Dog teams spend the weekend in Umiujaq


The dog teams needing a rest after four days of non-stop racing since the start of the race in Inukjuak, the participants all agreed to stop in Umiujaq for the weekend, much to the delight of the small community located on the Eastern coast of the Hudson Bay.

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While most qimutsitiit (musheurs) stayed in town to care for their dogs and fine tune their sled, others took this opportunity to exercise their dog and discover Umiujaq’s beautiful surroundings.

The Richmond Gulf, just a few miles out of Umiujaq, an immense inland bay sheltered by astonishing cliffs, is one natural attraction amongst others that is worth the detour when passing through Umiujaq. Along with Clearwater Lake, further East inland, the second largest natural lake in Quebec, it is no wonder that there are talks about making this bountiful scenic area a provincial park. For more information about this area, please contact the Nunavik Tourism Association at (819) 964-2876 or 1-888-594-3424 toll free or visit the www.nunavik-tourism.com Web site. Also glad to take a break in Umiujaq, the support crew who has been working hard, setting up camp every night and carrying heavy loads of equipment and supplies took this opportunity to take care of some repairs on their snowmobile and qamutik (sled).

For everybody, it was also a time to visit and catch up with long time friends and relatives, around a nice home cooked meal of Inuit country foods: Arctic char, ptarmigan, seal meat, etc.

One thing is for sure, the 150 dogs or so who got to rest while sun bathing on the sea ice in front of the village, will be anxious to get moving again, as the race will resume tomorrow morning, with a start scheduled for 9:00 AM.

With over 100 miles to go, the race should go on for another three days before the first teams cross the finish line in Kuujjuaraapik. If the good weather keeps up, the dog teams should hence arrive in Kuujjuaraapik sometime this coming Wednesday. Until then, stay connected for more updates on Ivakkak 2004 every day.

May the best man win!

Rank Racer Today’s Time Total Time
1. Peter Kiatainaq N/A 16 hrs 23 min 48 sec
2. Junior May N/A 16 hrs 24 min 24 sec
3. Harry Okpik N/A 17 hrs 3 min 13 sec
4. Bobby Novalinga N/A 17 hrs 6 min 28 sec
5. Tamusi Sivuaraapik N/A 17 hrs 15 min 36 sec
6. Adamie Inukpuk N/A 18 hrs 48 min 32 sec
7. Willie Kulula Sr. N/A 19 hrs 43 min
8. Aisara Kenuayuak N/A 20 hrs 8 min 55 sec
9. Juusipi Qisiiq N/A 21 hrs 21 min 46 sec
10. Willie Cain Jr. N/A 21 hrs 49 min 5 sec
11. Nutaraaluk Iyaituk N/A 21 hrs 51 min 24 sec
12. Matthew Nassak N/A 22 hrs 33 min
13. Simeonie Elijassiapik N/A 24 hrs 8 min 10 sec
14. George Annanack N/A 24 hrs 46 min 37 sec
15. Adamie Qumak N/A 28 hrs 35 min 15 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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