Executive Summary

Our trip takes us from Morristown, New Jersey north through Quebec province to Baffin Island in Canada's Northwest Territories which occupies 1.3 million square miles. Our final destination was Clyde River where we hiked to an abandoned DEW-Line site at Cape Christian. The favorite hikes were at Pang

nirtung and the favorite flight was along the fjord through Auyuittuq National Park. One of the most unique aspects of the trip was 24 hours of daylight though we experiences slightly below average temperatures for that time of the year. We were visiting a very remote part of Canada. The trip duration was nine days.

The Arctic

The Arctic is a land of contrast, a land of the long day and the long night. Sometimes desolate and sometimes bountiful and rich in fish and wildlife. It is a land of unlimited vistas and horizons. The attractions to the arctic include excellent hunting, fishing, cross country skiing, glacier mountaineering, climbing, backpacking, kayaking, dog sledding, and ski mobiling. Wildlife include caribou, muskoxen, arctic hare, lemmings, foxes, wolves, seals, polar bears, walrus, whales, and numerous birds and fish.

There is no place like the Canadian high arctic in the summer. Late May and early June brings 24-hours of daylight and sunny, stable weather. The sea ice will not break up for another month or so, and overland traveling is easy and pleasant. The Inuit call this time "Opingaaq," and welcome it after the long dark winter by leaving their permanent communities to go hunting and fishing on their ancestral homeland.

Arctic flying is some of the most awesome, spectacular, and majestic piloting known. Visibility is often much greater than 100 miles and the cloud tops seldom exceed nine or ten thousand feet. Flying close to the magnetic north pole is based on an astro compass (sextant), pilotage, and dead reckoning. Of course, the GPS also works in this region and is proving to be very reliable.

The People of Nunavut

The people who live in the eastern Northwest Territories are mostly Inuit, which means "the people." In the past, these people have been called "Eskimo," a name given to them by other native groups. Archaeological evidence indicates that the ancestors of today's Inuit crossed the Bering land bridge during the Wisconsin glaciation, about 5,000 years ago, and spread across the coast after the retreat of the continental ice sheets. Inuit mythology speaks of the creation of people and animals by Sedna, the sea goddess.

The modern Inuit are descendants of a people known as the Thule, who moved along the coast eastward into the central and eastern Arctic approximately 1,000 years ago during a climatic warming period. They hunted the huge bowhead whale and lived in villages of 100 people or more. When the climate cooled again during the 1700's, the Thule gradually changed, depending far less on bowhead whales and more on the smaller beluga's, seals and caribou. The Inuit cooked with a kudlik or oil lamp, used kayaks and sleds pulled by dog teams, built igloos or sod houses, and used skin tents. The Inuit of the barren grounds depended almost exclusively on caribou for food, shelter, clothing and tools.

Arctic Climate

February is the coldest month with the lowest recorded temperature of -54°C. The humidity is quite low and, due to the mountainous terrain, high winds are not frequent. However, wind storms may last for three or four days. The weather is most unsettled in the late spring during ice break-up and in the fall at freeze-up. From June to mid-July the sun does not go behind the mountains of northern Baffin and hence the famous "midnight sun." On 21 December (the shortest and darkest day) a faint strip of light can be seen above the southern hills at midday. The sun will last be seen above the horizon on 11 November each year, but there are still many hours of twilight. The daylight will gradually decrease until 21 December; after the New Year the day begins to lengthen noticeably. By the last week of January the tops of the northern Baffin mountains are touched with sunlight, and early in February the sun peeks above the southern hills for a few minutes. At this time of the year the sunlight increases by about 20 minutes per day. By 21 March (the equinox), the whole world has equal periods of sunlight and sundown, and by the middle of April the northern regions no longer have darkness.

Baffin Region

The Baffin Region, with a population 9,850 people, is made up of the largest single group of islands in the world. It covers an area larger than all of the islands of southeast Asia, which include Indonesia, the Phillipines, Malaysia, and Borneo. Baffin Island is the 5th largest island in the world and is twice the size of the United Kingdom. Approximately 83% of the people are Inuit with a population growth four times the national average. Approximately 10% of the income to Baffin Island residents comes from tourism. Twenty percent of the population are active hunters. There is a government effort to develop commercial fisheries, innovative agriculture, sport hunting and fishing, and inter-settlement trade and tanneries.

The Adventure

Participants for this adventure were recruited as much as one year in advance. A total of fifteen people expressed interest in hiking in the arctic though as time progressed the fifteen became ten and then five due to work, personal, and other priorities dictated otherwise. The participants were all experienced hikers and were great traveling companions on this very unique trip.

