A Friend

Anytime someone begins the journey to the North there is a rollercoaster of emotions to go through. You will feel fear, dread, excitement, anticipation and wonder to name a few. What makes it an easier transition is to make friends when you arrive. They will provide the necessary support and sage advice you will need to adjust to your new surroundings.

The second person I met when I got of the plane was Terry Girouard. The big fellow with the long hair and scraggly goatee met me with a friendly smile and a helping hand with all the luggage. I found out the next day that his cubicle was close to mine and I stopped by after introductions to thank him for helping me with the luggage. We soon learned we had much in common and a friendship quickly developed.

A couple months ago Terry went to the health center complaining of sever pains in his side and was soon medivacted to Iqaluit for more test. Soon after that it was off to Ottawa for even more test. I seen his wife Barb walking and stopped to ask how Terry was. With tears in her eyes and a shaking voice she told me he had oesophagus cancer and it has spread to his liver. Barb and the children were leaving immediately to fly to Ottawa to see Terry in the hospital.

After a brief battle Terry died last night around supper. He was a lot of things to many people. A husband, father, son, brother, musician, poker player, co-worker. To me and many people in Cape Dorset he was, and will always be, a friend.

Moon Walk?

No it isn't a photo of footprints on the moon just my footprint in the snow.  I was playing with the photo in Photoshop and got the result below.

Back Side

The back side of Dorset Island.

More Snow Formations

Holey

Just hanging out

Tunnel

Very delicate

As the wind blows from right to left the wind driven snow catches on this lip and slowing wears it down creating the lines you see to the right of the ridge.

I way over 270lbs with my gear on (The majority of that weight is me *sigh*) and I barely make a mark on drifts and they look so soft.  Try hitting them at speed on a snowmobile.  Ouch.

Big Drift

The road going to the new lagoon. The lagoon isn't being used yet so it will be awhile before this drift across the road is removed or melted.  The part were you can see the tracks is were I attemped to climb to the top of the drift.  It is about 3.5 meters to the top and vertical at that section.  I didn't make it.  Were you see the drift continuing past the road it is almost straight down for a couple hundred feet and someone either went down or up it on a snowmobile.   That is well past my skill level.

Snow Removal Needed.

Lonely Boat

It will be a couple more months before this boat makes it to the water.

Snow Formations

Not the best photos but I didn't have much choice because of the snowmobile trails and sun limiting the angles I could use.  These are as hard as concrete.  Before knowing any better I had went through a group at high speed and darn near lost control of the machine because there was no give in the snow.  If it stays nice this weekend I'm going exploring for some untouched drifts.

Doggies

Dog Team on the ice.

Igloo

The elders were teaching some of the younger children how to build an Igloo. Igloo is Inuktitut for house. The community of Igloolik, located in the Melville Peninsula just south of northwestern Baffin Island, means "place of houses" in english. It originally referenced the sod houses that were common there.

They build it right in the center of the snow mobile trail.

Not sure what happened last night.  This post was scheduled for today but it showed on sidebars as being published yesterday.  First time that has happened.  Anyway this is the mystery missing blog post.

Sun Fun Revisited

Last night just as the sun was setting I went out to get a last photo of the Sun.  Sorry about the power lines in the photo.  It might be the last sun we see for a few days because a blizzard is supposed to start tomorrow and stay until Saturday or even maybe Sunday.