Well, I waited and waited…the winter had a few blasts, but we still trudged through the snow and ice hoping we wouldn’t get plowed down by a snowmobile. Life in the north.

Yesterday – and the day before – we received 95.2cm of snow…at least that’s what it was the last time I checked. 95.2cm of snow in 2.5 days! Oh, and did I mention it’s mid-May? Yup. And the average annual snowfall amount is 120cm! It’s been a wild week…now we’re dealing with flurries mixed with freezing rain.

Across the street from my apartment complex was the closest I could get to any half decent pictures since the hamlet had actually closed everything down so the snow removal guys could work. I would have loved to explore the town, but it was simply too dangerous. The plows were slipping all over the place and seemed to be behind the 8-ball for ages. I felt so bad for them! Every time some idiot decided he/she would be fine walking down the street or cruising along in their truck, they would have to alter their cleaning plan to pull people out. Insane!

After a day and a half of being cooped up inside with questionable internet, I couldn’t take it anymore. I headed out to the parking lot where my honey had dug out my machine. I felt like a little kid…you know that time in your life when you have your bicycle and it’s just so nice and shiny and all you want to do is speed around town with the handlebar pom-poms trailing in the wind? That time when your parents absolutely refuse to let you out of the driveway? That was me. On my quad. In the itsy bitsy parking lot.

Well, with all the new – and very wet – snow, the annual fishing derby has been postponed. Next weekend? The weekend after? Not sure yet. Although we’ll miss out on the 3-day May 2-4 bonus when we finally get out fishing, at least it will be safer. Search and Rescue has been run ragged here in the past 2 weeks, and they’re still looking for a few poor souls who have wandered out and not gotten back. This weekend will be spent close to home m’thinks! Perhaps my chili dinner party tomorrow will turn into a fiasco and give me another reason to post. Until then, enjoy the sun where you are!

This was the best I could come up with…an absolutely awesome time sliding down the crazy Baffin peaks on a piece of fur. Lots of fun.

Now, however, my favorite use has definitely changed. These days I have the unique ability to trot around in boots my honey bought me for my birthday. They were ordered sometime in November for my birthday in January, but I didn’t get them until April…custom made. I’ve been waiting to get a half decent picture of myself modeling them in all their glory, but I just can’t put off posting.

Aren’t they amazing? And they fit like a glove. This is the one time that I’m thankful we are actually still having blizzards in May…I still get to wear my boots! Saaa-weet! I know the website (note the hotlink above) shows a nice black pair, but I think I like the natural ones better. They’re stunning.

…and that’s my new favorite use of seal. Nice to know there won’t be anyone else in the EU who gets to enjoy them!

So, ya, there’s my ride. Not so bad…a 2011 Polaris 550f IQ XLT. This pic was taken just 2 weeks ago, and it was the first time I really got to take it out at all. Awesome. The Beast from years past (Arctic Cat) was such a heavy monster compared to this one. On the Polaris, steering is so much easier…no need to slam your weight so hard into a turn. Pretty sweet actually.

Anyway, late Sunday night or early Monday morning someone else decided that it would be nice for a joyride. Yup. Not cool. It’s been happening a lot in Rankin recently. Sometimes the machines will just go missing, sometimes they’re picked over for pieces, sometimes they’re run ragged…then returned! Oh, and of course there’s the random spray-paint decorations.

Here she is – The Beastlette – parked outside my building just a few weeks ago.

Fortunately, when we realized it was gone, we were able to mobilize a pretty large crew to go looking…some straight and some sketchy. Results, right? By about 6pm we had found it…with about $1500 worth of damage. Messed up engine, cracked gas tank, dislocated oil tank, 2 bent A-frames…etc., etc. You wouldn’t believe the bank of snow they flew off – 14 feet if it was an inch!

And do you know how easy it is to steal a machine with an electric start?

Yup, unplug that cord and you’re good to go.

Hmmm, right now we’re just collecting the pieces needed to fix it. Lots of time and money put into that thing…I hope I get to use it for the fishing derby next weekend!

And, ta da! That’s why I couldn’t concentrate on writing a normal blog. First this, then my honey’s machine was spray-painted the next night. Not a good week for snowmobiles so far.

Well, I sold ‘The Beast’ last year before leaving Kugluktuk, but I’ve just recently acquired ‘The Beast-lette’…yes, the Bitty Beast. No more Arctic Cats, I’ve crossed the floor and joined the Polaris crew.

Wow…long time, no see Ms. DailyMuise. I’ve just realized that I haven’t really chronicled any of my time here in Rankin Inlet. I started out with good intentions, but all writing desire faded away as soon as the snow hit this year. And it’s been a long winter! I can’t honestly say the the ‘muse’ left my Mac…but I can say that facebook ‘likes’ and schoolwork took over the keyboard for months’n'months. I actually couldn’t remember my password when I tried to login to my account tonight. Seriously!

