mark for the first time this week and let me tell you, it's glorious! One day I was getting dressed to leave work and I stopped and had to pat myself down, do an inventory, and finally realize, that nope...that was all the clothes I needed....hat, gloves, and ski jacket. How lovely is that? No neck gaiter, no down underlayer, no ski pants, no googles. Just a mere wool hat, gloves (which, if you keep your hands in your pockets, could even be left behind!) and a coat! Summer's here and the livin is easy.....
      ...well, the dressing anyhow. The living has turned to soft slush snow and mud. Feels like you're walking in slippery sand. Sliding all over the place.
      The 24hrs of light has not been bothering me at all. I like it, in fact. I am a night owl. Left to my own circadian rhythms, I will stay up late. In more southerly latitudes, the onset of darkness always made me feel like a loser because it signaled to the majority of folks that the day was done and I never had accomplished what I wanted to during daylight hours. Here, I never have that negative feeling. It's light all the time and I can work on the stuff I want at 10pm without feeling like I'm a weirdo---sun is still shining! I'm still carpeing the diem. :)
      I've started riding my bike more and learned in 4.2 seconds that mudflaps are not a luxury; they are a necessity. I filed my teeth down with the sand, dirt, and grit that flew in my mouth and spent a good deal of time trying to clean the back of my coat from the slung mud. It's fun though. I love the fat bike. Riding the bike +/- 10 degrees of freezing is really a lot different than my attempt this past November when I thought I'd frozen my lungs.
      Yesterday, I rode my bike to the store and all the little kids are just agog at the fat bike as it rides by. It's like you're on a parade. I have to smile and wave the entire way to the store. One little girl with some apparently gumption chased me down on her bike and silently rode next to me. I acknowledged her and asked if she was riding with me. She nodded. I asked where she was going and she replied, "With you." Oh, okay. So, me and my 9 year old shadow cruised to the grocery store. I said, "Are you going to the store?" and she again nodded. She wasn't exactly a chatterbox. I am not certain she understood my rapid fire English questions. We leaned our bikes against the rails, I visited with some folks outside while she patiently waited at the door for me. She held open the door for me and proceeded to follow me silently through the grocery. She helped me find some chocolate chip cookies. I showed her the trick to buying eggs (always open them to make sure they aren't broken). On my way out, I bought her a little treat. Then, off we go again, her following right next to me as I rode back home. She walked her bike through the deep snow to the back of my house. I am pretty sure I am going to come home and find this girl sleeping in my house one day.
      At one point, in the store, there was another White lady shopping and I could see this little girl having an internal dilemma as to whether to stick with the white woman she was currently with or jump ship to this new one. Pretty much you're a curiosity and probably everything, from what I buy, to how I talk is different to a child that has grown up in Igloolik. Not that the kids don't see TV, but to have these weird, tall people right there at your fingertips to silently follow and watch is just too neat.....apparently.      Weiterlesen

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    • ReisenderThe Great White North
      32133
      Tag 249

      The plane was stuck on the lake

      17. Mai 2018 in Kanada ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

      I was talking to a friend yesterday and they made the comment that my life was just not normal anymore. This was prompted by me mentioning that I was working on my list for the Sealift. The Sealift is the common, all-inclusive term for getting a shipment of goods sent to you via the ocean container ships that make their annual deposits to the North. This is how we get all the fuel, vehicles, heavy equipment, construction supplies, non-perishables. Individuals can also order and reserve a spot on a ship. There are companies that will do your shopping for you, take the goods and pack them, deliver them to the freight company to be crated and palleted, reserve your spot on the cargo ship, and order delivery once your shipment arrives in your community. You have the option of doing all the steps yourself...from flying down south to do shopping to reserving your spot on the ship. One of my most hated grown up tasks is grocery shopping so this is like grocery shopping on steroids. It's my nightmare. I'd much rather clean a toilet. I am gonna go with one of those all-inclusive companies. There isn't a chance in hell you'd find me in a Costco trying to gather all the toilet paper and kidney beans I'll use in a year. Making out the list is awful enough. This damn Sealift BETTER save me money or I am gonna be hot! Anyway, this whole discussion is what prompted my friend to say my life is weird.

      Then, this morning, I get cc'd on an email that fuels that idea like gas on a fire. The email is brief, but the message doesn't need a lot of extra fluff. Apparently, on a flight to drop fuel drums off at sites that we will use this fall for field work, the plane got stuck on a lake. The email concisely states the the plane got stuck on the lake and they spent the night. Yep. That's not a normal, everyday email in my book. What subfolder do I file that in? My boss's response? One word: "Crap". I guess that's what you do with that email. Not much you can do I guess. For me, so many questions immediately popped up like meerkats poking their heads out of their dens. How does one get a plane stuck on a lake? ---I should mention that the lake in question is frozen. That is how the fuel is dropped...the plane has skies on and it flies in to various locations, lands on the lakes and the pilot, copilot, and a few helpers move the 400lb drums to dry land. This can be quite tough if the snow is deep. Those drums don't exactly "float" on top of the snow. But, my question is, Is the plane stuck in deep snow? How can that happen with skies? Or, is in stuck in water as the snow is melting on top of the ice making a nasty quagmire of slush water/ice? How does one "unstick" a plane? Put floor mats under the skis? Some kitty litter? There isn't exactly a tow truck around. How bad is it stuck that 4 dudes couldn't get it out when the sun is up for 18-20 hours where they were working? What a shitty night to have to spend the night there (I know they bring emergency kits that include sleeping bags, food, and a stove). Do they bring 4 sleeping bags or just two? Like I said, so many questions. I walked into my boss's office and he was preoccupied with some tunes on his ipod. I said, "Um, what's the deal with the plane on the lake?" He says, "I have no idea. I'm going to await a call to hear if they say they aren't going to be able to get our fuel out and the plane is broken." Oh okay. Sure. I patter back to my office. Turns out the same protocol goes no matter what the issue---wait until someone tells you more and assume no news is good news! Just another day at the office I guess.

