This is May

Today, May 7, the high was -10C. It still looks very much like winter, but, it's starting to really feel like spring! There was little wind and the sun was brilliantly strong. A walk across the ice to visit Gjoa was a very pleasant excursion with mittens off and coats open. It was calm, quiet, 'warm' and wonderful. On May 19 the midnight sun starts and we'll have twenty-four hour daylight.

The well-traveled snowmobile highway out to West Arm

Dunes sculpted by the last blizzard

We were anxious to see how much snow there was around Gjoa because we need to move all our gear back onboard over the next two weeks. We fly out on the 22nd and need to have our things off Tandberg Polar by then. We have started to pack and are living among boxes piled high in more confusion than ever now. We're not sure how we're going to move it all. The boats are about 2km apart and we'll need to either walk it all across the ice on sleds, or, try and arrange for a vehicle somehow. We can approach fairly close by ice road, or, the land road, but, it will still require moving it the last few hundred metres on foot and up a ladder. We'd hoped that maybe we could even have a few things unpacked before leaving, but, it's still really too cold with too much snow around to do much prep aboard. It will all have to wait until we return at the end of June.

Gjoa with snow still to the waterline

More snow sculpture

It was good to see some children playing ice hockey on the Bay. There is an indoor arena in town where all the organized games are held, but, there's nothing quite like playing outside is there? We were amused to note that there isn't any need for any expensive ice making equipment for the indoor arena. When they want to make ice in the fall they just flood the rink and open the doors. When frozen, just close the doors and turn the heat on! Job done.

Ice Hockey

DEW (distant early warning) line station at the edge of town

We are in for a very busy few weeks ahead. In addition to packing and moving we'll be attending the Omingmak Frolics events. This is the fortieth year for the Frolics. They are held every year in the week leading up to the Victoria Day weekend. We've already bought tickets for the gala evening dinner and entertainment. There are daily snowmobile races (we have a prime ice view from TP), a fishing derby (ice fishing of course), parades, ceremonies, awards, pancake breakfast, bbqs, community feast, a $10,000 bingo (the current talk of the town), King and Queen crowning, mini-putt on ice (they'll probably have to paint the golf balls something other than white?) and many other events. Busy, busy, but all good fun...