Day 44

Woke very early this morning. Dave had dug out his watch yesterday in order to keep track of the tides and said it was 5:00am. It was really hard to get up that early this morning! We had granola for breakfast along with bannock bread that we had cooked up last night. I wasn’t that hungry this morning so I put my leftovers in a little bag and put it into my daypack for a snack later!

We put the canoes down on the mud of the tidal flat, loaded them up, got in, and then waited for the tide to come in to float us! Once the tide came in and we were afloat we started paddling for Eskimo Point and we paddled hard.

We seemed to cover the distance to Eskimo Point quickly. Eskimo Point is guarded by a narrow peninsula on the north, and is undoubtedly the reason Eskimo Point was founded where it was. The peninsula provides good shelter for the harbor. But for us, the long peninsula would add many miles of paddling if we went around, so instead, we portaged over the 100 yard width of the narrow, but very long peninsula. When we arrived in the small bay on the other side, we could see that a group of people had gathered atop the hill that rises from the water up to where the village is.

As we paddled over, the group had grown and was fairly considerable in size. The people, all native Inuit, were quite interested in us, and like the family we met in the boat, all incredibly friendly. What was funny is that one of the first questions we were asked was which of our canoes was for sale?! Ha! Actually, quite a few of the people were interested in buying one of our canoes. It makes sense, it probably costs a lot of money to get a small craft like a canoe shipped up to Eskimo Point which receives its annual supplies in only two barge trips per year. For us, we had already planned on selling a few of our canoes as the cost to ship them all back with us on the plane to Churchill and then on the train to Winnipeg would also be far too expensive.

Some of the people were also aware of the women’s trip coming up from the south. They had seen them on the Bay and said that they were also close to Eskimo Point. In fact, they were so close that within two hours of our arrival in Eskimo Point, the women’s trip came paddling into the bay! We were lucky though in that being there first, we got the better tent sites up on the road west of the village! This dirt/gravel road was actually the old airport runway.

After talking with the people for a while, we set up camp, had TL, then headed into to town. After talking with an Inuit and a man who works for the government of the Northwest Territories in the Renewable Resources Division, I learned that the village of Eskimo Point is essentially self-supporting. The only significant export is a bit of arctic char during the summer months (for what can be called summer here that is!). Very little goes on in the village and that the people are still very dependent on the caribou, which still represents 90% of their diet. The Inuit also hunt beluga whales, seal and fish as well.

Later in the evening, an Inuit man and his wife stopped by our camp. He described to me how they hunt the whales, using their boats and harpoons. Once the whale is harpooned, they use a high-powered rifle to quickly kill the animal. He also told me that when he hunts during the winter that he is one of the last hunters to use a dog sled team. He figures he is one of the last 10-15 hunters out of 1300 in the Eskimo Point that still uses any dogs. But he also uses a snowmobile on occasion too. Interestingly, he is also one of the last to use a real seal-skin kayak.

I really enjoyed talking to him. He and his wife invited me to come over to their home for coffee and to watch TV (which I would decline, but graciously thanked him for the offer). He asked me how much fishing we had done so I told him not a whole lot, but if I could have fished more, I certainly would have! He did not understand why I would not keep all of the fish I caught though! He mentioned that the char come in the little bay by our camp with the tide. I told him that if I caught any, I would keep them for him!

The man and his wife left as it began to rain but before he left, he said his name was Andrew! When I replied that my name was also Andrew, he did not believe me! It was clear I was meant to meet this man, we shared similar values and interests. We both see the importance of history and tradition, as well as an eye to the future.

The rain picked up as the storm blew in from the north and northeast. The wind really built up in intensity. It was blowing hard. As the storm was building, a couple of guys from the garage in town came by and said we could use the loft over the garage if we wanted. I thanked them for the kind offer, but said the storm would have to get quite a bit worse than this for us to take shelter!

Day 45

Woke when I felt like it! We emerged from the tents at various times during the morning, some earlier than others. So a pair of hash brown breakfasts were cooked, one for the early risers, one for the not-so-early risers!

