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| The main means of 'travel' freedom across the north |
while our daylight now extends from well before 6:30 in the morning and...
while the sun is now setting at almost 8:00 p.m. in the evening...and...
while my return ticket says tuesday... it's probably a great time to put to rest some of the stories that may not have been completed in my journal.
First, I have not really commented on the weather of late. It's still winter outside in my mind.Yesterday the winds were blowing from the NNW at between 50-65 km/hr...When it's at your back, it moves you...yes, moves you along at a fairly quick pace. When it's in your face you actually struggle with each and every step to move forward, so you angle the direction you are walking, cut down on the direct force...and walk a little farther but with less effort overall. Oh, and the temps...they were -28C yesterday but with the wind chill, the estimate went to -46C. Another heatwave is scheduled here for for friday with temps suggested between -7 and -14..The winds are less strong this morning at 6 a.m. at 28kn/hr and and swung so they are from the WNW.
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| Two languages on most signs |
Last saturday, while on my tour of Area 6, the newest housing development in Rankin Inlet, I was passed by a man on a snow machine. It was an older model, ran well, but had seen brighter days. The seat was torn and broken, the skis were a close match, but not exact. He stopped up ahead at the stop sign. Got off...and looked around. By this time my legs had caught up to him and I smiled and thought he was going to offer me a ride.
Instead, he explained his journey. He was on a search mission...looking for his new snow machine. He explained the colour, and that he had recently paid $11,700 for it and...less than 48 hours later, it had been stolen out of his backyard. Since there is no access to the south, the trucks, cars and SUV's are safe and can be driven only on the roads in and around the hamlet. The snow chariots are a different matter.
This machine, given the current snow and ice conditions, could be easily ridden out of town....I expected he figured it was already in another community and he would never see it again. Except for the fact, that in this part of the country, there are more cousins, relatives and close friends separated only by the miles and the weather. Now picture...modern cell phones and internet. It's quite possible that his "inuit" network is already on the case and my hope, and his as well, is that it will be found.
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| Lots of new machines in town...this wasn't the object of his interest |
The weather ahead is encouraging. Next week looks like sunny and bright the whole week...so barring equipment failures, it looks like we will be able to take off...but you'll be kept posted. Another weather related story concerns the major three-day blizzard from what seems like so long ago. On the friday before the storm hit on sunday, a 19 year old left Rankin Inlet and was to arrive the same night in Chesterfield Inlet. He left town alone...on a snow machine...and late on Monday, early tuesday, at the height of gale force winds and blowing snow, he was found.
In the middle of the storm, a group of elders had left town to search for him. They do that here. When someone is missing in these temperatures...your skills and some luck has to be with you or the results can be fatal. The group left town in an enclosed bombadier snow blowing all around. They travelled towards the route people here take when going to "Chester". Behind them they dragged a qamutik, the famous inuit sled....loaded with extra snow machines, gas, and equipment aboard. Hours later, with the storm still continuing, he was found...a few days late, but alive. His safe return, a tribute to the community, is a tradition of the Inuit in these climates.
Many of the people here have cabins, out on the land. These vary in size and shape, and the amenities therein. A common trait in these parts is the sharing as required. I remember on my adventure seven years ago, hearing that town people did not lock their doors. It happened to me when I went to visit someone I had met and ended up in the wrong kitchen...after my directions were written down backwards. The reason the doors remain unlocked is to allow anyone needing shelter from weather or animals to get out of the situation and get inside to safety.
So when this "old" teenager lost his way, he was smart enough to get "inside" the unlocked cabins. This is stressed on any of the published blizzard alerts and taught to the children at an early age. He followed some of the rules of the north, got out of the wind....which reduced his loss of body heat. His safe return, depended upon his knowledge, skill and experience. He was a survivor in a situation that sometimes has a more negative outcome.
People here don't lock their cabins...out on the land. The tradition is that if someone needs your assistance, you offer it. The same holds true for your possessions. They will take care of them and return them when finished. The tenant's responsibility is that the user keeps the place neat and leaves it safe for the next visitor, should it be necessary...and keeps it available in the event of an emergency shelter requirement.
Trust....it's something that still occurs here in the north....sometimes it works out and sometimes you just hope it will.