Preparing for Departure

We met at Morristown Airport on Friday 29 July 1996 at 1 PM to weigh our gear and carefully load the plane. Our weight limit was determined by the useful load of the plane (maximum allowable weight to be carried) minus the fuel, passenger, and gear weight. This limited us to about 30 pounds per person including backpacks, clothing, tents, stoves, and emergency food rations for the flight. We also had a shotgun aboard as required by Canadian Federal Aviation Regulations for the flight in the arctic. It took about two hours to conform to our weight requirements. We departed Morristown Airport at 3 PM with a quick stop at Caldwell airport a few minutes away to calibrate our magnetic compass. We were airborne shortly after and headed to Quebec City where we went through customs, got fuel, and spent the night.

Enroute to Iqaluit

The beginning of the flight was overcast with a line of thunderstorms near Quebec City heading eastward. We were able to see the lightening as well as detect it with our Strike Finder aboard the aircraft. Our timing was perfect as we were able to land in Quebec just before the storms arrived. Customs agents were very friendly and surprised that we were carrying a gun. We departed early Saturday morning for our next fuel stop at Sept Iles, Quebec about one and a half hours northeast of Quebec city because of a strong unexpected head wind. We quickly departed for Wabush, Labrador about another 3 hours north. We had a leisurely lunch, got fuel, and a weather briefing for our flight to Kuujjuaq, Quebec and then onward to Iqaluit on Baffin Island. Enroute weather the following day was pleasant with good visibility and clouds covering some of the areas but not wide spread. Most of northern Quebec province is sparsely inhabited and covered with numerous lakes and bogs. The region is considered "inhospitable" as depicted on the aeronautical charts and requires the aircraft to have provisions for survival in the unlikely event of a forced landing. As we approached Iqaluit the weather was partly cloudy and we enjoyed the views of the treeless terrain and mountains in the distance. The flight was uneventful and very long, taking over 10 hours to reach Iqaluit on the southern end of Baffin.

Iqaluit Airport Terminal

The Iqaluit airport terminal is made of bright yellow plastic and is prominent against the often gray sky. The terminal building is famous among chemical engineers as it has excellent thermal insulating characteristics and is resilient against the weather. The flight service station is co-located in the tower and weather can be obtained by phone in the pilot briefing room just below. Fuel is available at Iqaluit for general aviation as well as turbine powered aircraft at perhaps the lowest prices in Canada. The fuel is brought in once a year by giant tankers and stored in the gigantic fuel storage farms nearby. Iquluit is a key fueling place for small aircraft heading across the North Atlantic to Europe. The average price for aviation fuel in Canada is about 95¢ per liter and it gets more expensive further north. A few years ago they stopped supplying fuel to the northern towns so now special provisions must be made. We had to pay a little more than $12 US per gallon at airfields north of Iqaluit. This fuel had to be flown in by a small Baffin Island air carrier when they had spare capacity aboard. We made preparations for the fuel several weeks in advance and they were stored in Gerry cans at the airport.

Iqaluit

Iqaluit means "fishing place" or "place of many fish" and is the largest community in the eastern Northwest Territories with a range of transportation and communication facilities, retail outlets, and a range of professional services. The eastern 2/3 of the Northwest Territories will become a separate Canadian territory in 1998. Iqaluit will be the capitor of Nunavut. Arts and crafts workshops offer gold, silver and ivory jewelry, parkas, carvings, and other treasures. In 1952, a Distant Early Warning Line (DEW-Line) radar site, called "Upper Base," was constructed and spurred further development. Hiking routes pass the Sylvia Grinnel Territorial Park and the Crystal II Causeway provide easy access to ancient ruins of Thule stone houses hundreds of years old and is just past the airport runway. Nearby Gaummaarviit Historic Park, a short boat ride away, is the site of an ancient Thule encampment where the remains of Thule winter houses and summer tents have been excavated by archaeologists. Easy-to-follow trails point out the island's ruins and prehistoric life and culture. Gaummaarviit also offers some of the best hiking, fishing, and sight seeing in the arctic. The last week in April brings Iaqluit's spring festival, Toonik Tyme, with igloo-building competitions, dog-sled racing, fishing and seal hunting contests, and concerts by local musicians.

