Hike...well, sort of.

So, I went for a hike on a recent gorgeous sunny day. The tundra is really wet from all of the melting snow, and there are still large pockets of snow in the hills so it's always an adventure - I often found myself knee-deep in snow unexpectedly! My friend Kelly and I decided to stop on a nice warm rock, and ended up staying there for over an hour because it was so awesome. This is a great photo of typical Iqaluit springtime 'sunbathing' - jeans & rubber boots! (and pagers too, unfortunately). We did manage to dust off the lichen eventually and continue on our way, but nothing could beat a catnap in the arctic sun!

May Long Weekend

Take one snow-covered beach...
(this was May 5th)

Add a few days of cloudless sky with sunshine....

And you get a lovely Victoria Day afternoon hanging out with your feet in the sand!


The big red boat was damaged on the rocks, and has been a fixture on the beach for years - it's a bit of a local landmark now. This beach is also the location of the original Hudson Bay buildings, one of which has been converted into an amazing little home where friends of mine live, and another into a gallery/art space. It's a fantastic spot with a gorgeous view of the bay, which of course will still be frozen for quite a while yet!

Sunny Saturday

A few snapshots from today. I spent the day enjoying the outdoors - dogsledding and flying kites. The sky was clear, the sun was shining, and the wind was blowing straight out of the north. It is definitely spring, but it is definitely still the arctic!!

The new neighbourhood

Another Toonik Tyme, and another igloo building contest has come and gone in Iqaluit. This year I was able to see some of the igloo construction, and then play around in them later. They are really incredible - beautiful, cozy, genius shelters from the elements. The men who built them used varying techniques as they cut blocks from the snow they were standing on, then stacked and shaped them together. Strong enough for a grown man to stand on, windproof, and insulating, the igloo was traditionally used as a seasonal home, an emergency shelter, and a hunting blind. On a sunny day the light filters through the snow so that there's a magical blue glow when you're sitting inside. I've been told that the body heat from a single person can quickly raise the temperature inside a small igloo to a fairly comfortable level.

A year in the life of....me!!

I recently celebrated my one year anniversary of being in Iqaluit. I gathered a bunch of wood (scraps from construction sites, as there are no trees!!) and, with the help of some friends, had a big bonfire!! It was a really fun evening, and a friend even took a short video and put in on YouTube!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ok3i4J22T-I

All in all, I can't believe I've been here for a year already. It has really flown by - lots of work and lots of play. Going through some of my first posts on this blog, it really doesn't seem that long ago that I was marveling at all of the unfamiliar, unique and frustrating ways of life up here. While I do lament how far away from family and friends I am, I do not regret coming here. It has been an incredible adventure so far...

Cruisin'

I have been cruising the 12 kilometers of roadways in Iqaluit since I purchased a vehicle recently. I am the proud owner of a '94 Suzuki Sidekick - and let me tell you, it's pretty sweet!! It has a lot of quirks - neither of the doors close properly, the passenger door lock only works a portion of the time, it has a tape player (which I've yet to test out), it makes some really interesting noises at times...the list goes on and on! But, I have had absolutely no trouble starting it, even when the temperature drops below -40. So as long as the motor is good, I consider the rest 'personality'. Anyone who used to ride in the Ranger with me knows I have a soft spot for vehicles with personality!!

You might be thinking "Why does she need a vehicle when there's only 12 km of roads?". I still walk a lot of the time, but when the wind blows or I need a few extra groceries having the option to drive is awesome! I'm also looking forward to the summer when I can drive out to the park and start hiking from there, as opposed to walking for a half hour through town before getting to where I really want to be.

The eye of the beholder...

I have been pretty busy with work since I got back, and we had a solid week of -30 or lower temperatures, but I've managed to get out for a few good walks out on the bay and in the park. I am continually blown away by how beautiful it is here, especially on a clear day when the sky seems to have no limit. It is hard to describe, and maybe not everyone would feel the same way about it, but I love the sparkle of sunlight on the snow, the crunching sound of my boots while I walk, and the taste of the cold, clean air.