Good evening everyone!
It's getting colder up here now.... finally! I can now say that I officially experienced freezing myself to the point of discomfort. The days have been full to say the least. We left off with the lights, and fortunately, we will be ending with them again!
Yesterday began with an early start as we had been blessed with another day of cloudless skies. Visibility for kilometers and despite the frigid temperatures, the sun makes a huge difference. So, I decided to get a little more acquainted with town. There's a museum in town that Mike and I visited the other day, but it was closed so I thought, "why not check in on it". I was not let down. So many of the displays were like my Canadian history classes come to life! And for the record, not the sugar coated Canadian history that so many are used to; here, you get a much more candid account of the changes Inuit culture has experience since colonialism.
This case shows some of the common game hunted here: Narwhal, Walrus, Seal, Polar Bear
Also brought in is a traditional shelter that would have been used to shield the Inuit from the merciless elements here. It may not be clearly visible but the frame is built from whale bones! Inside was an assortment of other garments and objects, parkas made from seal skins, cookware etc.
As I continued on, I recalled Mike telling me that I must check out this old building. The sign alone, indicates the early impetus for revisiting the North: Whaling. 
On the note of whaling, here is a seemingly misfitting item for the shores of isolated Pang...that is, if it were for defense, which it's not. This cannon was used for whale hunting.
I caught just a hint of this sticking out from the snow and swept away the snow. Remnants of a caribou carcass. Little different from the odd chicken bones one finds in downtown Montreal.
I worked my way out to the far west side of town, which looks out to the open water and this is what I saw... beautiful... and unfathomably far away!
Skins are certainly some of the most common commodities around. Strange how quickly this becomes normal and understood as part of life.
So, later on that afternoon, Mike and I planned on making the grand journey across the fjord to check out town from 5 km away and see if we might be fortunate enough to spot some ptarmigan, a beautiful but rather dumb bird and some of the only wildlife one will find in the area during daylight, next to gigantic ravens! Alas, we failed to see any...they blend in well with their surroundings and freeze when aware of intruders.
Mike scopin' out the surroundings, because make no mistake, at this point in the arctic, you could very quickly find yourself in harms way!
Here's the view northward from the other side of the fjord. In the summer, this is a river. Occasionally you can tell by the plumes of steam rising from broken patches of ice. 
While walking around I started noticing the difficulty I was having with blinking my eyes, like they were getting stuck together... well... here's why
Moving along the trail, Mike spotted this ice formation and figured it a good idea to give y'all a sense of scale... this was not by any means the largest either. Here, scale is unfathomable until it's right in front of you.
From here, off we went north east along the shore of the fjord minding the tide break and taking in the splendour of mountains, 'mini' avalanches (again, minding the scale thing), fox trails, steam pockets, ice formations etc. etc. You'll get a sense of it with these pics that Mike took.
A stellar shot on the way back to town
These are the 'mini' avalanches I mentioned...just beautiful
This was a macro shot of the tide break
Looking back towards Pang
Before heading back to town, Mike let me fire off a couple rounds of the .22; my first time firing something more powerful than a pellet or paintball gun! Surprisingly, the recoil was nothin' and with a scope it seemed impossible to miss!
After getting home, we were both "dangerously cold" as Mike so accurately put it. Frozen. Just frozen. The -30 coupled with 60 mph on the sled equaled around -70... bloody cold! After thawing out, it was Mike's second favourite day of the week: archery night!!! I forgot the camera last week when we went but thankfully Mike was on the ball and grabbed it so we got a couple shots for ya!
Not bad! The three of us hit the bag with every arrow....I may not have hit the bullseye but hey, I can't complain!
Mike showin' how it's done!
Learning by example! =)
Mike fashioned this quiver, and the pic of him shooting didn't do it too much justice so here it is in its masterful craftsmanship!
And now!!! The grand finale much the same as the last, but this time, in unparalleled proportions!!! The lights last night brought me to my knees and left me torn between laughing hysterically and crying in awe. The whole experience of the lights last night was something surreal. As I open mouth stared up at the sky, I was surrounded by the playful screams of Inuit, it totally enhanced the experience!
Here you go! This moment had me incoherent and in hysterics! I still get such a strange feeling inside every time I recall it!
As the lights kept dancing, Mike thought it was time to try and get the shot of a lifetime; intense lights over Pang...the cold we endured as we tucked and seared through the -35 degree air was without doubt terrifyingly cold...there was NO exposing our faces to the wind.
Unfortunately, the lights moved over the fjord and Mike will have to wait and try his luck another night.
Spooky to think we are standing on the ocean here...who knows how deep... a kilometer?
Beautiful Pang under the dark star littered sky.
So everyone, there you have it. These last few nights, including tonight have provided more excitement and satisfaction than I could have ever hoped for! As I said last night, I could have come here for last night and still felt it was all worth it! What a night!!! And the lights tonight were still dancing beautifully, but not quite as intense.
Thanks again for tuning in bloggers and I look forward to sharing the next adventures with you!!!
Bryce
Recent Comments