The wind really picked up overnight and by morning and throughout the day we had winds whipping at what must have been 50mph. They were absolutely howling. Our canoes were blown across the road and tents that were poorly anchored blew over as well. Fortunately our tent held fast! My respect for these dome tents grew today! The wind was just incredible. The wind was so strong that the fiberglass pole that was the closest aligned to the wind direction was actually blown into the tent so that instead of holding it’s arc shape, it made more of an s-bend, lying nearly flat on the ground then arcing up, then making an s-bend and going over the top.

The group basically hung out in the tents today, reading, playing cards and smoking pipes. I walked into town later in the afternoon but it must have been getting on towards dinner time as everything was closed. One of the guys that works at the garage gave me a ride back to our camp on his atv though. The atv, both 3-wheelers and 4-wheelers are what are used by everyone to get around. I was glad for the ride, as the walk back to camp was into the wind and I was tiring quickly! He asked about buying a canoe, but I told him to talk to the women’s trip as we had already sold the two of ours that we had intended to sell.

Between the two trips we are flying back 4 canoes. It is only going to cost us $86 per canoe, a dollar per pound! This is much better than we expected as we figured we would have to pay a premium due to the volume of the canoes. Well, we certainly were not going to argue!

This evening, Robert Mulders came to our camp. He is a biologist who has been living in Eskimo Point for eight years. He invited us to his house to see some slides of the projects that he has worked on. He primarily works with caribou and polar bears. The slides were fascinating.

Robert talked about how the Inuit hunt and harvest animals such as polar bears and walrus (for their ivory). He explained to us how important such harvesting is for the community if it can generate even a little income for the Inuit community. He stressed that any income is important in a country where the government spends $1 billion on only 60,000 residents. Even the ivory is income if it can be carved and sold. He told us how quotas are set on the animals to protect them from over harvesting and the contention those quotas can generate amongst the native Inuit. The Inuit argue that they have lived throughout history without quotas and have lived off the land and should not be limited as to what they can take from the land. But the argument from the biologists is that the Inuit now have access to new technology like snowmobiles and high-powered riffles that have a big impact on the ability of the Inuit to kill and harvest the animals. Robert pointed out that after the snowmobile was introduced in 1967, the annual harvest of polar bears jumped from 150 to 750 annually. The over harvesting forced the government to step in.

What resulted was a novel idea: If the Inuit desire unrestricted hunting privileges as they have had traditionally, then they must utilize traditional methods of hunting. If they adopt the new technology for hunting (like snowmobiles and high-powered riffles), they must be subject to the new regulations or quotas. In other words, if the Inuit use sealskin kayaks, dog sleds and spears, they are free to take to harvest whatever they want.

The Inuit are beginning to realize that the supply of the animals is not endless, and are beginning to accept the new quotas. Perhaps this type of traditional tools-traditional regulations could be used in Northern Wisconsin?

It was a great evening. Robert’s wife had orange juice, coffee, ice tea and even fresh chocolate brownies and banana bread for us! Oh, it was so good. Afterwards I was not very interested in eating our own food again! Robert’s wife was also a biologist who works primarily with birds. We finished the slides and talking at 10:00pm. Robert had many great stories about the animals and even the weather.

The evening was a nice addition to our trip.

Day 46

The winds blew all night long and though the skies had cleared this morning, the winds continued to howl, having switched slightly to the west. We “warmed” bulgur for breakfast, that was the best we could manage in the wind.

Two Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) stopped by during breakfast to say hello. He said that the very strong winds are forecasted to continue for the next few days. Sounds like we were very, very lucky to make Eskimo Point when we did.

After breakfast I walked into town with Matt, Chris and Greg. Chris and Greg were going to try and sell their rubber boots! Matt and I just wanted to walk around a little. I did end up buying a candy bar though! Oh wow, did it ever taste good! Matt and I walked over to the airport, Matt actually wanted to see if he could call home. Walking in this wind is incredibly difficult.

