Day Trip To Levasseur Inlet

I was handed a great responsibility at the end of April: command & administer 3045 Army Cadet Corps for four weeks.  The commanding officer, Lt. May, was travelling down south on a personal trip and then onto Europe for the 70th Anniversary of Victory in Europe.  He would be escorting and supervising the six best cadets of 3045 Army who were selected for this trip.  The selection process was based on attendance, attitude, and participation.  Officer Cadet Swoboda, who is also the town's mental health nurse, would also accompany the cadets on the trip.  Swoboda and the cadets would travel down to Ottawa, meet up and with the commanding officer, and then continue on to Europe.  That left me as the sole officer to "mind the store" in Arctic Bay.

            

In a previous post I wrote last year, I explained that the Royal Canadian Legion (Branch 168, Iqaluit) and the Order of St. George were organizing a big WW2 Remembrance trip to Europe through Educational Tours.  The organizers would take deserving cadets, selected from six units across Nunavut.  Arctic Bay was originally given 4 slots for 3 cadets & 1 adult staff.  However, thanks to local fundraising efforts, the corps had raised enough money to send an additional cadet on the trip.  Then by chance, the corps was awarded another two spots because of external issues.  One spot went to another lucky cadet and the other was taken by Officer Cadet Swoboda. 

            

Lt. May put me at ease by saying that running a corps in the north isn't difficult.  You just have to stay on top of everything and make sure no one gets hurt.  He also told me that I should feel honoured & excited because officer cadets rarely get a chance to be in charge of cadet corps down south.  Since I would only be in command for a month, Lt. May stressed that I focus on the important issues: getting the cadets ready for the spring Field Training eXercise (FTX) near at the end of May, keep the cadets entertained with some classes and weekend sports, and do some drill in preparation for the Annual Ceremonial Review.  (More on these in future posts).  The responsibilities of running the corps in Lt. May's absence appeared daunting, but I felt up to the task.  I was certain the experience would benefit me in the future.

            

With Lt. May, OCdt Swoboda, and six cadets gone for an adventure of a lifetime, I wasted no time in addressing the tasks that were assigned to me.  We got all the sleeping bags packed and assigned, and sorted through all the meal packages.  I taught the remaining cadets lessons on wilderness survival during the regular Wednesday training nights.  I had to greatly alter the content of the lessons because the content was written for environments below the 60th parallel.  I also taught the lessons as a review because the cadets frequently go camping & hunting with their parents & elders so they already know more about arctic survival than I do.

            

The upcoming FTX prompted many cadets to ask me where it would take place.  Last year's we camped at Qajuutinnguat, a small, isolated fishing area 33km to the southeast of Arctic Bay.  This year I wanted to go someplace else.  Someplace that was further out on the land.  Lt. May mentioned a possible location before he left: Levasseur Inlet.  The inlet is located 56km south of Arctic Bay and lies next to one of the major travel routes locals take to go fishing & hunting.  One popular fishing area (for arctic char) along this route is Ikpikituarjuk, some 4 hours away by skidoo.  It's on my list of places to visit because my students constantly talk about it.

            

A few years ago, Lt. May held an FTX at Levasseur Inlet and he & the participating cadets found the area quite nice.  The camp ground was in a place where the cadets wouldn't be distracted by visiting families, and if anything went wrong, Lt. May could alert someone passing by on the main skidoo trail.  Distance is the only major concern because it takes about 90 minutes to reach the inlet when pulling a fully loaded qamutik, and if there are any real emergencies, it'll take roughly the same time, or less, if you're going full throttle, to travel back to Arctic Bay.  Precious time may also be lost to having to travel back & forth to ferry needed camping supplies & equipment.

            

Intrigued by this faraway location, I informed my commanding officer that I wanted to conduct a reconnaissance mission of the area to see if it was suitable for this year's FTX.  He left me travelling instructions and the location of the former camp site before he left for Europe.  The mission was set for May 17th, during the Victoria Day weekend.  There would be plenty of traffic along the skidoo trail because the annual fishing derby was taking place that weekend.  Many families would be travelling to, or already fishing, at Ikpikituarjuk, competing to catch the largest arctic char for prize money.  I originally wanted to travel alone but I thought maybe someone else with a skidoo should experience this trip.  I had asked Lt. May if he wanted to tag along - (by this time, he, OCdt Swoboda, and the six cadets had returned from Europe) - but he declined, saying that he was still tired from the European trip.  I called Stephen and asked him if he wanted to tag along.  He agreed.  This would be his first time visiting the inlet as well.

            

I collected everything I would need for my excursion the day before.  (I know I've published this list several times already, but just in case you're new to my blog).  On my list of essentials were: extra gas & oil, spare drive belt, two spark plugs, tool kit, first aid kit, GPS & SPOT devices, walkie-talkies, toilet paper, duct tape, mirror, multi-tool, compass, sunscreen, camera, binoculars, and over-the-counter medicines to combat colds, headaches, & motion sickness.  For lethal protection against polar bears, I was bringing my 12-gauge shotgun and a machete.  I also packed snacks and a thermos full of hot chocolate for nourishment.

