Final day up north

August 15, 2014

Dear Lillianne -

It is hard to believe that our final day up north is already here. We had a fabulous start to the morning after a great sleep, another delicious breakfast at Padlei Inn, and were greeted by Olivia's warm smile. She politely suggested at this point that we dress in more layers, but because the sun was shining, we thought: we can handle this.

Olivia drove us out a few kilometers away from Arviat to a watering-hole surrounded by dog yards. Olivia's brother raised a specific cross breed that was just stunning, and we enjoyed meeting every dog on the team. We also learned that when approaching a team of dogs, you must always approach the alpha first. The puppies that were recently born were already moved elsewhere, so Olivia found some adorable puppies in a neighbouring yard for us to visit with.

It was at this point that I began to regret not following Olivia's advice about the layers. My feet and head were becoming uncomfortable in the biting wind, but I did not want to miss any opportunities for something new. We went cloud-berry picking on the spongy tundra and enjoyed the unique, tangy flavour of the orange fruit that looked strikingly similar to raspberries. We marveled at the diverse growth on the mottled landscape, as the various shades of green around black and white rock blended into a beautiful tapestry as far as the eye could see. Sami and Elizabeth also enjoyed finding the odd animal bone chewed clean from some hunt  many days prior. We then went to a nearby area that is, in July, a perfect area for finding Arctic tern eggs. While we were not able to find any nests due to high tide, we did get to see some of the birds gracefully swooping around in the air.

Back at the Inn, our friend Conroy, an airplane mechanic, joined us for lunch and shared some of his travel adventures from his time up north. We invited him to fish with us after lunch, as Olivia was picking Elizabeth up for this special addition to our itinerary. He accepted so we all headed out to the town dock. It being low tide there was slim chance that Elizabeth or Olivia would catch anything, but the view was spectacular and Elizabeth was beaming at the opportunity.

Conroy, Chris, Sami and I took this time to attend an Inuit wedding. At a nearby church, two young and excitedly-nervous locals were preparing to join their lives together as husband and wife. What struck us most was the number of guests - the church was packed with both seated and standing guests, everyone exuding the most positive and joyful energy. We stood in the back of the church hoping to remove ourselves from the action and bear witness to a great day from an inconspicuous vantage point, and instead found ourselves situated in the area that the bridal party was emerging for the opening procession. The green and pink gowns matched the accent decorations in the room and every one of the 10 bridesmaids shone enormous smiles. Eventually the bride emerged, overcome with joy, eyes brimming with emotion, and we realized at this point that we were in the background of a great number of photos. Sending our silent blessings, we made a quick exit and returned to our fisherwomen.

At the dock we found out that Olivia and Elizabeth managed to catch some fish eggs, which was impressive considering the conditions. We then bade farewell  to Olivia for a few hours as we piled into Conroy's truck for a final attempt at glimpsing some wildlife in the Arctic landscape. We drove out past a memorial dedicated to a freight ship that went down a few years ago, with no survivors (too much freight coupled with strong winds led to the tragedy) and reached an area referred to as "the point". This is also one of the best areas in town to fish for Arctic char, and potentially the most dangerous as it is a long walk to the end of the point if you are going on your own. As such, there is a lot of potential for a massive polar bear to corner you!

A few days prior, a polar bear had caught and dragged a beluga whale on shore. The remnants had drawn a number of wildlife until it was picked clean to the point that it was abandoned, and was just becoming sun bleached. We were about to leave the area when Chris spotted a polar bear coming up over a ridge in the distance. Following her were not one, but two cubs! What a fortunate surprise - we climbed out of the car for pictures and some viewing with our binoculars. They were gorgeous - unconcerned by their surroundings (benefit of being top of the food chain), they loped lazily forward, stopping for a drink before diving in and swimming across to the next stretch. What a spectacular finish to our polar bear adventures!

Conroy had a plane to inspect right away so we headed back to the Inn. We visited the general store for one last time and explored the local play grounds. Sami impressed us with his improved coordination and confidence as he fearlessly climbed all the structures, just like the local children. Elizabeth was a fantastic help in ensuring he did not topple off. When we headed back to the Inn, we visited some more with Phyllis (manager) and her husband Bob (head chef) who fed us one last time before we went on our way. They also spoiled Elizabeth some more with a caribou-skin miniature of an Inuit kayak as well as a stunning painting of wildlife done in the traditional fashion. Finally, Phyllis and Bob gave us an envelope so that we could make a donation to The Children's Wish Foundation on Elizabeth's behalf, so more children like her can enjoy the magic of a wish. Incredibly kind, incredibly thoughtful. People like them make the world more beautiful.

Olivia picked us up early and the drive back to the airport was bittersweet. Only two days earlier we first drove down that bumpy gravel rode, unsure and excited about what we would discover of the northern way of life. Here we were driving down the same path, filled with incredible memories of a simple principle demonstrated by an entire community: Be welcoming, so you can be welcomed.

Olivia extended this concept even further by presenting Elizabeth and Sami with some custom made gifts, with words we will always treasure: "The entire community appreciated your time with us. Thank you for visiting Arviat." Crocheting is one of the arts that the hamlet is known for, and Sami was presented with a sweet little crocheted hat that not only fit him well, but matched his winter jacket perfectly. Elizabeth's gift was also testament to Arviat skill (Olivia had told us earlier that traditionally, Inuit seamstresses do not take measurements when making clothing as they can see a person's size and create the clothing accordingly). Amautis (parka with enlarged hood for carrying babies and young children) was commonly worn in the community and Elizabeth and I both often thought about how wonderful it would be to carry a child in that manner. So as soon as Elizabeth saw her gift, she put it on over her clothes and had Sami climb in. Sami calls this riding "pig back-pack" and Elizabeth wanted to carry him everywhere in this manner. These items will be fondly used for years to come, coupled with the thought: matana.

Around this time we discovered that our flight was significantly delayed and that our next flight was being rerouted to stop in Thomson before reaching Winnipeg to accommodate some other travellers. Olivia took us for one last ride around the area and stayed with us at the airport until we left; as such, Olivia - tourism coordinator and human extraordinaire - was the first and last smiling friend we saw in Arviat.

At Churchill airport (now seeming like a lifetime ago) we ran into some "old friends" - Colin, who had picked us up at the airport in Churchill when we had first arrived, on his way home for a few weeks, and a lovely couple that had gone dogsledding with Chris and Elizabeth who had had some amazing adventures in and around Churchill. It was pleasant visiting some more with familiar, friendly faces before boarding our next flight. We arrived in Winnipeg after 11 and were relieved to see our driver waiting for us, cheerful and ready to get us to the hotel for a regenerative sleep. To be honest, I do not remember much from the conversation other than it being pleasant, and by around midnight we were all snug in our beds and ready for our last day of traveling.

Read on...

Ania of ACES