We stopped in at the co-op to look around and then we headed over to the regional offices of the Renewable Resources Department. I wanted to stop in and see if they had any available literature on the region and its wildlife. As it turned out, they had tons of stuff available. The clerk that took us to the library actually seemed overjoyed to actually be able to give stuff away to someone! As well as the pamphlets that he gave us, there were books to read, maps to look at and even videos to watch! For the maps, they had 4 maps in a 1:500,000 scale that covered our entire trip. I noted the numbers of the map for ordering. He said that when ordering, one must specify if they want topographical maps or aeronautical maps as both sets go by the same numbers. The maps themselves are $3.00 each.

After spending a while in the library, Matt and I headed back to camp to cook TL. We had bannock with peanut butter and brown sugar. After lunch I headed to the tent and checked out all the great literature and maps I was able to collect at the Resources office. That of course made me sleepy and I took a long nap…

I woke for dinner, which due to the wind, consisted of Rye Krisps, cheese, fruit, and chocolate!

After dinner, John, Chris, Matt, Greg, Stew and I walked into town to check out the “nightlife.” We went to the pool hall, which had one pool table! There were other games such as video games, table tennis, foosball and a TV. On TV was a baseball game between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Chicago White Sox. The Pool Hall also had a concession stand with candy, soda and even hamburgers! Stew and I played a game of pool while the others played a game of foosball. Then we watched the baseball game for about 10 minutes. We grungy (and probably pretty smelly!) Americans were quite the attraction at the local hangout.

There is no alcohol in Eskimo Point as by law, the village is dry. With nothing to occupy anyone’s time for the majority of the year, alcohol creates too many problems. Of course there is a significant amount of bootlegging going on and still one of the biggest problems in Eskimo Point is alcoholism.

On our way back to camp, a bored RCMP on patrol stopped by. So we chatted with him for a bit.

It drizzled a bit tonight and the wind has moved even a little further to the west. It certainly has not died down and I actually think it has intensified a bit.

Day 47

After breakfast this morning I walked into town. I was headed to the Inuit Cultural Center. There, the director, Salomon took me through the history room. It was well done and very interesting. It was really amazing how practical the Inuit people are. I guess they would have to be to live in such a rugged part of the world.

While at the Cultural Center, an old Inuk man came into the Center. Through Saloman he asked me if our group would like to see a traditional drum dance. Of course I said we would! He then said he would tell his friends and they would arrange a dance for us.

By this time, several more Inuit had come into the Cultural Center so I showed them on the maps our route from Wollaston Lake to Eskimo Point. They were amazed at how far we had come by canoe.

Then Salomon showed me some small carvings that had been made by some of the residents of Eskimo Point. He indicated that they were for sale and he would drop by our camp during his lunch break.

After I left the center, I started to walk back towards camp. On the way, I passed one of the local artists who was out in front of his house carving a moderate sized piece of basalt. I stopped and watched him for quite a while. He was carving a sitting polar bear.

I then returned to camp to wait for Salomon to bring the small carvings. He arrived with several pieces, and even a couple of the artists. One of the artists had brought a small seal carved out of basalt. They were asking $25 for the small pieces, but I could only manage $20, it was every cent I had. Fortunately, the artist accepted $20! It is a beautiful piece of art. I wish I had had more money to buy more. It was great to be able to buy the sculpture directly from the artist himself. The artist had carved his name into the bottom of the seal. Once he had my money, he left!

This afternoon we spent time around camp and in the tents. The wind today was still blowing very hard with frequent rain showers. If we had not reached Eskimo Point when we did and were even a day later, who knows what we would have done, as there is no way, no possible way we would have even considered paddling in this wind.

This evening, after a dinner we were actually able to cook, Salomon came to get us for the drum dance. We went to a house where there were only a few Inuit present, but they continued to arrive in slow progression. Salomon said that the Inuit live on “EST,” or Eskimo Standard Time! Literally translated he said, as “it will happen when it happens!” Besides, we were a little early.

The first activity started when this very old Inuk man was lead in by two people. You could see a life of hardship etched into the lines of his face. I can only wonder at the amazing stories that old man must have! He was clearly one of the most, if not the most respected of the elders as his weak, aged voice directed the others as they prepared the sealskin drum.

