April 2002 Arctic Trip : the Middle of Everywhere

“Let’s go to the Arctic”. It seemed like a good idea at the time, and better still Youssef, Steve and James were crazy enough to think so too. And just like that - we were getting this trip together!

Figuring out where to go was easy : How far North can we go on a 3-day weekend ? Pangnirtung seemed like a good idea – it had an airport (more on THAT later) and there seemed to be some interesting things to do there.

And then we needed gear. Minus 30 Celsius was not a temperature I could even begin to imagine. And oh yes, we were going to be outdoors for 8 hours at that temperature… Off we proceeded to Mountain Equipment Coop in Toronto, one of the most inspiring stores I have ever stepped into. Steve’s friend Francie (who actually works in Nunavut, and LIVES there) was a godsend to help us figure out what we needed. Silly old me thought I was going to use my woolen gloves on the trip. Francie tried not to show her utter horror at that thought, and gently guided me to what I really needed – inner gloves, fleece gloves, and water-proof mittens … all worn together. Two hours, and several hundred dollars later, we were equipped with boots (graded upto minus 40 C) inners, outers, touques, socks, fleece pants - many many layers of each obviously…

A spring morning in April saw us take off from Toronto. Two flights later we had landed in Iqaluit. The capital of Nunavut, it is a little town that has been put together without too much thought or aesthetics, but it’s the big city. (We later learned that Inuit that commit petty crimes and are ostracized from their societies are sent to Iqaluit. It does explain a few things.) We had a 4-hour layover, during which we took a cab ride around the town, (all of 5 miles from end to end - to think my original plan was to land in Iqaluit and rent a car to look around the region!) had a bleak buffet lunch and our last beer for the trip. The landscape around Iqaluit however, gave us a sense of what to expect. Everything around was white and frozen – it was hard to say what was land, and what was the frozen Frobischer Sound.

From Iqaluit to Pangnirtung, we flew this tinky little plane, where everybody had a window and an aisle seat ! (It was an 8-seater plane, sort of like a flying mini van.) After flying over hundreds of miles of pristine white landscape we landed in middle of this little bowl of white mountains. The reality of being in the Arctic hit us with the blast of cold air as we got off the plane, and walked to the little tin shed that was the airport. We had quite a reception there. Donna (the lady that ran the lodge we were staying in) was there to pick us up. But the biggest relief was seeing Joavee.

Joavee Alivaktuk was the “outfitter” who was going to be with us for the 2 days that we were in Pang, take us around and do stuff with us. The conversations on the phone with him had been … a little challenging. He is what you can describe as a man of few words. Not the sort of person you could negotiate a clear action cycle with or establish any sort of performer-customer relationship. Not quite certain that I had gotten through to him, we were never sure whether he would actually show up. So seeing his broad crinkled face was a huge relief. He turned out to be a wise man you could trust your life with (we did) and amusing in his own way. When we showed him his name in the Frommer’s Guide to travel in Canada, he cackled in the most satisfying way.

We walked around Pangnirtung (which means “the place of the bull caribou”). A little town of tin-shed like homes, and winding paths. The Pang fjord opens onto Cumberland Sound (all names from an Atlas to me till then). The area has been home to the Inuit for over a 1000 years. And then the next morning we went into Arctic Extreme.

When Joavee came the next morning and showed us how we were going to spend the next 2 days, I first thought he was joking. We were going to sit in an open sled (think wooden crate) connected to a snowmobile (which I had never seen up until that time – it is sort of like a water scooter on skis). Wearing more clothes and layers than I weighed, and feeling like the intrepid explorers we surely were, we set off into that bright sunny morning.

The sled went over bumpy rocks and smooth ice and smooth rocks and bumpy ice. Sitting in that open sled, with crazy winds at this insanely low temperature (minus 30 C with windchill) was something I hope I never forget. First my toes FROZE, and then that stopped. After it had been a while since I’d lost feeling in my toes I mustered up the courage to casually inquire what the first symptom of frost bite was… And my shoes were supposed to keep me warm till as low as minus 40C. (I’ve been in the business – the “as low as” should not have fooled me!) And then I discovered all these cool things about the cold. We’d stop when it got really bad, and get out of the sled, and try and walk or jog around. Within minutes, warm blood would come pumping through and our toes would miraculously spring to life again. And then we’d get back in the sled and move on. Couldn't tell whether I lost all feeling in my rear because of the ride or the cold.

As far as the eye could see there was just the Great White. And then I figured the reason for it. We were on a frozen sea! We had some great experiences. Went 40 miles out on the frozen Cumberland Sound, to the edge where it was not frozen - the floe edge. Saw this tranquil sight of the deep blue rippling water with mist over it. The snow had polar bear footprints - he had been there I guess looking for seal to eat. We built an igloo from scratch. Saw the most incredible landscapes - spectacular cliffs (Auyuittuk National Park has some of the highest cliffs in the world apparently) and fjords and valleys.

We had that moment when you know that for as far as the horizon is, there is just white ice and snow blowing around. It really is the middle of nowhere. But one of the Inuit we chatted with described it as "the middle of everywhere" - because he said that out in the Arctic you're in the midst of nature. In the middle of the real thing, miles and miles from anything artificial, without barriers of TVs, walls, and cities and everything else that is manmade. The middle of everywhere.

We saw this turquoise coloured glacier, flowing down into a frozen lake. The lake was just a block of clear ice. As we walked on it (trying hard not to slip, although I did once - badly) - you could see right through this blue ice, and there were the most intricate geometric patterns suspended inside it.

Auyuittuk Lodge turned out to be way more comfortable (and warm) than we’d expected. Tasty meals too. We would get back from the day, and thaw gradually, looking out through the large picture windows of the lodge, at the incredible landscape that nonchalantly lounged outside. The sun would reluctantly disappear after 9pm. And then we would sit up late playing cards and solving the world’s problems. A Moroccan, an Englishman, a Canadian and an Indian in the Arctic.

We didn't get to see the Northern lights - but well, there’s got to be a reason to go back…