Ice road Dietitian: Part 2



Sign on the frozen river's edge.

February 11th, 2013

Sunrise: 10:28 am

Sunset: 5:48 pm

Temps: -20'C - -31'C

Oh, February. It's still cold, but the days are quickly getting longer. When I returned from my Christmas holiday, the sun had just risen from its month-long Winter rest. Now, a mere 5 weeks later, the sun is up for over 7 hours per day!

Standard local transportation.

The Mackenzie River delta is still very much frozen solid. This, combined with the increasing daylight, makes for easy travelling. Locals take their "snowmachines" out, well, almost anywhere.

Me? I drove to Aklavik.

In a truck.

(You thought this skidoo and "boggan" was my sweet ride, didn't you?)

A view from the ice road: Aklavik and the Richardson Mountains.

My work brought me to Aklavik, a predominantly Gwich'in and Inuvialuit community of about 600 people. Aklavik is situated on the western side of the Mackenzie delta, opposite of Inuvik.

It is accessible year-round by plane, by boat in the summer and by ice road in the winter.

So Aklavik: Mountains, frozen river and frozen boats. And a dog.

What I particularly enjoyed about this hamlet was its proximy to the mountains.

Here you can see the Richardson Mountains in the not so far distance.

These are the same mountains that I see from my apartment in Inuvik, gazing towards which I have seen countless colourful sunsets.

Clearing the road.

The trip to Aklavik had been less than stellar, due to flat light, fresh snow, and driving winds. Due to poor visibility, I drove at geriatric speeds, with the utmost of concentration to keep my position on the road.

In contrast, the drive back to Inuvik was infinitely more enjoyable. The sun was out, the sky was blue, and everything was sparkling with fresh glittering snow.

Junction.

The drive across the delta, between Aklavik and Inuvik, is between 1.5 and 2.5 hours, depending on the conditions and the weight of the driver's foot.

At times I forgot what this northern highway actually was - a frozen river channel - but certain vistas reminded me. What a strange feeling!

Sunset on the delta.

Winding in and winding out of the braiding, serpentine channels was a novelty, and I enjoyed the low-angle sun on my face.

Another great Arctic adventure. :)