Soon, the dance began. The drum was simply a large ring. The drum was traditionally made from caribou antlers. It measured about two feet in diameter, maybe a little more. The seal skin was then stretched across the drum and held on the frame by rope. The small handle was also lashed to the drum frame. The mallet was wooden, though it too was probably made of caribou bone, and measured about 8 inches in length.

The drum was sounded by striking the rim with the mallet. Strikes were alternated between opposite sides with the handle in middle. The drummer would lightly rotate the drum on the handle’s axis so that the movement of striking the drum was performed with both the hand holding the drum and the hand holding the mallet. A man plays the drum while the women of the village would sing the traditional songs.

After a few dances by the Inuit, they opened their dance to us and allowed us to play the drum while the women would again sing. I was the first of our group to play the drum. It was a fantastic experience. I stood in the center of the room while the women chanted and sang a traditional hunting song. It was an event that was quite special and one that I will never forget. And how many people in the world can say they have participated in a traditional Inuit Drum Dance. Not many, I would imagine.

After the dance, the return walk to camp was very relaxing. The wind died considerably while we were inside at the drum dance. I could see what looked like a rain squall to the west and headed this way, so I quickened my pace just a bit. We grabbed a quick snack to eat before getting in the tents, and made it inside just before the heavier rain hit. But the squall did not last long.

Tomorrow is our flight out of Eskimo Point. I will never forget the people I have met here and their warm and welcoming demeanor. Their culture is fascinating to me and the people of the world could learn a little from EST I think!

Day 48

This morning we were up and breaking camp as though we were paddling as opposed to flying! We combined a few packs which brought us down to 8 packs (and 2 canoes). We cooked hashbrowns and sliced toes for breakfast. At about 10:30 Paul and Gordon rushed out to our camp like banshees! They are the two men who bought the two canoes we are selling. They loaded their “new” canoes on the back of their ATVs said their thanks and drove off!

We then finished cleaning up camp and began our portage to the airport. Along the way I quickly stopped into the Cultural Center to get the mailing address and then caught up with the group at the airport to wait for our plane. The plane was 15minutes late! It was a 748 powered by a pair of Rolls Royce propeller engines. The flight from Eskimo Point to Churchill lasted about 30 minutes.

When we arrived in Churchill we started asking around about where we could set up our camp but were told that there are a few polar bears that had taken up residence in town and camping in the open would not be a good idea at all. Fortunately, the Alliance Church of Churchill offered to let us stay in their basement for the night. This will be the first night in a long time that we have slept with a solid roof over our heads!

After setting up camp in the basement of the church (with its full kitchen, including stove tops and ovens) we went to walk about Churchill for a while. Churchill has a small Natural Resources museum. It was a pretty small place with just a few displays and some natural history movies. We watched one and will return tomorrow before we leave to catch a few more hopefully.

Greg, John, Scott, and Matt went to the local legion-type establishment for a beer! I spent my last cent on the seal sculpture so that was not an option for me! Instead I made my way over to an art store that sells Inuit art. Just a quick glance around revealed that already with the distance south, the prices have elevated significantly.

For dinner, we did not use the church’s kitchen, but rather used our stoves in the park across the street from the church. The evening was cool and clear with light winds and not a single bug. For some reason, I felt so relaxed.

After dinner the groups (the women’s trip was also staying in the basement of the church of course) came back to play some cards. Later, I went back outside to catch the northern lights. They weren’t spectacular, but they were nice, as though a simple green cloud much like those we saw on Wollaston Lake, seemingly so long ago.

Tomorrow we will have a bit more time to walk around Churchill, as our train to Winnipeg departs at 9:00pm.

Day 49

Woke at about 9:00 am this morning. We had bulgur for breakfast. All we did was boil it, which isn’t the best. It is much better when we can fry it after boiling it. Oh well. After breakfast, we cleaned up our gear and then cleaned up the basement of the church. We then carried our bags over to the train station and left them there for the day. Then it was off to check out Churchill.

First we went back to the natural resources center and watched a few more of the natural history movies. From there I went to the modern town complex that had lots of windows for looking out over Hudson Bay. From these windows we could watch beluga whales surfacing in the Bay. From there I headed over to the Inuit Museum where they had a substantial collection of carvings, including several by John Tiktak, one of the most famous Inuk carvers.

