Grise Fjord; the northernmost town in Canada

September 14, 2015

Grise Fjord; the northernmost town in Canada - the "Greenlander" hike

Day 8 — Thursday August 27, 2015
Grise Fiord
Grise Fiord is located on the south coast of Ellesmere Island overlooking Jones Sound at 76o 24' N and is Canada’s most northerly community. The community rests at the foot of 600m high mountains, 1,544 km from the North Pole. At this latitude, the midnight sun, from April through August, means that days end only when your energy flags. By September, some darkness returns to the high Arctic night, increasing until the end of October when darkness prevails throughout the day. The sun makes its eagerly awaited reappearance on the ninth, tenth or eleventh of February. There is evidence of peoples with Pre-Dorset, Dorset, and Thule (ancestors of the Inuit) cultures having inhabited Ellesmere Island. However, by at least the 18th century, the Thule inhabitants had disappeared.
For the next two centuries, the only inhabitants, apart from passing European explorers, were occasional hunters from Greenland and RCMP officers and the Inuit families they employed. The community of Grise Fiord was created in 1953 when the Canadian government relocated three families from Port Harrison (now Inukjuak), Quebec. One family accompanied them from Pond Inlet, sent to ease the adjustment to life in the High Arctic. The reason for, and the soundness of, this decision are subjects of much public debate. The stated motivation was to improve the lives of these people who suffered the consequences of bad hunting conditions at home. Critics, however, charge that the intention of asserting Canadian sovereignty over the High Arctic took precedence over the wellbeing of the immigrants. The original settlement was located on Lindstrom Peninsula, eight kilometres west of the present location. In 1962, the Inuit followed the RCMP to their new site at Grise Fiord, where the community remains. Several building structures at the “old camp” still stand.

Inuktitut word of the day:
Natsiq — Seal

"Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing at all." —Helen Keller

We are offered a strenuous hike today as an option, and since I missed my opportunity for the long hike way back at Kap York, when I was noticeably under the weather, I sign up for this one. Only five intrepid souls sign up (out of 200 passengers), perhaps wisely, as the hike up the "Greenlander" mountain is basically straight up and total rock/scree scrambling... a bit challenging. So it was a local young Inuit guide, two young staff members (Jens and Matthew), and five passengers - Don and Carolyn from Melbourne, Australia, Denise from Salt Lake City, Patrick from Vancouver, BC and me. We survived without any twisted ankles and got some bragging rights.