Day 5: Up and down the hills of the Hudson Strait coast


The qimutsiit make it to Deception Bay, crossing on the ice bridge near the mine dock. Although God said that the 7th day men should rest, this Sunday was quite the opposite for the men participating in Ivakkak, as they climbed the many hills forming the Hudson Strait coast line.

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Before lunch, the qimutsiit were already passed the mine dock, after crossing on the ice bridge leading to Deception Bay. Weaving through the broken ice of the Bay, they finally make it to a smoother terrain, or so it seems… In fact, they are in for a quite a workout, having to climb hills after hills, without ever seeing the end of it, up until the last portion, where they can finally breathe and just hold on to the sled as they slide downhill towards Maujattuviup Tasinga, their last campsite before the dog teams reach the next community on their itinerary, Salluit. Willie Kulula Sr., whom we could call Atanarjuat, the fast runner, is the first one to arrive, running beside his dogs, closely followed by Peter Kiatainaq and Charlie Watt Jr., who had been leading most of the day. Both suffering from a bad cold, their energy seemed to have drained after the long climb. However, after five days out dog sledding, the race is very tight, with only a few minutes between each of them. No one can tell who will win this race yet.

Rank Racer Today’s Time Total Time
1. Peter Kiatainaq 5 hrs 37 min 23 sec 19 hrs 12 min 7 sec
2. Charlie Watt Jr. 5 hrs 40 min 30 sec 19 hrs 25 min 48 sec
3. Willie Kulula Sr. 5 hrs 38 min 57 sec 19 hrs 28 min 31 sec
4. Bobby Novalinga 6 hrs 16 min 25 sec 20 hrs 55 min 23 sec
5. Charlie Inukpuk 6 hrs 20 min 25 sec 23 hrs 30 min 13 sec
6. Harry Okpik 6 hrs 36 min 57 sec 23 hrs 35 min 4 sec
7. Tamusi Sivuaraapik 7 hrs 13 min 25 sec 23 hrs 55 min 29 sec
8. Aisara Kenuayuak 8 hrs 12 min 28 sec 25 hrs 9 min 16 sec
9. George Annanack 7 hrs 11 min 45 sec 26 hrs 13 min 19 sec
10. Willie Cain Jr. 8 hrs 58 min 15 sec 28 hrs 24 min 5 sec
11. Juani Beaulne 8 hrs 46 min 10 sec 29 hrs 39 min 17 sec
12. Adamie Inukpuk 8 hrs 28 min 1 sec 32 hrs 6 min 54 sec
13. Adamie Qumak 10 hrs 17 min 32 hrs 16 min 19 sec
14. Nutaraaluk Iyaituk 10 hrs 56 min 35 sec 32 hrs 26 min 31 sec

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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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