Getting There
We flew to Ottawa from the UK with just about everything needed to complete the crossing, including heavy sleds, kit bags and skis. Checking in was fun with overweight sledges that needed re-packing - particularly amusing with the traditional hangover from the previous night's pre-trip celebrations. Still, we soon recovered when we found "The Keg", the best steak house in all Ottawa. None of us felt brave enough to tackle the steak that was so large the most they could cook it was medium rare, but we did enjoy a few beers and then moved on to some interesting cocktails made with clam juice, celery and milk. Hmm.
The following day we flew on to Iqaluit. This place used to be called Frobisher Bay and is now the capital of Inuit-governed territory of Nunavut. There we went shopping and repacked the sledges. Having worked up a serious appetite, we enjoyed Arctic Char (a fish) and Caribou steaks for dinner - I'd live in Iqaluit just for those steaks. As we ate, we watched the skies looking forward to our first glimpse of the midnight sun, as our friends back home had absolutely guaranteed beyond any shadow of doubt we would see. We became a little suspicious when the sun disappeared at 8 and decided that more shopping for torches was on the cards when it was pitch black at 9. TOP TIP - do your own research before you go.
Next morning, after we bought torches, we headed for the airport for the final outward journey. This flight took us over the Hall Peninsula and the frozen Cumberland Sound before landing at Pangnirtung, a small Inuit community situated at the sea edge. How could anyone live there - it looked so isolated and damn cold.