Fishing under the midnight sun

June 16, 2012
Sunrise: N/A
Sunset: N/A
Temps: 12-24 'C

The Eastern edge of Campbell Lake

 "Want to go fishing?"

"When?"

"Now."

"Now?" (It's already 8:30 pm)

In the land of the midnight sun, you can go fishing any time you like. By 10:00 pm, we had driven South, had the boat on the water and were heading downstream to Campbell Lake.

Leaving the bugs behind with a 40-horse pro

 It was a beautiful evening: sunny, calm and warm. Being mid-June, however, this calmness did present a tiny but significant challenge. Bugs.

In town I've only had a few mosquito bites so far, but out on the water I got a taste of what Northern bugs could be like. Or rather, I should say that the Northern bugs got a taste of us!

On the boat, we didn't stay in one spot too long. When the bugs got too bad, we turned on the motor, got some speed and moved to a new spot.

We did have a bit of luck fishing. A few Pike took the bite, like this one on the right, but we released them.

Meanwhile, the bugs got worse. Look closely at the picture of Gen (left), doing a "bug meditation," and you can see them swarming around.

We had no bug dope or bug hats, only hoodies! Time to go! With the boat moving at some speed, we were free to relax and enjoy the scenery. The midnight sun was low on the horizon, and a bit of cloud cover was cooling things off.

Next time, I'll come better prepared.

I went downtown today and picked up some bug dope and some sunscreen. My bug shirt and hat are now also unpacked and ready for my next out-of-town adventure!

Booting around the Boot Lake Trail

June 13, 2012

Sunrise: N/A

Sunset: N/A

Temps: 5 - 16'C   

Now that everything is green and it has gotten warm, I am really enjoying the Boot Lake Trail (aka the Jimmy Adams Peace Trail), which starts near my apartment building. I can make it around the lake in about 45 minutes, and I can also take part of the trail on my way to and from work. Enjoy the pictures!



Inuvik's contribution to the Trans-Canada Trail



Most of the North side of the trail is boardwalk

 



One of a few bridges along the trail



Lots of pretty flowers



The Lupins are doing well



Still a wee bit of flooding on the East end, but this Luppens is also doing well



Still a bit of mud therapy to be had - but it's drying up quickly!

A taste of the Dempster Highway

June 10, 2012
Sunrise: N/A
Sunset: N/A
Temps: 7 -21'C
Green, and getting greener

Nearing Fort McPherson, with the Richardson Mts in the distance

Last week, I went on "duty travel" to Fort McPherson and Tsiigetchic, two Gwich'in First Nation communities South of Inuvik along the Dempster Highway. When you ask how long it takes to get there, everyone will give you a different answer, based on highway conditions, ferry experiences and personal preferences for driving speeds. I'd like to believe that I don't drive like a total grannie and was sufficiently pleased with my arrival in McPherson in 2.5 hours. Then I learned that some locals do it in 1 hour and 20 minutes, and that struck fear into my heart.

View of Tsiigetchic and Arctic Red River, with the Mackenzie
River on the left.

I was pleasantly surprised at the 186 km between Inuvik and McPherson. I had expected to see little but scrubby little trees and flat land between the two communities, but I was rewarded by countless rivers and lakes, sneak previews of the Richardson Mountains, and big, dramatic skies. I think this bodes well (the Dempster supposedly gets even more dramatic and scenic once you enter the Richardson ranges beyond McPherson).

6 cranes along the drying banks of the MacKenzie River

I was hopeful to see bear, moose, caribou or other large mammals, as the roadsigns "Lynx Creek" and "Moose Lake" implied, but the animals I saw were of a smaller variety. Along a stretch of highway, I saw 9 and 1/2 rabbits (the last one had unexpectantly dropped to the bottom of the food chain), and 7 or 8 cranes. These may have been sandhill cranes, and, if you look closely, you will see a half dozen in the picture to the right. For more info, check out the following links:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandhill_Crane
http://www.spectacularnwt.com/whattodo/outdooradventure/birding/seeourbirds

Ferry that takes passengers over the Mackenzie River

The Dempster highway has two ferry crossings, one South of Fort McPherson over the Peel River, and the other near Tsiigetchic, over the Mackenzie River. This latter ferry also shuttles vehicles to Tsiigetchic, which is situated on the Eastern bank of the Arctic Red River, opposite the highway. It's a quick ferry ride, with pretty views and helpful staff (i.e. when I learned that I would have to back my huge work truck off the ferry onto soft, wet gravelly dirt, one worker kindly drove truck for this damsel in distress).


