As it seems with all the journeys I undertake, not once have I been touched by the loneliness thing people talk about. I don’t have a golden-nugget sentence to explain why. Though for sure I can’t imagine planning a trip without dogs. Dogs don’t get flustered and they’ve skills I’ll never possess. For instance, despite the size of my nose, I’m not able to smell four hundred times better than a human being like a dog or twig an incoming bear. Not every dog can remain calm to stand and bay at a bear. Pingo and Hansel can and right now I wouldn’t want to be without them.

Dry but cold. The wind is to our advantage. The north westerly gently blows us towards Kugluktuk. Huge waves of geese passed overhead this afternoon in a southerly direction. Two beautiful white foxes followed us today, stopped and let out blood curdling screeches as we left them behind. I’m surprised we haven’t seen any wolves on this trip. On the Ocean they follow me and a team of dogs for many miles or in Mackenzie Delta they come into camp at night to check the dogs out. In winter most Arctic communities lose dogs to incoming wolf packs.

I belched the taste of dog food all day. Phoned in co-ordinates and confirmed arrangements for boat pickup, as planned, from north shore of the Rae River. I get word too that the dogs’ flight kennels are in Kugluktuk for our flight back to Inuvik.

–5°C, no wind. The dogs and I reached the north shore of the Rae River at 1pm. We’d reached our destination. With a satellite phone call to relay my co-ordinates, Mathieu Dumond and his girlfriend Amanda Niptanatiak were both on their way to pick us up by boat to cross the Rae and into Kugluktuk.

Thoughtful I sat on my backpack watching Hansel and Pingo, each gnawing on a dead Arctic Char. At that point I was pleased we’d achieved what we set out to do. The wind suddenly whipped into action and rippled what was a syrup-looking surface to the river and more arrowhead formation geese passed noisily overhead.

Mathieu and Amanda’s beaming smiles were a wonderful greeting. We shook hands loaded the boat and headed for town. Kugluktuk was a hive of activity. Other boats were pulling ashore, their owners bringing home Arctic char and ring seal catches from nets set out in Richardson Bay. Kids were playing, grown ups were chatting and all of a sudden life didn’t appear so serious compared to the last 36 days. It was strange. Inside my head I knew the journey was over but I continued to think about river crossings, bears and being chased by the cold.
 

Ahead of time flight kennels for Pingo and Hansel had been sent to Kugluktuk for our return flight, via Yellowknife the Northwest Territories capital, to Inuvik.

This afternoon I checked my gear and the dogs in before boarding. There were ten or so passengers on the flight. The guy sitting next to me asked if I mind moving while he found another seat. I was in the same clothes I’d been with Mathieu skinning seals this morning and was warming up. The smell is a very northern one not embraced by all. In Yellowknife I was able to find a cheery taxi driver who was willing to get the dogs and me downtown where I’d been booked into a motel. The dogs shared the room with me. I had a bath.