Anyway, trying to catch up on the details of events in retrospect would take forever. I had a great fall…of course there was the regular trials of moving three times in two months – half the time with only the suitcases I brought back this summer. That type of luck seems par for the course for me. The Gray Cup party at our place was fantastic…how could it not be with a 54″ tv and surround sound? Or is it 56″? I don’t know – I didn’t buy it. I spent Christmas with my family for the first time in at least 5 years. Crazy winter travelling out of the north! My surprise birthday was hilarious. Amazing people, amazing celebration, and amazing cake. Winnipeg medical drama. Medivacs are always so fun. And now Pakkalak Tyme is just finishing up (week-long crazy celebration of…everything). Dog sled races, snowmobile drag racing with pimped out machines, a true ‘Fear Factor’ with nasty things to eat (crickets anyone?), pageants, flea markets, fireworks…the list goes on.

And I missed writing about them all. How will I remember this stuff when the memory starts to go and all I have is a mimosa on a beach in the Dominican? Or Cuba? Or somewhere hot? It’s what I dream of when it’s -50C.

So here I am with only 3 weeks of classes left and sooooo much to do. Grrrrr. I will be happy when mid-June rolls around and I finally have some time to myself. This year was so much more work than some of the years past. Plans for the summer? If all goes well, the west coast is my destination once again. A bit of time in Haida Gwaii, then a month in Victoria. Should be a blast.

Blah, blah, blah…not important. What is important is that it’s almost 1:45 am and I have to head to school in about 6 hours. Night all. More updates to follow.

Indeed.

So what’s going on with me? Hmmm. Well, since my last entry I made it out past town with the dogs, stumbled around school in a Halloween costume, moved, and experienced my first storm-day of the year. Ok, so maybe that last one was only half a day, but it was exciting nonetheless.

These days, it’s absolutely gorgeous outside with the sun setting at just the right angle; unfortunately, it’s generally just to tease me when I’m in class at 3 in the afternoon. The snow takes on this ‘glacial’ hue – not quite white – and when the sky is clear, the ravens landing on the half-covered rocks paint a picture I would love to hang in my apartment. I’ll have to just keep that as a mental snapshot to cheer me up in the dark of winter. Blah.

Gryphon just givin’er!

The last time I was able to take the dogs out was at the end of October. Although it was still pretty cold for their chicken bones, I figured one last jaunt before the snow set in would be nice. I think they made it about an hour before they could no longer ignore the shivering. Check out the joy in this picture though…could you really deny Gryphon one last run?

Anyway, that was the day we got out of town on a water-search adventure. We didn’t need a divining rod because, apparently, everyone knows where to go…the perfect mug of tea is not so much elusive as it is full of effort. Said ‘effort’ is not wasted though. I understand why other countries crave our water…it’s amazing up here!

Actually, the word ‘adventure’ implies the somehow a comedy of errors ensued. Not really. It was just sooo nice to finally get out of town and see the land without buildings…to actually see where hundreds of caribou wander. Literally!

Of course, on the way, we stopped to take a pic of the entrance to the park. That would be the Iqalugaarjuup Nunanga Territorial Park. Although it’s not Auyuittuq National Park (which was so close to my years in Pangnirtung and Qikiqtarjuaq), it has it’s charm. If you’re looking for something rich with cultural history

…and this is where I last saved my draft before the network crashed and I lost the rest of my post. It was a lot. I guess it wasn’t meant to be right now. What is written above probably sounds choppy without the conclusion, but I just don’t have the memory to finish it…

When I started out, the ground seemed to be in its pre-winter frozen mud…I was fine to walk out without worrying about making a mess. It wasn’t long, though, before I was sloshing through this:

Up to my ankles in nastiness and trying to pull my feet out…blah. At one point I thought my boots would stay there while my feet slid out. Oh well, I made it to the rocks soon enough.

Unfortunately, by the time I got out further, the sunlight was making its exit; actually, not so much of an ‘exit’…it was more like it was getting blocked by a big snow cloud rolling in. It was strange to watch. I decided not to head out right to the end because, well, it was cold and I didn’t know if I’d hit sludge again. Check out my boots in this pic!

…hmm…I can’t figure out why the formatting of this particular blog isn’t working with the right picture size…anyway…

When I lived in Kugluktuk, both behind and in front of my place there were a few defunct snowmobiles that were torn up and just left there; check it out!

Here it is, Rankin Inlet style…

 And after these pics, one has to remember the quad graveyard. Usually nearby, it’s generally just a pile of tireless machines looking very sad. I couldn’t resist this picture one my hike back…

So that was my jaunt out yesterday. It was the first time this year that I used my tripod for anything other than a group shot – I needed to adjust the shutter speed in some of these. Do you think it was worth the icy fingers and inevitable earache that ensued?

…and who hasn’t taken a shower and had the water cut out mid-lather? A head full of shampoo or conditioner with no means to clean it off?

Well, Rankin actually has a running water system…no water trucks on a never-ending mission to keep everything in working order. I thought this would be fantastic – and it is – but I’m still having water issues. Actually, I guess it’s more like shower issues (and housing issues). I can’t change the water-flow from the faucet to the showerhead…blah. As a result, my hair is getting progressively nasty with a build-up of shampoo that I just can’t seem to rinse out entirely. It’s so frustrating…and apparently it’s common in my building despite the fact that work orders were sent out months ago. Can’t wait till everything’s in working order!

