Saturday was quite a day as Terin, Heidi and myself headed out on the land with 100's of locals.
The morning started early with us (myself, Terin and Heidi) meeting at the Co-op and my hosts going to the high school to get the qamutik (sled) with the people who were going to pull us. For us our qamutik was being lent to us from a gentleman that works at the high school (one of my hosts kindly arranged this), which had been a slight issue early in the week because we had the qamutik secured but finding someone to pull it with a snowmobile was difficult. All the snowmobiles for rent here were already called for as this was quite a big even; people who normally would have offered were out of town or already pulling a qamutik. Our hosts and friends kindly kept trying and Terin and I were asking around. It got to the point that by Friday afternoon Terin and I had resigned to the idea that we would not be going. We were both disappointed but understood and were just grateful they tried so hard.
But then a miracle happened! We were at the school helping out with the bi-weekly Friday night movie night (which was incredibly run and super fun for everyone involved). The movie ended, we were tidying up and then Heidi received a phone call from the Inuktitut teacher at our school saying her and her husband found a snowmobile and were now able to go to the derby and offered to pull us in the qamutik! So with great excitement we rushed home and prepared for the next day. Some of you reading this might wonder what we had to prepare for, it is just a trip to a frozen lake, and I kind of wondered too. So once we got home I simply followed my hosts instructions on what to pack, sometime curiously wondering why I might need 5 pairs of mittens, more scarves then I'd ever seen, extra socks, goggles and sunglasses, 3 hats, toilet paper, tissues, etc. When I went to bed I stared at what I'd packed and honestly thought my host might have gone a bit overboard, but I decided to trust her anyway (she certainly hasn't lead me astray yet!)
Standing at the Co-op waiting for the qamutik to show up, Terin and my excitement was off the wall. All the sudden our qamutik showed up! I had a single moment of "so that's what those are!" because all week walking around I noticed people had these odd looking plywood boxes with tracks under them outside their houses, I had assumed it had something to do with the sleds I heard about, but I hadn't convinced myself that these were "people pulling sleds"... I think I thought they were more like "grocery pulling sleds" or "supply or game pulling sleds". Once my initial realization that this was in fact a people pulling sled, as well as all the other types of sleds I thought they were, I focused on getting our gear in there, and I suddenly realized why Heidi had borrowed gymnastic mats from the school. With great skill and knowledge Heidi padded our new ride that was about 7 feet long and 3 feet wide, and within moments it seemed the whole community showed up and we were off in what turned out to be a great way to travel.
We jumped into our wooden adventure-mobile and left! I was initially distracted when we first got into the qamutik because everyone followed everyone in a line. We went down a little embankment, then across the frozen bay that Cape Dorset is built around and towards the other side that I've only stared at with fascination this week in a giant line that when we looked back looked like a massive snake slithering across the frozen bay. Then we hit the first bump and I was jolted back into reality... I was actually in a qamutik, traveling across the arctic, with locals! How lucky am I?
The ride was like a dream. The images you see on television or in books of the untouched Arctic do not do the reality justice. It looks surreal. When you cross the frozen bays and lakes, the shores are lined with giant ice sculptures or pillars that stretch forever along the coast and look like something that CG animation would create. Then the land is so vast and impressive with it's pure white snow blanket peppered with giant rocks protruding through the white off set by the brilliantly blue sky.
We arrived at the lake and it was as though everyone knew exactly what they were suppose to be doing. A tent was set up with camp stoves inside and enough food and drinks to feed everyone who showed up. Then all of the sudden everyone started circling and we sort of stood off to the side but then were quickly encouraged to join. We were kindly offered and encouraged to take part in the feast that was to take place prior to the fishing beginning. We ate raw caribou meet (frozen) which I can relate the taste only to steak (but cold and Mom I think you could eat this and like it); it was actually really good. We ate raw walrus (also frozen) which for some reason I expected to taste like pork, but it tasted very much like clams but the texture of meat not seafood (which Dad I think you could eat and enjoy). We also were taught how to hold an ulu (which is a curved tradition cutting tool) and how to cut meat with it. The ulu is extremely sharp and cut through the frozen solid meat like butter. Then we ate fresh Bannock (bread) that was cooked at the home of the woman who offered it to us, but somehow still warm after our journey to the lake. It was DELICIOUS!
The day was spent participating and watching the events unfold. Watching the holes for the fishing to occur being drilled was quite a site that really surprised me. The ice we were standing on in spots was as clear as a glass in a window, so I had imagined it to be 3 or 4 feet deep. In the end it ended up being something more like 7 or 8 feet deep and the men drilling the holes made enough holes for everyone who wanted to fish to fish. I would guess they drilled up to 50 holes, and it looked like quite a task, but they seemed to do it with ease.
Everyone was standing around chatting or going for small walks, when I finally asked why no one had started to fish yet. Unknown to me at a fishing derby, one must wait for everyone to have an ice hole and they all start at the same time. All of the sudden the word was given and everyone assumed the fishing positions of their choice. They fish using a technique called jigging; it requires a lot of patience, a keen eye and a rhythm that I clearly do not have. But it was so neat to watch everyone fish. Slowly but surely fish started coming up through the hole, but I think overall there were not as many fish as was expected, but everyone was seeming to have a good time and I saw some of the students from my class there fishing away and it was nice to see them outside the school setting.
As the day wound down, the weather turned cold quite quickly. Before we knew it we were piling back into the qamutik and heading home, back to Cape Dorset. I feel like we took a different way home, but am not entirely sure as I faced a different direction then on the way up but it seemed much more of a straight line home. Heidi, Terin and I began to get the giggles because of how exciting the day was and our kind driver sped up a bit. He drove cautiously both ways, he and his wife had made sure we were okay all day and I think he took our giggles as we were ready for a bit more excitement! It was SO fun, I am pretty sure we laughed the whole way home!
On Sunday everyone slept in. My bed here is super cozy and I've even convinced Mona that cat to share it with me during the night. She's quite a cuddly cat. When I woke the sun was high in the sky and we all decided to go up for a walk on a lake called "Ice Lake" (which seems appropriately named to me since I was going to be walking on it). It was just up the hill from where I am staying and I really wasn't expecting much because I had been so blown away from the day before. Five us went, and a big dog incase we saw polar bears (apparently they hang out where we were going) and as we got closer I realized this was going to be a pretty awesome walk. We walked across Ice Lake onto the other side which led down an small embankment between to hills and continues walking. I have become quite fascinated by the rocks here and sometimes through patches of snow piles of small crushed rocks poke through which I automatically go look through and it reminds me of when I was little and sifting through small beach rocks with sea glass with my mother. I keep finding what I think of great little pebbles but am too nervous to take them as I don't think I'm allowed, but am going to ask.
After walking, talking and looking at rocks, we emerged at the beginning of the runway to Cape Dorset, walked a little bit more and stood high above the ocean looking out. To my utter shock there were icebergs! I couldn't believe my eyes and luck! I think we must have stood there for 30 minutes just staring and talking about how amazing it looked. But as the sun began to set we turned and sadly headed home.
It really was a special weekend. One no picture, and no explanation will ever do justice to. More pictures will come once I get some from Heidi and Terin :)
our initials in the ice.
the view one way
Heidi ice fishing.
Heidi and Terin
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