The afternoon was spent hanging out at the train station having seen all there is to see in Churchill, especially since walking around town is largely discouraged due to the polar bears, which we never ended up seeing. Which is probably a good thing.

At the train station we played Frisbee and hacky-sack then cooked a dinner of bannock, rice, beef with onions, or should I say onions with beef. The others also cooked up a batch of refried beans. Then we just hung out waiting for our train.

Also there were these four “joe-cool” Americans from Michigan. They were all dressed in army fatigues and said they had been out fishing for a couple of weeks. However each of them had a riffle case. They thought they were pretty tough and you could tell they were trying to impress the women’s group. Their food supplies were mostly canned stuff and one thought he’d impress the women with how he was such a tough guy by opening a can of ravioli and just eating out of the can. Good grief. But once the train arrived and they watched the women easily flip the canoes onto their shoulders, the macho-men disappeared into the background never to be heard from again.

We loaded our gear onto the train, loaded ourselves onto the train, and we were off.

Day 50

Who knows what time I woke after an interesting night’s sleep! From Churchill to the Pas, the train, known as the Tundra Express, is speed restricted to 25mph. This is because of the horrible condition of the tracks that rest atop the permafrost and are pushed and pulled by the incessant freezing of the ground. What is left is a slow, wobbly train ride. Fortunately, the train is mostly empty of people over this stretch and the conductor is pretty laid back. With a mostly empty rail car, I found that the luggage rack over the seats was just my size! It was just wider than the width of my shoulders and the front lip of the rack kept me from tumbling out while I slept! I think I actually got the best night’s sleep of anyone in our group!

The rest of the day was a typical travel day, spent eating and sleeping. We stopped at a couple of small towns including at the Pas during the afternoon. Here we dropped a car and got a new conductor. The new conductor was a bit, or should I say, a whole lot less amenable - dressed in a proper uniform as opposed to last night’s conductor who wore blue jeans and a t-shirt! This new conductor was no fun, everything by the book, which means no sleeping in the luggage rack for me tonight. We were brutally submitted back to a world of rules and regulations (however minor they may be).

We played lots of cards today. I got a bit of reading and writing done too.

Day 51

Arrive in Winnipeg. Manito-Wish had vans and trailers there waiting for us, including our roadshow bags that had (relatively) clean clothes. We quickly changed, loaded up the vans and hit the roads of southern Canada on the way back to Wisconsin. First thing I noticed once out on the roads was how crazy all the traffic seemed! Quite a shock to the sensory system!

I also noticed very high gas prices. That was when we learned that Iraq had invaded the small nation of Kuwait and the resulting situation had sent gas prices much higher. President George Bush has responded with Operation Desert Shield and has given and ultimatum to the President of Iraq, Saddam Hussein to leave Kuwait by a certain date.

Now that is a harsh snap back to reality. How things change when you spend 50 days disconnected from civilization.

I read for most of the road trip today. I found it interesting that for most of the day, we all sat silently in the vans, not really talking, not really sharing anything about our trip with our friends who had driven the vans up to Winnipeg to pick us up. We just sat and watched the endless wheat fields of Manitoba sail by.

We were back in Boulder Junction, Wisconsin at Camp Manito Wish by this evening. I saw my sister Jean who’s been working on Camp’s staff this summer. I saw her briefly when we arrived back at camp, but first priority for us was a cleansing sauna and then a shower! What an experience that was. We washed the last remaining dirt of the Northwest Territories down the drain.

After getting cleaned up, I went and talked to Jean for a while. It was nice to catch up on the summer’s activities. I am sure I smelled quite a bit better too!

Tomorrow is cleaning day. The summer sessions have just ended at Manito-Wish and it’s just family camp going on right now so we are hoping to use the main kitchen in the lodge to clean up rather than the small wash house back by the Outpost Lodge. The fact that Matt worked on kitchen staff during camp last summer and knows how to use the big Hobart dishwashers will help too!

From Left to Right: Chris, Stew, Me, Dave, Matt, Scott, John, Greg.