So, yes, my new building. I arrived in Rankin just over a month ago and, though I had been assigned a full-time unit in July sometime, for some reason it wasn’t ready. That means that I spent my first chunk of time living out of 2 suitcases in a transient unit…northerners, you know my pain. At least it wasn’t in a hotel – I marvel at the people who can do that. Personally, I think it probably has to do with the fact that my 2 dogs have been accepted as pseudo-dependents and no one wants them in a public place. Works for me!

Last week I was able to move into my own place and get all my belongings – which had been stored in Yellowknife – delivered. It was like Christmas all over again! Finding things you forgot is always so exciting. Some would say that I have far too much stuff if I can actually forget about items, but I beg to differ…in the past 8 years I have moved 11 times. Before that I was out of the country. Do you know how many things you can accumulate in that amount of time when you don’t have a storage locker? And the only people helping you move are good friends with vehicles? Memories. A lot memories. Those I have but, when it comes to actual material things, I don’t have much…I just have a knack for the life of ‘out-of-sight, out-of-mind’.

Anyway, finally in a new place. It’s not perfect, it has cracked windows, nasty faucets, and doors that just won’t move as they should, but don’t we all? It’s mine, and I’m looking forward to getting everything unpacked. I think the dogs are too…right now they live in a maze that is David Bowie worthy. Poor things.

Alas, logic has no place in my world sometimes. For awhile now I have seen my time in the north as just that: time in The North. Not Pangnirtung, not Qikiqtarjuaq, not Kugluktuk…and I was beginning to think not Rankin Inlet. That’s not true. I now live in a different community versus a different location in a great expanse of space north of the treeline. I don’t know how that happened, but I have a feeling it’s a good thing.

This time of year is so nice in Nova Scotia and Ontario…the places I have spent most of my time. The air is crisp, the leaves of the trees are splashes of scorching colours, and the mud has hardened up enough so your hiking boots don’t get filthy. I love this time of year. Here, however, it’s like an in-between state. It’s not warm, it’s not cold, and there are no trees to keep it interesting. For this reason, I can’t wait for the snow to fly! I know I’ll probably read this entry in March/April and regret this wish, but I can’t help it.

Oh, and the smell…can’t forget to mention the smell of burning leaves and BBQs over the southern Thanksgiving weekend. To me, the most distinctive seasonal smell of the north is winter. After a day out on the land, I always come back with my hair, jacket, and ski pants smelling like exhaust and, in some cases, the characteristic naphtha odor from the Coleman. Unpacking the boxes with my winter clothes these last few days has brought all of this back, and I’m getting impatient.

“…ah, patience Little Grasshopper…”. Soon.

We, that was the random little musing for the day; like I said in a previous post, nothing is particularly earth-shattering in a blog…just a little online therapy.

And, since my blog is formatted so that each entry needs at least one photo, I’m going to include another one here from the space out behind my building. Amazing colours! I suppose this kind of makes up for the lack of the hardwood trees changing.

I love how the right camera angle can make a 5lb chihuahua look so huge!

So, in real life, my head doesn’t even come up to that lowest stone. Honestly! I got a picture taken there with my class – I wish I could post it – which is just so amazing. Sometime I’ll take my tripod up there and get one of me. Until then, these photos  (and your imagination) will have to do.

And then, of course, there’s the view behind my apartment…

Ok, so now I really have to get some stuff done. I think this is going to be a good year – very optimistic about what this year will bring. I still miss the Atlantic ocean and the Baffin mountains, but Rankin has its own charms that are evident as soon as you step off the plane…really.

But enough about that. If I can interest a few readers and update those who still ask questions from back home, I’ll be happy.

In my first blog entry last year – posted all the way from Kugluktuk – I uploaded this picture for those not familiar with the territory:

Check out south central…that’s me!

Check it out…there it is so far…my journey from Pangnirtung to Qikiqtarjuaq to Kugluktuk to Rankin Inlet. East to west to central. Qikitani to Kitikmeot to Kivalliq. It can be exhausting in some ways – here I am, surrounded by moving boxes which have yet to be unpacked – but sometimes the adventure is worth it. So many different people and so many different cultures! I sometimes think I would like a sense of permanence, but then I remember that change can be good…I have to think that way to keep from going insane with all these transfers!

But if I weren’t living here, I would have missed this sky last week…

There’s something about northern skies that just never gets old. Most people automatically think about the Aurora Borealis when this topic arises, but there’s more to it than that. My Pangnirtung blog (still horrible format) has interesting pics of the Baffin sky as well as my amateur attempts to capture the blues, pinks, and purples on the Qikiqtarjuaq portion of this blog. Kugluktuk went through some fascinating sky stages; without the mountains I was used to, it was a strange change. How is Rankin? Impressive so far. I’m hoping that the better quality tripod I purchased this summer will allow me to capture a more accurate representation for this blog.

Anyway, more to say, but no more stolen moments in which to say it. I am going to continue unpacking (and tell you why it’s taken so long to do so) and check in later. Enjoy your post turkey lazy day!