Our arrival in Iqaluit was late in the day and we soon headed to the camping area near the Sylvia Grinnel River where we pitched our tents. We found the tundra a soft and comfortable platform though some areas were damp from the rain earlier. We could easily see the town in the distance from our tents and an early morning hike up the nearby hills gave us an excellent panorama of Baffin Bay and the Sylvia Grinnel River. The next morning we visited town in search of art and treasures only to find the arts and crafts co-op across from the airport had the nicest selection. Though, it was Sunday and some of the other shops were closed for the day. We enjoyed our brief visit and departed for Pangnirtung in the mid-afternoon. The 1.5 hour flight concluded in some inclement weather near our destination and we flew low below the clouds as we made our approach into the fjord and followed it up to the airport.

Pangnirtung

Pangnirtung is a small village at the entrance to Auyuittuq National Park. The name Auyuittuq means "the place which does not melt" in Inuktitut, the Inuit language. The park lies inside the Arctic Circle and includes a remnant of the last ice age, the massive Penny Ice Cap (2,200 square miles), whose glaciers still actively shape the land. The town of Pangnirtung is situated on the southeastern edge of a fjord with tall mountains on one side and the cold water fjord on the other. The airport runway divides the town in half with a red beacon that indicates when an aircraft is approaching. There is a walkway that crosses the runway at the center which is heavily used by residents on the eastern side of town. The population of Pang (as the natives call it) is about 932 (1030 in 1988, unofficial) with an average July temperature of 46°F. On a nice day it gets up to 60°F though it can get below freezing. There is a campsite just outside of town, about a mile northeast, next to the Duval River. The campground has sites with picnic tables, wood platforms, and partial protection from the wind. Water can be obtained from the nearby Duval River and it is recommended to filter the water before consumption. There are out houses but no running water. In town, campers can find a KFC (hee hee) and a grocery store. In town, we enjoyed a visit to the Auyuittuq National Park visitor's center, the co-op, and the local art co-op. One of the local artists came to visit us at our camp site with some excellent carvings, which we later decided was the best we'd seen at a reasonable price. The co-op had the best selection of woven goods and carved jewelry that we found on this trip, such as ear rings and necklaces.

The Hikes

One of our favorite activities in Pangnirtung is day hikes. There are two distinctive hikes that include views from the top of mountains along the edge of the fjord. When the weather is clear, there is no nicer place for a hiker. The visibility is unlimited, the colors are rich with scenery dramatic, and the air is crisp and clean. The wild flowers are brightly illuminated by the sun. Hiking on the tundra is like walking on a soft carpet. The Ikuvik Trail is a hike up Mount Duval that goes from sea level to a height of 671 meters with breathtaking views of Pang Pass, the town, and the fjord. "Ikuvik" means the place where hunters rendezvous to begin caribou hunting. The summit offers spectacular views of Pangnirtung Fjord, nearby mountains and glaciers as well as a bird's eye view of the community of Pangnirtung. The path is well marked by rock inuksuks, the traditional stone route markers of the Inuit. These cairns are used by Inuit hunters past and present to mark their traveling routes. The hike takes about 6 hours and is 13 km. The Ukama Trail follows a natural line along the Duval River. The moderate walk leads past pools and waterfalls. The distance can be tripled in length by continuing further inland to a group of small lakes with a good camp area surrounded by majestic hills and valleys. Here, the treeless landscape of the arctic gives a very different sense of scale; the open expanses allow easy viewing of far off landmarks while the trail immediately ahead may be less defined. Often, it takes one to three hours to reach a landmark that appears only a short distance away. Both trails have, for the most part, been left in their natural rugged state. Although much of the trail is on firm ground, footing will vary from areas of soft, spongy tundra to steeper slopes of broken rock. Sturdy, waterproof boots are recommended. There is a third trail that goes northeast along the fjord to Overlord at the head of the fjord. This is a long trail that takes anywhere from one to three days depending on the weather and speed of the hike. It is possible to reach Overlord by boat through one of the several outfitters and fishermen. From Overlord, there is an excellent hike along the Weasel River cutting through the length of the fjord. This trail will reach Summit Lake and then continue toward the opposing fjord guarded by Broughton Island where a small community resides on Baffin Straight. This region is very mountainous with top peaks reaching 8,500 feet covered with active glacial activity. The park has engineered small bridges across streams and emergency shelters at strategic locations with VHF radios to contact the park warden in Pangnirtung to report polar bears and emergency situations. The hike from Overlord to Summit Lake takes a few days round trip or can be extended to explore the nearby regions. In the Spring, this route is popular among backpackers on cross-country skis with diversions into the mountains to traverse glaciers. The views are most spectacular.

