My assumption was correct. The K - 3 students and teachers did have fun
at the spring camp on Tuesday afternoon.
Later in the week, those same feelings and comments were expressed by the
Grade 5 - 9 students. Inuujaq School's
principal, A. Salam, also participated in the spring camp activities with the K
- 3 group. The spring camp is one of the
school's most highly valued activity. I
can see why, because it's a change of scenery (outside of the classroom), and
challenges students to use the traditional skills they've learned in school out
on the land. What I also noticed is that
the Inuit are not bothered by the very dark face tans they receive from the
sun. And I do mean very dark.
With
the majority of my students assisting elders at the camp, I chose to postpone
teaching new material until the following week.
Instead, I did review work with the students who stayed behind on
Wednesday & Thursday (May 15 & 16).
Morning and afternoon recess
duties were much quieter and simpler due to so many students attending the
spring camp.
Friday,
May 17 was the last day of the spring camp, and it was reserved for Inuujaq
School staff. While students slept in
Friday morning, teachers and school administrators assembled out on the ice in
front of the Northern Store, ready for another day trip. Unlike the previous days, the sky was mostly
covered with grey clouds. And the
temperature was a little warmer. I
decided not to wear my snow pants because I didn't want the added weight when
hiking up rocky hills. I did keep them
in my backpack just in case the weather got colder. The mood was festive as everyone sat &
stood around the skidoos and qamutiqs, drinking hot beverages and wondering
what the day would bring. After a quick
headcount, (between 20 - 30 people, including two students), everyone jumped
into a skidoo or qamutiq and the convoy was on its way. The principal would meet everyone at the camp
site later in the morning because he had administrative work to complete.
 |
| Me inside the luxurious qamutiq. Picture taken by Ryan, the media/ computer studies teacher. |
There
was a feeling of deja vu as the convoy followed the same skidoo trails to the
camp site. The scenery was the same even
though the sky was cloudy. That didn't
stop me from taking pictures. The
qamutiq I was riding in included a luxurious interior, fully decorated with
blue curtains and mattresses.
The
five white tents were still in place when the convoy arrived at the camp
site. Everyone helped to unload food,
equipment, and personal bags off the qamutiqs.
The longest wooden qamutiq was then turned over because the black rubber
treads needed to be sharpened and waxed.
I
tagged along with Sean, Kyle, and Ryan, three Inuujaq School teachers, who
decided to hike up a nearby rocky hill line that connected to Holy Cross
Point. We were also joined by an
elementary school student whose name I've unfortunately forgotten. From a distance, the trek looked simple but
it turned out to be a challenge. First,
we had to walk across very slippery ice patches and climb over frozen mounds of
ice & snow. These mounds were most
likely created by the sea current underneath pushing the frozen ice on top
against the shoreline. Next came the hill
climb. The white snow was very tightly
compact and slippery, forcing us to use the rocks as steps. We eventually made it to the top and were
treated to a wonderful 360 degree view of the surrounding area. The camp site looked very small in the
distance.
I left
my backpack near a very large rock and continued the trek with the
teachers. The hill line is littered with
large rocks. We climbed up one tall rock
face, being careful not to slip and fall.
Upon reaching the top, Ryan and I filmed videos of the scenery while
Sean, Kyle, and the elementary student descended down to the other side of the
hill. The path they chose was a little
steep and contained jagged rocks, but they made it safely down to the
bottom. Several minutes later, Ryan
& I arrived at a collection of large boulders, littered with rabbit
droppings. An Arctic hare or family of
hares were using these boulders as a home but we didn't see any. While we continued to take photographs, we
spotted the principal arriving at the camp in a rented skidoo.
 |
| Sean & Kyle gazing at the spectacular scenery. |
 |
| The tall hill (background) next to Holy Cross Point. |
Wanting
a bigger challenge, I decided to hike to the top of the very tall rocky hill
that sat next to Holy Cross Point. Ryan
chose to stay behind. I continued alone,
stepping around and over rocks of many shapes and sizes. The overall ascent to the top wasn't
difficult despite a few spots that required the use of all four limbs. I was glad I didn't wear my snow pants,
otherwise I would have sweat too much.
I raised my fists into the air when I reached the summit. I filmed a 360 degree short video, capturing
the surrounding mountains and the sounds of silence on film. In the distance, I could see Arctic Bay and
the airport. Towards the entrance to the
Northwest Passage, a low formation of clouds was slowly moving in my direction. A snow storm appeared to be moving in. I also saw the small outlines of Sean, Kyle,
Ryan, and the student walking back to the camp site. Looking at my watch, I realized it was nearly
noon. I quickly took some more pictures
with my camera and slowly made my way back to camp. I also made sure to pick up my backpack on
the way.
"Was
that you up there?" asked one of the Inuit teachers when I returned from
my trek.
"Yes,
it was," I replied. "The view
from up there is just great."
 |
| Me staring off into the distance. Picture also taken by Ryan. |
Lunch
consisted of caribou stew, eggs, bacon, bread, tea, juice, and hot
chocolate. I ate my lunch in the same
tent I slept in on Monday night. At the
moment, it was being used by the male staff as their eating area. When I entered the tent, they asked me how I
enjoyed my trek up to Holy Cross Point.