Driving into Tsiigetchic. Arctic Red River on the right.


While I was in Fort McPherson and Tsiigetchic, I found myself quite busy, with no time to take photos. However, another Inuvikian has an online photobook of Tsiigetchic that you can access at:
http://issuu.com/inuvikphil/docs/tsiigehtchic

Work done, I was back on the ferry and on my way back to Inuvik, over the long, dusty and lonely Dempster Highway. I've now seen a little bit of this famous highway, and I look forward to exploring it all the way to Dawson City in the coming months.

What's there to do in Inuvik?

Tuesday's night's thunderstorm rolling in - it was fantastic!

June 3rd, 2012

Sunrise: N/A

Sunset: N/A

Temps: 1-11'C

What is there to do in Inuvik? If you have access to a snowmobile and boat, you can get around just about anywhere in the Mackenzie River delta to camp, hunt, fish, etc. However, even without a vehicle, I find that my days are quite full with daily activities around town.

Here's what I did this past week (aside from work):


Checking out the goods at the tailgate sale on Saturday.



Monday: took part in a clothing-swap at the Greenhouse

Tuesday: participated in my last painting class (of 6) at Aurora College

Wednesday: went to Kundalini yoga at the Midnight Sun Recreation Complex 

Thursday: participated in Gymboss at the college, and then went to the Mackenzie Hotel for dinner

The greenhouse plant sale - 1000s of plants sold in a few hours!



Friday: played squash at the rec center, and then bought some herbs member's only plant sale at the Inuvik Community Greenhouse.

Saturday: checked out the annual Inuvik Spring "Tailgate" garage sale in the rec center parking lot and volunteered for the annual Greenhouse plant sale

Sunday: played squash and went for a hike on the "ski trails" (now snow-free)

By the way, things are really growing in the greenhouse plots. Stayed tuned for a progress report....

Get outta town!

May 30th, 2012
Sunrise: N/A
Sunset: N/A
Temps: 3'C - 19'C (last 24 hours)
Ground cover: dirt, puddles, scrub grass, garbage and a few little tenatious piles of snow.

So I left Inuvik. Already.

Just for a week! I had a lovely time visiting my hubby, moms and friends in BC, and now I am back in little Inuvik. A lot changed in my short time away, but first I have to tell you about my trip.

To the right is an Air North plane at the Inuvik airport. This Hawker Siddeley's notable features include a passenger compartment in the rear of the plane (behind the cargo space), a super steep set of stairs for boarding at the back of the plane, and a malfunctioning propeller. (After a failed take-off attempt they sent us another plane from Whitehorse and fed us pizza.)


Views from the air:

To the left is the NWT terrain, not long after take off.

To the right, are the spiny mountains not far from Dawson City, Yukon. Tombstone Mountain Territorial Park is propably not far away.

I don't think it would take long to fly from Inuvik to Terrace if, magically, there were a direct flight. It was a little challenging to accept that I was esentially flying over my destination at 10:30 am Saturday morning, only to have to continue on to Vancouver, wait several hours, take another flight, and arrive at 2:45 pm.

Parachute anyone?

Oh well. It was a lovely visit at home.

While I was gone, I missed break-up! In a matter of days, sloppy sheets of ice turned into a moving waterway with small icebergs in it. The river is now in full flood, overflowing its banks and backing up into tributaries and neighbouring lakes. Chunks of ice on the side are thick but melting fast, and over the last 2 days I've heard the purring of outboard motors as people eagerly take to the water. Upstream, the Mackenzie River ferry will soon be back in the water and the Dempster Highway will be passable once again.