Flight up Pangnirtung Fjord

The most spectacular part of the flight was the hour flight from Pangnirtung to Broughton Island along the Pangnirtung Fjord. We had a clear view of Auyuittuq National Park and the Penny Ice Cap. Along the coast of the park are spectacular fjords with towering cliffs. One of the most remote and scenic areas for independent adventures, the park is serviced by licensed guides. The majestic cliffs and hanging glaciers of Overlord and Mount Thor are most photogenic. The area is remote, the terrain is moderately difficult, and all equipment and provisions must be carried in and out. As we progressed up the fjord the cloud cover increased until, just over half way there, we were on top of the clouds with the peaks of the towering mountains piercing through. As we continued, the sky above became overcast and we found many large holes through which we would descend for our approach to Broughton Island. Flight in the arctic can be a challenge because the weather forecasting stations are wide spread and the accuracy is poor. This is complicated by the lack of precision instrument approaches at the northern airports which usually have only one runway which oriented in the direction of the prevailing wind. There are few flights in the area so pilot reports are few and far between. Furthermore, most of the aircraft operating in the area are turbine powered and can fly at much higher altitudes and equipped with de-ice equipment. We always check the weather very carefully and contact the flight service station located at our destination airport to get the latest current weather. The weather can change unexpectedly, and often does, so an alternate airport is always required. Flight in instrument meteorological conditions is all in uncontrolled airspace - no radar and no air traffic control to provide separation of aircraft. A common frequency is used by all aircraft operating in the area and periodic reports are made so other planes can be informed of conflicting traffic and establish communications to avoid a collision. This actually works out quite well and we have never had any problems.

Broughton Island

The population of Broughton Island is around 450 and there are very few tourists that visit. We fueled our plane from the dozen Gerry cans that were waiting for us at the airport. We had made arrangements for fuel a couple months in advance and confirmed availability before departure. The airport operator helped transport the fuel from the storage shed to the plane. We filled the main fuel tanks from the fuel containers. This would be our last fuel stop enroute to Clyde River which did not have any fuel available. Our goal was to fly to Clyde River, land, hike, and return without picking up any additional fuel. There were another dozen fuel containers in the shed for our return flight. We spent very little time in Broughton on our way north because we wanted to get there while the weather was still good. Broughton Island is surrounded by mountains and the fjord opens up into the ocean. There was still ice in the water and some very interesting large scupled shapes of ice floated motionlessly while we went about our business. The ice moves in and out with the tidal currents and soon it would all disappear for the summer (which only lasted a few weeks). It was not uncommon to see Arctic Char (salmon) hanging to dry. We soon departed for Clyder River, though on the way back we did visit the town, have lunch, and search for arts and crafts for souvenirs. It is a quaint little town and a place to escape the hustle and bustle of city life.

