A Visit to Arctic Bay

Here are some pictures from a recent visit to Arctic Bay, Nanisivik and Victor Bay. To get from Pond Inlet to Arctic Bay I had to fly from Pond Inlet south to Iqaluit (approx. 1000km), from Iqaluit north to Nanisivik (more than 1000km)and travel over 30km by road to Arctic Bay. The road connecting Nanisivik and Arctic Bay is the longest stretch of road in all of Nunavut. Nanisivik was a mining town. The mine has closed and the mine site and town are being dismantled and shipped out. There are only a few buildings remaining.

This is all that remains of Nanisivik

Crates full of "Nanisivik" waiting to be loaded on a ship

The road from Nanisivik to Arctic Bay

The Hamlet of Arctic Bay

Spring, Summer & Fall - Now it's Winter!

Well it's been a little more than two months since I last posted to this blog. I don't know where the time went or where to begin. My last post was only a couple of days after the ice broke up and now winter is here again! In the last couple of months its gone from spring, summer and 24 hours of daylight, to fall and now winter! We're experiencing shorter days, snow and ice and soon we will be entering the dark season and the sound will freeze over. A lot can change in a short time here in the the High Arctic. At the end of August the kids were playing and swimming in the creek thats runs through the hamlet, by the end of the first week of September the creek was frozen and they were skating on the pond next to the airport. We had our first snow flurries September 7th and there has been more than a foot of snow on the ground for better than a week now.

I've experienced my first sealift, traveled to Arctic Bay and Iqaluit over the last couple of months and seen the arrival of winter. I'll be posting more pictures over the next couple of days to fill in the blanks!

There's enough wind to fly the flag the last few days!

There is usually very little wind here and the strong breeze is helping move the ice out of the inlet and the sound.

Well it's only been a couple of days since my last post when I said that the ice was beginning to break up and the sound should be completely clear within a couple of weeks. It's remained warm, there's been a little rain, the wind has continued and the ice situation has changed dramatically! There is more open water than ice today. Here's a picture from about the same vantage point as one from a previous post so you can compare.

It's warm enough that the kids (including my two that just arrived from the south a week ago!) have been swimming in the brook to cool off. Here's a couple of photos taken today.

The Ice Is Breaking Up!

Well only one photo today, not a great picture but a little higher resolution than the last ones to show a little more detail. You can see that the ice is breaking up and there is a lot of open water in Eclipse Sound. Just a few days ago there was ice extending shore to shore. The weather has been very warm lately; temperatures have been above the seasonal norms and have exceeded records the past few days. It's topped 16 C the past two. There has been very little wind here and the past couple of days the wind has picked up and that has helped with the ice situation. It is overcast here for the first time in weeks and we may have some showers tonight. The Sound should be completely open within the next couple of weeks. Then we will see large icebergs passing through and lots of marine mammals arriving such as narwhals, killer whales, walrus and seals. I'll be posting photos of our sightings over the next while. With the open water people are starting to think about sealift time arriving. It is a big event when the ships arrive with the supplies everyone is awaiting.

More Photos, a brief stop in Clyde River and then on to Pond Inlet!

On June 22nd I traveled from Iqaluit to Pond Inlet. Here are some pictures from that trip as well as some taken since arriving.

This is a view from the air approaching Clyde River.

This is the Hamlet of Clyde River as we take off.

This is my first sight of Pond Inlet. Unfortunately it was overcast.

This is a view from the tundra looking across Eclipse Sound to Bylot Island. You can see the flowers and vegetation in the forground and the ice still on the sound. The mountains and glaciers are incredible!

This is an unusual house being built in Pond Inlet.

This interesting building is home to the Rebecca P. Idlout Library and the Visitor Centre.

This is a view of the Library. It's a beautiful facility and has a great selection of books and videos. There are several computers with broadband internet access available to the public.

Another view inside the Library / Visitor Centre showing a narwhal on display. When the ice breaks up the narwhals will come into the sound and we'll be able to see them when they surface for air.

This is a reconstruction of a traditional Sod House.

This is a large soapstone carving being done by a local artist for a museum in the south.

Another view across Ecilpse Sound of the mountains and one of the glaciers. Some of these mountains are over 2500 meters high.

It really is the "Land of the Midnight Sun", this is the view from my window at midnight. You can see the blue sky!

This is a picture overlooking Eclipse Sound showing one of the icebergs. The view is deceiving. It is much larger than it appears. The distance to Bylot Island is more than 24 kilometers and the mountains are more than 2500 meters high. It is several kilometers to the iceberg from shore.

Here is a picture of me, Lydia, Johnny and Rebecca at the Inuksuk that is just a couple of kilometers outside the Hamlet of Pond Inlet.

Some Photos from Kuujjuaq Nunavik, Iqaluit and Apex Nunavut

On June 13th I traveled north to Iqaluit on my way to Pond Inlet where I'm staying. These are some pictures from that leg of my journey.

A view leaving Kuujjuaq. This was the last view of trees as we traveled above the tree line heading north to Baffin Island.

The first sight of Baffin Island as we travel north.

Iqaluit from the air.

No it's not the Yellow Submarine, it's the Iqaluit Airport

The famous "Road to Nowhere" in Iqaluit

A large soapstone carving on display at Inuksuk High School in Iqaluit

This is the Hamlet of Apex, only a couple of kilometers from Iqaluit. These are the only communities connected by road in all of Nunavut.

I spent the next 10 days in Iqaluit and continued on to Pond Inlet with a brief stop in Clyde River on June 22nd. More photos from that segment of my travel in the next post.

Under Construction

I'm here in Pond Inlet just better than two weeks now. I arrived here on June 22nd after 10 days in Iqaluit. It's been a very busy month with my relocation and getting started in my new job. My family arrives tomorrow and I'm preparing for the big day! I'll be posting more detail about my experiences in the High Arctic and many photos over the coming days. Come back to learn more about my Arctic Adventure!