Winter Diary Extract 2004 - 2005

Walked into Inuvik to register and pay for my dogs so they can be located legally in Inuvik. I had to read and sign a list of dog team standards and what fines are issued if I don’t adhere to them. It was all about adequate shelter, feeding, responsible breeding and socializing dogs. I had to jot down each dog’s name, type, colour, age and sex before paying up. My un-spayed females and un-neutered males cost $20 each and a onetime permit registration cost me $100.

Inuvik is being hailed as a frontier town with some serious oil, gas and mineral exploration going on right now. The whole Mackenzie Valley Pipeline project is planned for 2009 and is estimated to cost $7CDN billion, that’s $CDN 40 million spent a day to construct what is essentially a gigantic straw heading down to Alberta thousands of miles away. What’s driving all this? Money. The reserves of gas and oil are deemed to be worth $CDN 2.9 trillion. Last year sixteen companies spent $CDN 270 million just for the privilege of looking for the stuff. Anticipation is Inuvik will become a boomtown shortly with an influx of 20,000 pipeline employees heading here. The town is nudging 3,000 folks at present.

I cut my hair this afternoon. In the past this has produced upsetting results.
People used to ask if I had mange.

Talked to Jo about dog flight arrangements. They’ll fly as cargo from Yellowknife to Inuvik. Sibling puppies are allowed to travel in the same crate. Blitz and Spoons will travel together. A neat sectioned pen await the pair and another for Twizzle under my window.

Carl Falsnes called by. Carl has been influential in all logistical planning of my journeys. He’ s a highly experienced Arctic pilot with a scientific background. I asked why some makes of compass needles refuse to pivot when it’s extremely cold, minus thirty or less. He said it’s vital the design of the needle pivot is correct. Poor compass needles contract locking themselves to the pivot rendering the tool useless for polar travel.

We carried out an experiment by placing my old and new compasses in liquid refrigerant. The liquid took a thermometer off the -60°C scale. My Recta compass didn’t alter at all during the experiment and showed no signs of freezing. Other compass makes froze solid. Swiss made Recta compasses are the only ones I trust at this high latitude. Beware. Other compass companies claim theirs to be precision instruments, good enough to be used anywhere. They aren’t.

The ice is sufficiently thick enough for snowmobiles to travel over the Mackenzie east channel. Boy racers roar up and down on their machines. At only ten below zero winter is still mild. In the depth of winter the buzz of snowmobiles on the river comes from that of hardened trappers.

Snow fell when I took Thule out on her own pulling a lightweight training sled. She did OK. She kept a tight line but we’ll work on her sitting and staying. Took Blitz, Spoons and Twizzle out individually for a little training. We started with the word ‘sit’.