I replied that the trek was worthwhile and the views were fantastic. Upon seeing a frying pan full of cooked
bacon, I couldn't help but share a news story I had recently read on the Internet.
On
May 9, an elderly lady in the United States celebrated her 105th birthday, and
the local media asked her what was the secret to her longevity. The Texas woman replied that she ate bacon
every day. To celebrate her birthday,
Oscar Meyer gave her a free batch of bacon and let her ride 'shot-bun' in one
of their Weinermobiles.
After
lunch, I thought about what to do next.
Most teachers were heading out for a seal hunt with the elder hunters
but I didn't feel like going for a second round. Feeling empowered by my hike up to Holy Cross
Point, I decided to tackle an even bigger challenge: climbing the tall nameless
mountain behind the camp site. I had
just 3 hours to get there and back. Such
a task looked daunting given the size of the mountain and the distances I would
have to walk. But, I believed I could do
it given that I had previously hiked up the two smaller hills in front of the
mountain. Once publicly stating my
intentions, I asked if any teachers wanted to join me? Sadly, no one volunteered. With everyone wishing me luck, I set off on
my biggest hike yet in the Arctic Bay Area.
 |
| Climbing the nameless mountain. Route in Red. |
The easiest part
of the trek was getting over the two low hills in front of the mountain. In fact, it felt like I got that portion out
of the way fairly quickly. While
listening to roaring skidoos in the distance, I trudged forward, moving onto
the mountain itself, whose slope had become steep. There were plenty of rocks to grab onto but I
quickly learned to be very selective because many rocks were loose. About halfway up, I reached a large stack of
rocks that formed a flat top. Rather
than climb up, I worked my way around.
When I got to the flat part, I stopped to catch my breath and to
photograph the scenery. I was surprised
by how much I could see.
The
last part of the hike was climbing the left side of the mountain; this proved
to be most challenging because the snow was smooth and there were very
little rocks to grab onto. The smooth
snow gave the impression that underneath was solid ice meaning I wouldn't get a
secure footing. However, after taking a
few steps, I discovered that it was soft powdered snow, enabling me to sink in
my heavy boots for better footing. Rather
than walk up the steep slope, I used my arms and legs, punching & kicking
deep into the snow, creating a fresh path up the mountain. By the time I reached the summit, my black
gloves were covered by sticky wet snow.
 |
| Spring Camp Site (centre). |
I
reached the summit at around 1:30pm; my ascent took ninety minutes. Again, I lifted my fists into the air, like
Rocky Balboa, to celebrate & signify my achievement. I also waved to the very tiny people at the
camp below. I wasn't sure if anyone
waved back. The view was spectacular; I
could see Arctic Bay, the airport, the cliffs I had explored in early May, the top
of King George V Mountain, and the teachers & elders returning to camp
after the seal hunt. Looking through my
binoculars, it didn't look like they caught anything. I spent around fifteen minutes exploring the
summit, photographing the jagged cliffs, the surrounding area, and filming a short video.
For
the descent, I went back the way I came.
I faced the mountain when I descended the left side. It was like doing the ascent but in
reverse. I could have slid down but I
chose to play it safe. After clearing
that section, it was pretty much smooth sailing. I still took my time because I wanted to
relish in the fact that I had gone higher than anyone had gone during the spring
camp. About halfway, I noticed a convoy
of skidoos and qamutiqs leaving the camp site and heading back to Arctic
Bay. The time was 2:30pm. The tents had been disassembled and staff were
leaving earlier than planned. Before I could
begin planning my 11km walk back to Arctic Bay, I was met by an Inuk man on a
skidoo; he had been sent to retrieve me.
 |
| The Spring Camp is no more . . . until next year. |
The
Inuk was one of Rebecca's sons. She is Inuujaq
School's secretary. I was surprised to
see him this far up a rocky hill on a skidoo.
"Us Inuit can do anything with a skidoo," he boasted. The ride down to the shoreline was quick and
fun. I
really need to look at getting a skidoo, I thought. Rebecca and the last remaining Inuit teachers
were waiting for me at the shoreline next to a qamutiq. All that was left of the camp site were piles
of rocks.
"Did
you have fun up there?" asked Rebecca.
"Of
course! I could see everything up
there. Did you see me?"
"Definitely,"
she replied. "We all could see you
clearly. You looked like a tall black
post. Even the people who went seal
hunting could see you when they were driving back. A few of us even waved to you."
On
the way back to town, I asked the Inuit teachers if the mountain I climbed had
a name. They said no but added they
would call it 'Mount Adrian' from now
on. I chuckled at the honour but
wondered if the name would stick. In
return, the teachers asked me if I had any plans to climb any other
mountains. Looking around, I spotted my
next target.
"King
George," I replied. "Yeah,
King George," I confirmed with a nod.
"This Victoria Day Weekend."
 |
| Arctic Bay and the airport in the distance. |
As
you probably can tell from all three posts, I definitely enjoyed spring
camp. It was a great way to experience
living out on the land with Inuit elders and youth. But it was also a great way to see the
striking Arctic landscape. The land is
vast, picturesque, and untouched. It
makes you feel like you're on a different planet. Truth be told, there were moments when I
thought I was on the planet Hoth, and expecting to see AT-AT walkers and Rebel snow speeders passing by.
I
can't wait for next year's spring camp.
End
of Spring Camp mini-series.
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