Pangnirtung is an hour's flight north of Iqaluit. It is at the mouth of a fiord and the gorgeous fiord is at the base of the Penny Ice Cap and Auyuittuq National Park. We three boated up the fiord with our guide, Joavee, and two other visitors. The tip of the fiord is 7.5 kilometers south of the Arctic Circle; but it takes up to 10 hours to walk it because the terrain is so difficult. We lolled about on the beach; had a lovely lunch and watched the tide come in...so much for roughing it! In order to go into the Park everyone is required to watch a 30 minute video on Polar Bear Safety. I think some of the strategies might come in handy getting to my job on Bay Street! Pang is a small community with a long history of serious sculpting, print making and loom knitted blankets, scarfs and other apparel. It was fun to browse through them and talk to the people.
So far, this trip has felt like a deep immersion into so many aspects of the Far North. I have found the Innuit themselves a friendly, and rather shy people with a wonderful dry sense of humour. We have become more educated about the tragic and painful history they have been through at the hands of the white people. And we are learning what a complicated
"stew" the birthing of a modern day Nunavut truly is. We are meeting a variety of Josh's friends who have each enriched us in so many aspects of life here: the weather, survival, government and lack of government, social concerns and long range issues around resources (mining ect) and how to manage given global warming. It is just amazing! I imagine it to be rather similar to the making of Canada before they figured out they needed to construct a railroad to strap us together as a country! There is much to sort out here!Meanwhile I have become absolutely entranced with the wild arctic flowers that seem to bloom against all odds here. They are hardy and beautiful and to be muchly respected. Today out for a walk on the tundra near the Bay, I came across a beautiful Raven feather across my path. Ravens are large and to my surprise can make a variety of "calls". I have the feather; I hope it can be transported home safely! And if not, I won't forget!
I will sign off for now. But there is more to come...and some great pictures, if I don't say so myself! Lori
1 comment:
You will have to make up a posting about what those bear avoidance tactics are that you feel you can use back home in the corporate world.
The photos of the flowers look similar to life under the sea.
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