Clyde River

The flight to Clyde River took us along the eastern coast of Baffin Island. It was rugged, mountainous, snow covered with fjords, active glaciers and thin ice packs. It would sparkle in the bright sun and shiver in the overcast weather. We encountered unexpected headwinds which extended our flight a little. We had a strong sense of solitude and were keenly aware of the remoteness of our journey. There were huge ice flows coming out of the northern straits and it was difficult for us to realize that it was now August with temperatures back home in the upper 80's and 90's. We did not think of the sun burn, mosquitos, and soaring temperatures as we were in awe of the cold, barren, unforgiving, harsh land that we had chosen for our vacation. We were navigating by reference to the chart and using both a sextant and hand held GPS to supplement our pilotage. Our progress was well defined though time seemed to go very slow as it seemed like forever before we started looking for the fjords that would take us to the airfield at Clyde River. At last, we followed the coast until the mountains gave way to lower hills and we found landmarks that would lead us along a bay to the end where we would find the runway. There was no response to our radio calls and we were surprised to find a very strong wind blowing directly across the runway. From the effort required to maintain alignment with the runway during our approach it was quite clear that the crosswind exceeded the maximum that the plane could handle. As we continued our approach the windsock indicated a rapid change of direction to give us a quartering headwind that was just within our ability to land. On the ground we taxied to parking and secured the plane. We prepared to hike to town as we were very curious about this village on the frontier of the arctic wilderness. We were fortunate to get a ride in a pickup truck heading to town along the dirt road. As we left the airport, the wind increased and shifted back to cross the runway. In town, we found a hotel where we decided to spend the night so we could again search for treasures and souvenirs. Our room was small with two bunk beds. The population here is only about 500. Once a year a tanker comes in with fuel and once a year a large supply ship comes in with building materials. Though sometimes it is unable to come because of the sea ice. Food, such as vegetables, is flown in on a regular basis and is very expensive. There is one hotel in town and the cost per person per night is about $100 US. The people here are very shy and soft spoken but equally friendly. There are several artists in town who make carvings and sell them to the co-op. We discovered that most people do not work and are on welfare. The government will provide subsidized housing to welfare recipients as the cost of living is quite high. There are few government jobs and often, with the cost of housing considered, people prefer to be on welfare because the standard of living is better. It seems like the government encourages unemployment and large families because each child will dramatically increase the welfare benefits. Some of the artists claim unemployment and do not claim their income. Though, a good artist can live well, and many do, just from the income from their work. We found a famous artist sitting outside her house caving a polar bear with power tools. She says that it takes a day to carve a good polar bear of medium size. We talked with the locals to find out who the best artists were and then we spend several hours trying to find them and make a request for a specific carving. It would be really cool to have some art and a souvenir from Clyde River, the northern-most inhabited point of our trip. Though, we had no luck in finding our artist and continued to explore the town. Rob and I headed north of town in search of a good photo opportunity. The weather was clear with a few clouds in the sky and the temperature was warm. As we hiked out of town toward the mountains we met three kids playing. They said that there were many places to play and the dirt road we were hiking on went nowhere. Though, it did actually go by the dump out of view of the town. It looked like it went up into the mountains but we were later told that it did not go that far but there was some good hiking in the mountains. The locals described the land and we got the impression that they were as much at home in town as they were living on the land. We were a big hit with the kids because they do not get many visitors from down south. We were very different from anyone that they had met. As we hiked, they ran alongside, playing in the road without a care in the world. I asked them if they had to stay close to home and they said that they often go off for a while and come back. They said that they have to remember how to get home but it usually was not very hard. In the winter, they are not allowed to play outside alone for long because sometimes the weather changes and they can get lost. We were interested in a trip to the mountains but knew that we did not have enough time for a long excursion at this point of our trip. So, we decided to head back to town and ask about a good two or three-day hike that would be interesting. Although the folks in town said that there were many good places to go, only one place within a day's hike was recommended. We decided to pack our gear and head toward Cape Christian which was on the eastern coast about 10 miles away. There was a stream to cross but they said it was not very deep and should be easy to get across. So, we headed east from town, towards the airport, and continued on along a narrow dirt road that headed east across the tundra. The weather now had become cloudy and was turning into overcast. The temperatures were in the upper 30's to low 40's.

Cape Christian

Our hike to Cape Christian took us across a stream early in the hike. The dirt road was easy hiking as it was a means for the military to get out to the DEW-Line site and is now maintained because it offers a good path to the eastern coast. Our method of stream crossing requires some reef shoes or wet suit booties. Hiking boots are secured to the pack, the upstream arm is left free from the pack, and the stream is carefully crossed. The upstream arm is left free in the unlikely event of falling into the water it is easy to get free of the pack and avoid drowning. Some of the streams are rapidly moving and carry rocks along which can knock you over. Of course, the water is quite cold so a towel near the top of the pack makes it easy to dry off at the other side. Stream crossings become fun and refreshing when properly mastered. Sometimes, they can be a little exciting. It took us about five hours to reach the coast. We were amazed to see the ice flows in the distance and the sea ice on the shore. Here, we had a choice to go north or south. Each direction had a cluster of buildings in the distance. We chose north where we hiked for another hour to a stream which we had to cross. Within the hour we had reached the outpost and discovered that it was constructed out of modular structures with accommodations for living areas, a large generator, and other equipment. There was no good place to set up our tents as the abandoned site was left in ruins and the cold wind would not be so comfortable. We decided to leave the site and head back towards the road where we might find some protection from the wind. So, we hiked for another two hours across soggy, spongy tundra to find a comfortable spot near the road and also near drinking water. We set up camp, had a great dinner, and went to sleep. We awoke with snow and cold rain outside our tents so we went back to sleep. Convinced that the rain and snow was not going away, we finally packed our gear and headed back towards the airport. We were fortunate that the weather cleared as we hiked back to Clyde. That night, we stayed in a garage at the airport and headed home the next day.

Epilog

The flight home was relatively uneventful though we did encounter some light icing as we flew south above the Penny Ice Cap. At Iqaluit, we were informed that our next fuel stop was out of fuel and would not receive their shipment for another few weeks. There was no choice but to have our gear shipped from Iqaluit to Newark and take on extra fuel allowing us to bypass Kuujjuaq, Quebec enroute to Wabush, Labrador. Upon arriving home we were overcome with oppresive heat and were soon to find that little had changed during our brief escape from civilization. A good time was had by all, pictures were exchanged and memories were treasured.

The Team