Spring is here!

May 16th, 2012

Sunrise: 4:23 am

Sunset: 1:23 am

Today's temperatures: 0-1 'C  

Ground cover: old snow, puddles and mud

I know, I know, it's MAY, but Spring is now really here in Inuvik. The melt has begun in earnest, and the Dempster Highway is closed as the Mackenzie and Peel River ice bridges are done for the season. This past Saturday it was absolutely gorgeous out: calm, sunny and warm. It was sun-reflecting-off-snow-and-I-need-sunscreen-or-else-I'm-gonna-burn warm. It was a lovely, lovely weekend.

We took advantage of the lovely weather. A few new friends and I piled into a vehicle and drove out along the Dempster Highway to a look-out over Campbell Lake. We struggled through the rotting snow (some with snowshoes, others without) to a bare, rocky outcropping to enjoy a snack and the view of the lake and hills. We had a few biology types in the group, and they gave the play-by-play of the birds we were seeing, a sampling of the multitude of species that decend upon the Beaufort Delta for the warmer months.

Back in town, the melt was really obvious. The weather network stated a high of 13'C, but with the sunshine, it felt even warmer, and snow was melting very quickly. People were out in cropped pants and t-shirts, and lakes and ponds sprung up all over town. Soon we were enjoying BBQ steaks, salads and wine with a view from our hosts' deck. We could see water collecting on Boot Lake and the Mackenzie River beyond. And, like earlier that day, we observed many species of birds as they arrived for their summer retreat.

Back at the apartment, things looked different. The intersection had turned into a small lake, and the side of the road was a veritable stream, with water rushing down to the river. Patches of dirt and mud were visible where mounds of snow had been only days before. Things happen FAST around here! (And it's about time!)

So yes, Spring has sprung!

And on that note, yesterday we had a stiff wind blowing in from the North, local temperatures plummeted to below zero, and we got some fresh snow to cover up all that dirt.

Sigh.

However, I am going to be away for a week now, and I am eager to see how things will have changed in the time that I am away. Stay tuned...

Interesting Inuvik buildings

May 8, 2012
Sunrise: 5:09 am
Sunset: 12:35 am
Current temp: -5'C
Main colour: white

In the absence of anything super exciting to report at this time, I've decided to do a quick post on some of the interesting buildings around Inuvik. You've already seen the apartment buildings on stilts, but here are a couple more.

To the right you see the "Our Lady of Victory Church," more commonly known as "The Igloo church" amongst Inuvikians (Inuvikyites?). While I have not been here to confess my many sins, I did go to a concert here by Florent Vollant, apparently a well known Innu-Quebecois singer-songer writer, and the accoustics were quite good!

And here we have an example of the famous Inuvik "Smartie Box" rowhouses. This is one particularly colourful sample, but Inuvik has many, many row houses and the come in quite a mixture of colours. Considering that the town in blanketted in snow for more than half the year, it's quite a refreshing and colourful contrast!

Oh, and Mackenzie is the main street in town, named after, of course, the mighty Mackenzie River that flanks the Western edge of town.

Now this building, well, I'm not really sure what to call this one. An igloo house? It's just down the street from me, and I pass it several times per day on my way to and from work. Apparently it has several rental units in it, and clearly it has a number of skylight-ish windows. With all the light, I wonder how the residents can sleep in the summer time? However, it's probably great for viewing northern lights in the winter months.

And on a random sidenote, I have made a new friend in the last week. So far we have met 3 times on the little trail that I take to work. He's kind of shy, and hard to spot, but he knows how to make me smile. Can you spot him?

I feel he should have a name, but all that comes to mind is "Mittens" or "Boots" and that just feels inappropriate for a bunny in the Arctic. In fact, when I last saw him, I was walking with a colleague who was wearing rabbit fur mittens!

Unfortunately, aside from these bunnies, a squirrel and a few varieties of birds, I have yet to see much of the wildlife that the Arctic has to offer. I have, however, seen the prints of ptarmigan and lynx. Maybe I'll be lucky enough to spot these creatures as well!