Our Northwinds Excursion

Happy New Year everyone!

So, the kids have been home for almost 2 weeks, its very cold out, and its dark most of the time.  We've watched a bunch of movies, played videos games, card games, board games, lego, etc.  JJ even took them to the community pool for 2 hours one day.  Everyone is still antsy.  What to do?

GO DOG SLEDDING!

I contacted Sarah at Northwinds Expeditions, a local outfitter here in Iqaluit, and booked a half-day excursion.  Last night before the kids went to bed we laid out long underwear (top and bottom), warm pants, ski socks, t-shirts, sweaters, snow pants, boots, neck-warmers, parkas, mittens, and hats.  This morning we all had a big breakfast, put on all our gear, and rushed outside to pile into the car.  We were at the Northwinds Expedition house by 9am.

Sarah checked us all out, determining what gear we might need once we were really out in the cold. I was a little surprised, because I thought we were doing OK in terms of cold weather clothing.  The kids play outside in their winter gear all the time.  Nevertheless, Sarah packed up extra (huge) mittens, parkas, snow pants, and goggles.

We all piled into the car and followed Sarah and her partner Boomer out of town to the sled dog field (many of the dog teams house their dogs on one large parcel of land out on the tundra).  The dogs were thrilled to see us, as it meant they were going to be hitched up and get to go to work!  Sled-dogs are generally outside year-round.  Each dog is tied on a long lead to its own little dog house to hide in when the weather is wretched, but Sarah told us they don't tend to use them much.  Even in -30 degree weather the huskies are perfectly content to lounge around on the snow, tongues lolling, as the wind swirls around them.  The dogs were extremely friendly, looking for attention from the kids.

The dog field. Each dog has a little dog house.

Coraline and her new friend Polly.

Captain Jack visited every dog.

Harnessing the dogs. That's me on the left! (I rarely
get to include pics of myself in the blog!)

Coraline learning how to put the harness on by herself.

Family photo, Baffin-style.

Sarah and Boomer introduced us to each dog and showed us how to harness the dogs to the sled.  Then we were taught the proper place to sit on a sled, and how to use the "brakes".  Brakes on a dog sled are more of a suggestion, in that they are a way to make the sled more difficult for the dogs to pull (they don't actually stop the sled). She also showed us the whip.  The whip isn't used to strike the dogs, its used to indicate direction.  If the dogs are pulling to the right, and they need to go left, Sarah can fling the whip out to the right to guide the dogs to pull the other way.  The kids were informed that once the dogs are in their harnesses, they are in work mode.  This means no petting and cuddles.  While working the dogs are permitted to run on command (pulling the sled) or must be in a "down" position.  Getting tangled is a concern, but it can't happen if all the dogs are laying down on the ground.  The worst part for the dogs is the waiting.  The most patient dogs are harnessed first, as they need to wait the longest--until all the dogs are harnessed and in position.

Since there isn't enough room on a dog sled for everyone, Boomer had his snow machine (snowmobile) nearby with qamotik attached.  Coraline and I rode in the qamotik for the first leg of the journey, with Captain Jack Sparrow and JJ in the dog sled.

The qamotik we rode in.

Before we even left the dog field, the wind picked up and the kids started to get cold.  Out came another layer of parkas, snow pants, and goggles.  Then everybody piled into place, and off we went! The snowmobile went ahead as it is faster, then would stop and get photos of the dogsled pulling up behind. One of the guides, Boomer, took JJ's camera at one point and captured some great shots for us. (Boomer is an accomplished photographer. National Geographic has used his pictures.)

And we're off!

The scenery was spectacular.  The snow whipped around the frozen tundra in the wind, which continued to pick up as we went.  About halfway through our journey Boomer confessed to me, "This is about as bad as it gets.  This is actually our coldest trip this season."  Both he and Sarah later told us that if they had known the weather was going to get so bad, they would have cancelled that morning. Lucky for us, the wind didn't get any worse, and the cold was (barely) tolerable.  A few times the kids would jump off and run around, hike to the top of nearby hills, or play games with the guides.  Halfway through our journey we stopped for hot chocolate and snacks.

That's JJ standing in the back. CJS is in front. Coraline and I are in the qamotik in front of the team, looking back.

Coraline

Jack and Coraline. Jack had so much gear on he couldn't
actually get himself off the ground with his "jump".

Back down the hill to the sled.

Shot from JJ's perspective on the dog sled.

Despite the cold and wind, everyone had a great time.  JJ found he enjoyed the dog sled, I was quite comfortable bundled up in the qamotik wearing an extra parka (on top of my own), facing away from the wind. The kids switched positions on the way back, so Coraline was on the dog sled and Captain Jack on the snowmobile. (This ended up being the best part of the day for Captain Jack.) He and Boomer would stop regularly and come back to check on Mommy riding along behind them in the qamotik.  At one point the Captain became quite concerned when he walked around back.  The snow had been whipping around and covered my cheeks, eyelashes, and neck-warmer.  "Mommy!" he said to me, "You're frozen!  I can see it, you're frozen!"  I laughed and reassured him that despite the snow, I was quite comfortable sitting on furs and bundled up.

We stopped at "The Snack" once we got back into town for burgers and poutine. The Snack is a local restaurant. It feels sort-of like a diner, or a tiny ski chalet burger joint. You order your food at the counter and are given a number, and one of the staff bring your food to your table.  The menu consists of things like burgers, caesar salad, hot dogs, french fries, onion rings, and poutine. For those of you who don't know, poutine is a French-Canadian dish consisting of french fries, cheese curds, and gravy.  Really warms you up on a cold day!

See you next time on the blog!

Can you see the sled in the distance?

PS: we actually had enough "leftover internet" this month to watch a TV show--streaming!  I'm so excited! (For those who don't remember, our internet has a monthly cap.) We're thinking about watching an episode of Stranger Things.  Yay!

Giveaway Contest/Draw Update:

If you haven't yet check out the Seriously North Facebook page, there is still time!  I picked up the prize tonight, and its truly unique (more on that next time). You no longer need to worry about "sharing" the page, as I can't figure out who has shared it and who hasn't (apparently I am Facebook challenged).  I HAVE figured out how to tell who "likes" the page.  So, all you need to do is "like"  anything from the page--it could be a photo from one of the albums, or a post, or a comment --and you're entered!  Thanks to everyone who has already visited to see the photo albums (and yes, there is content there that is not on the blog). And remember, if you don't do Facebook send me a text, an email, or leave a comment on any of the blog posts for the month of January and I'll happily enter you in the draw.

Up next: more on the giveaway, and a look at what's coming up in Season 2 of "Life up Here, Seriously North".