Monday, June 10, 2013

Exploring Arctic Canada

Saturday, June 8, 2013


 
Isn’t it splendid to think of all the things there are to find out about? It just makes me feel glad to be alive- it’s such an interesting world. It wouldn’t be half as interesting if we knew all about everything, would it? There’d be no scope for imagination then, would there?


--- Lucy Maud Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

 

 

  I spent my morning reading in the John Tizya Cultural Center (http://www.yukonmuseums.ca/cultural/tizya/tizya.html) because it is on the river with big windows and it is full of information about the Arctic and the Gwitchin people. I found a coffee table book of Canada in it and as I flipped through it I was thrilled that I could recognize so many of the beautiful places pictured in the book. The photography was incredible and the author spent time in each province and territory taking pictures and getting to know different stories of each place. It was lovely. The book not only shared about Canada through its incredible photos, but also through the numerous narratives of individual Canadians—like the Icelandic Farmer in Saskatchewan, the fisherman and bird protector in Newfoundland, the aboriginal dancer in BC, and Mr. and Mrs. Yukon from Whitehorse. The country we live in is so rich with history, culture, and beauty. It makes me so proud to be Canadian.

 

  I feel even more privileged to have experienced so much of this great nation. It truly is a blessing. When I thought of the Arctic prior to this experience, I thought of frozen tundra, a forever winter where only the craziest and most solitude of people would live. In reality, the community is very welcoming here and people live among each other as family. I’m also sitting in a tank top and shorts right now and the sun is high in the sky and hot! This land is definitely one of extremes. In the winter the temperature can go quite low and the school declares indoor recess when the temps dip below -35 (the magic number is -30 in Whitehorse) and in the summer it can be as hot as temps above 30 degrees.

 

  I went for a hike last night with a coworker. She was kind enough to take me out into some of the bush trails that I wouldn’t explore on my own due to warnings of bears around town. We headed towards the community ski lodge, a log cabin with some basic furniture, kitchen, and FULL of skis and boots! My fellow hiker told me that this past winter the teachers tried to start a ski club, but for some reason it didn’t pull through. Nevertheless, skiing was a great way to get out of the house on the weekend during the sunny hours and get some exercise. I was amazed when I saw the awesome collection of skis and deeply saddened when another teacher told me that often he was the only one out on the trails. Apparently, the ski lodge was first built in the 1950s when some Olympic cross-country skiers came out of Old Crow. Someone decided that the Gwitchin people should train in the sport because at the time they may have been the most fit people in the country due to all the walking they did (at a time when there were no vehicles or machines here). Crazy!

 

  We headed out on some of the trails from the ski lodge, but soon realized it was quite boggy. I guess that makes sense since Vuntut means “of the lakes” in the Gwitchin language. Each time I took a step (on what seemed like a dry spot), the water would lift up from the ground and surround my sandals and socks. Unfortunately, the active layer of the permafrost had melted hence the soakers! My coworker showed me where I could find wild cranberries (pretty much everywhere!). They harvest in the fall, but right now leftovers from last fall’s batch were just unfreezing, creating a crisp, but juicy pop of bittersweet flavor in the mouth. Delish! She also pointed out Labrador Tea needles that can be boiled to drink. The needles have a very strong scent- very woodsy. The tea is supposed to help with pain, but I’ve also been told not to boil too many or for too long because it is such a strong medicine it can make you go a little loopy.  I decided to wait on trying the tea until I’m back in Whitehorse.  Overall, it was a great Friday night and I’ve enjoyed my weekend thus far.

 



Figure 1 Wild Cranberries. They are everywhere!



Figure 2 Boggy Old Crow.

 



Figure 3 Beautiful water and skies here.

 



Figure 4 One of the well landscaped houses here.

 



Figure 5 Everyone seems to have piles of antlers in front of their house.

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