            

Stephen drove up to my residence on the morning of May 17th.  As luck would have it, the sky was blue and sun was shining brightly.  Even though it was the middle of the month, we were still wearing our heavy Canada Goose parkas and snow pants.  Our feet would be comfortable & warm thanks to our Baffin Impact boots.  You can't take any chances out on the land.  The weather can suddenly change, going from good to bad in a matter of minutes.  Up north, you treat spring as a lighter form of winter.  As a final precaution, I told my next door neighbours where we were going and to check their email periodically.  They were on my list of people who would receive good and/or bad messages from my SPOT device.

            

The cliffs.  Looking in the direction of Arctic Bay.

The first part of the trip was driving to the far point we reached in March.  I let Stephen lead the way, driving south towards Uluuksat Point.  We turned right at the point and then drove across the frozen ice with the cliffs to our backs.  We followed the large & wide skidoo trail that was formed by the many skidoos & qamutiks that travelled to Ikpikituarjuk just a few days earlier.  The drive was a little bumpy and somewhat monotonous - due to the continuous drones of our skidoos - but it felt great to get out of the house and explore the vast arctic landscape.  It took us around 18 minutes to reach the far point.  We had only driven 14 kilometres but had entered Admiralty Inlet.  We stopped to check our skidoos and to take some pictures. 

            

Main skidoo trail heading south.

I took the lead, driving into "foreign territory".  Even though I had the entire route - waypoints included - programmed into my GPS, I strictly followed the main skidoo trail.  If a situation called for a deviation, it would only be done slightly. The ice is still pretty thick in the middle of May but I didn't want to take any chances.  My knowledge & experience of the land is still limited.

            

We drove along the coastline, keeping the mountains to our left and the frozen ice to our right.  Even though the inlet was covered with thousands of small snow drifts, the ice still looked flat to me.  I kept my speed at around 40mph.  I was constantly looking: forward, in my rearview mirrors - to see if Stephen was still following - and looking everywhere for polar bears.  Thankfully, I didn't see any.  The rocky hills & mountains to our left we picturesque and majestic.  I was tempted to stop at each one to snap a photograph but I told myself to do that on the way back.

            

Letting all the polar bears know that I was
packing heat.

We did stop in front of a large piece of ice that gently rose above the snow drifts.  We checked our engines and snapped pictures of the piece of ice and surrounding landscape.  I got Stephen to take several pictures of me standing on top the ice while holding my shotgun.  If any polar bears were watching, I was showing them that we meant business and it would be best for them to stay away.  (My shotgun wasn't loaded but the bears didn't need to know that).  

            

The entrance to Levasseur Inlet.

Wooden cabin.

The time was nearly noon when Stephen & I arrived at the mouth of Levasseur Inlet.  We took a short break so that I could confirm our location on my GPS.  I also surveyed the land ahead with my binoculars.  Following Lt. May's instructions, we drove along the coast to our left while avoiding large patches of ice and snow drifts.  We had to drive really slow in some places.  We stopped in front of a small wooden cabin with a blue door.  The door was nailed shut.  The wood must have come from the large wooden sealift boxes that are delivered to the community every summer.  We continued until we reached the middle of the inlet.  We drove our skidoos off the ice and parked them in front of a small hill that contained several circular rock formations - the former camp site.  I pressed a button on my SPOT device.  It transmitted a short message to several email addresses: "We have safely arrived."

            

Former camp ground

Mountains running along the far right
side of Levasseur Inlet.

I surveyed the land before me, photographing the rock formations and the surrounding mountains.  When you pitch a tent, you tie down all the ropes to rocks, and when you take down the tent, all that's left are rocks in a circle.  I also filmed a 360-degree panoramic video of the area.  Satisfied with my work, I walked back to my skidoo and retrieved my backpack.  I retrieved my thermos and poured myself a warm cup of hot chocolate.  I then ate my snacks.  Stephen ate his own.  We talked for some time before deciding to head back.  We refueled our skidoos and slowly drove back the way we came.  Once we got onto the main skidoo trail/highway, we increased our speed.

            

Stand up and be noticed.

We stopped several more times so that I could take pictures of the mountains to my right.  I also used my GoPro camera to film stretches of the coastline.  Stephen & I arrived safely in Arctic Bay after 3pm.  Overall, it was a good day trip.  I had travelled further than before with my skidoo and got to see another part of Baffin Island.  I also had a better idea of what to expect should the commanding officer agree to my recommendation that the FTX take place at Levasseur Inlet the following weekend. 

            

And lastly, I survived my four-week stint as acting commanding officer of 3045 Army.  Lt. May was glad that nothing bad happened and happy to see the school was still standing.