      I also decided to enjoy the warmer weather like the rest of you southerners. I am inundated with social media posts showing all manner of glorious outdoor beauty and activities. The greenery is so vibrant it almost hurts my eyes. So much color saturation. The colors here are white and bright, blinding white. I decided to enjoy the whiteness by taking a walk----it was just as you'd expect for mid-May. Frozen ocean and snow. Duh.      Weiterlesen

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    • ReisenderThe Great White North
      23
      Tag 244

      Dog sled race-Nunavut Quest

      12. Mai 2018 in Kanada ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

      Every year, dog sled teams meet in a Nunavut community and set off on a race to another community at least 500 km (315 mi). It is run between completely isolated communities. In ordr to arrive at the 'start' line, mushers and their dogs will have had to already travel overland from their home community--sometimes hundreds of kilometers.

      There are no support teams running along side them, no helicopters monitoring progress, no medical stations. Each evening, the teams are supposed to arrive at a set camp that has been set up by the forward crew of supports using snowmobiles and carrying qomatiks full of gear. On the racers' qomatiks, however, there is only a box with a rifle, sleeping bag, snow saw, knife, 2-burner stove, and a little food for emergencies. There are a few sat phones these days, carried by the support crew. I suspect, but do not know, that the racers have at least GPS SPOT devices, but maybe they're carrying InReach devices---which allow 2-way text communication to any other device, by using the Iridium satellite network.

      Everything the racers use must be HANDMADE (well, not the stove and rifle and stuff like that---but dog team stuff has to be) . The dog harnesses, the whips, and the qamatiks have to be handmade (though, I am not sure you can buy an Inuit qamatik at the Home Depot anyway). The qamatik is lashed together with rope, made from nylon or sealskin, no screws. This allows the sled to flex rather than break. The dogs run in a fan hitch which allows them to choose their own way over the terrain and rough snow.

      This year, the race started in Igloolik and we were allowed the afternoon off to go watch the start of the race. For several days, I had heard and seen the dogs out on on the ice in front of town. There were massive qomatiks in town---bigger than I'd ever seen. There were different ski-doos racing around. It was interesting how I noticed these things and have only been living here less than a year. I found it funny that I would see a ski-doo drive by and think, "where's that thing from? That's not from Igoolik!"

      It looked like a majority of the town came out, including the school children. They were let out as well to come down to the ice to watch. The police were there, the mayor of course, and basically every other able-bodied person.

      The dogs reminded me of racing horses. If you've ever been to a horse race, you can see that the horse has a single-track mind, and that is to run. They are actually a bit crazy....like the dogs. When the dogs felt their leader get ready and start moving the whip, they became frenzied. Barking, yelping, and jumping against their harnesses. The qomatiks were held in place with a claw-like anchor dug in the ground like a tent stake to prevent the dogs from taking off with the sled. One guy's anchor clearly wasn't in too good because all of a sudden, I heard a commotion and I see a team of dogs streaking by....with an Empty sled! Guys were running after it and one young man managed to grab it and he dug his heels in, getting dragged by the dogs. He prevailed over the dogs, but was massaging his shoulder afterward---clearly, it didn't feel super great to stop a giant wooden sled being pulled by dogs!
      This is the type of knowledge and tradition that the Inuit do not want to lose. This is the cool stuff that their culture has been practicing for years. How does this fit in a modern society? What is the value of preserving these types of things? How do young people reconcile the need to gain skills to be successful in the current world, but have to leave these skills behind to die with the elders? It's a tough question.      Weiterlesen

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    Möglicherweise kennst du auch folgende Namen für diesen Ort:

    Nunavut, NU, نونافوت, ܢܘܢܐܒܘܛ, Нунавут, Νούναβουτ, Nunavuto, نوناووت, Nûnavût, נונאווט, Նունավուտ, Núnavút, ᓄᓇᕗᑦ, ヌナブト準州, ნუნავუტი, 누나부트 준주, Nunavutas, Nunavuta, नुनाव्हुत, Náhookǫsjí Hakʼaz Dineʼé Bikéyah, ਨੂਨਾਵੁਤ, نناوت, Nunavute, Nunavuts, நூனவுட், นูนาวุต, 努那活, 努納武特

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