Another day goes by in the storm


The dog teams had to stay put again most of the day. The three dog teams that were camped halfway between the Pangaliriaq cabin and the Deception Bay mine dock were however able to get going early this afternoon. Harry Okpik and his team stopped only about 5 kilometres further, at Avaala, where locals from Salluit (Isaackie, Paulusie and Jusipi Padlayat) each have a cabin, which they made available for the dog teams to stay at during the storm. As for Willie Cain Jr. and Willie Kulula Sr., they continued on all the way to the Deception Bay mine dock, to meet with the leading group. Unfortunately, because of the bad weather, the road from Katinniq, Raglan mine’s main complex, has been closed for the past two days, not to mention that no planes have been able to land at the nearby Donaldson airport either. So without their usual supplies shipment, supplies of food and drinking water were starting to run low at the now overcrowded camp at the Deception Bay mine dock, due to the prolonged visit of over half of the Ivakkak participants. That’s why the five dog teams that were behind at Pangaliriaq didn’t try to make it there, but rather tried to make it to the Avaala cabins late in the day, when the weather finally seemed to clear up. But soon enough the weather got really bad again, with zero visibility, so they had to stop at about halfway between Pangaliriaq and Avaala to make camp in their tents, where they will wait until tomorrow before continuing on towards the Avaala cabins. The weather forecast for tomorrow looking better, a team of snowmobiles will be sent from Salluit first thing in the morning to bring some extra supplies of food, dog food, Naphta and gas, so that all the dog teams can get going again. Women in Salluit have also been cooking some bannock bread for the men that will be out on the land by dog team at least another day, if not two, before they make it to town. More news again tomorrow…

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Note: Due to the problems encountered on the trail this past Sunday and due to the storm yesterday, which lasted until today, the race officials may decide, along with the dog teams’ consent, not to take the times for those days into account. Therefore, no new results have been compiled yet. So, for now, the standings remain the same as when the dog teams left Sunday morning, March 18 (see below).

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The return of the Inuit Dogs

At the end of the last century, the pure-breed Husky dog was nearly extinct in Nunavik. Nowadays, Inuit people mostly travel by snowmobile. Yet, the memories of another time when dogs were man’s most reliable partners are not so far behind. Long known to be man’s best friend, dogs were once essential to the survival of Inuit in the merciless arctic environment. In fact, only a few decades ago, sled dogs were a foundation of the Inuit nomadic way of life.

These brave allies were central to seasonal Inuit movements, especially in the winter.Strongly built with a thick fur, huskies can withstand bitterly cold temperatures and are capable of lugging their share of supplies during long hours travelling across the endless tundra. Harnessed to a sled or simply keeping pace alongside their master, dogs made it possible for Inuit to cover great distances in their search for game to provide for their families, and to transport heavy loads (...).

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