Alison Sigethy: Making Waves

Packing up

Alison just e-mailed me about the clinic she gave:

 

The paddle and clinic went well although it was very

cold in the water. When we were done, I had a little

trouble walking because I couldn't feel my legs. But a

hot shower fixed that. There is lots of interest here.

Derrik, a local who is also a carpenter, is going to

try to make some Greenland paddles and hopefully get

the school involved. I'm leaving the Brinck paddle

here and will send him some info when I get home.

 

Yesterday was Rob's birthday and Sophia had a surprise

party for him. It was fun and the food was fabulous.

 

Earlier in the day, Glenn and I interviewed a couple

locals who had just returned from a successful hunt,

so we also learned about country food and had a feast.

I tried dry char, dried caribou, and roasted caribou

head. Liked it all.

Link update

Fiona sent me an e-mail about Stephen's experience in Gjoa Haven:

The school link between Fortrose and Gjoa Haven went well for a first time, although there were some technical difficulties. We could not get a video connection at the beginning, and although we could hear everything going on over there, they had difficulties hearing us. They thought the problem was more than likely their end. So they decided to introduce themselves and we managed to ask some questions of them. Then we managed to get a video link and the kids individually went up to the camera and introduced themselves. We saw all of them but we are unsure how much they saw and heard . No doubt I will find out when we pick Stephen up tomorrow. We had some elementary pupils there too. Both sides have gone away with ideas as to how we can manage a better connection next time, and Stephen and Kim have come up with some alternative ways of communicating. The teacher here thought it was a great start “"what next”.

 

Stephen said he had 2 solid days of working with the schools there and meeting people in the education world, including the Area Development Officer. Everyone seemed enthusiastic and there were various projects being discussed. He also said it was a joy working with the younger children.…

 

When I rang him yesterday he was about to go to see someone from Scotland who was now living there, having gone out years ago to work in Hudson Bay! It sounds like he really enjoyed his visit to Gjoa Haven, and would have liked more time there. Once again everyone was so open, welcoming and friendly.

 

He would like to extend heartfelt thanks to all the people in each community who have helped to make his stay so enjoyable and welcoming. It will again be hard for him to return in many ways, even though he is so looking forward to coming home. Many thanks to Kim for her hospitality and hard work to make the link happen.

 

Connections

Alison and I had three short, broken conversations tonight. She said the presentations were going well. They gave one today at a school, gave one yesterday at the kayak club, and will give one tomorrow at a school. Alison said her role has been to talk about traditional skills — the people she’s met are very interested in learning them — and she’s been invited back next summer to teach. She’d be teaching rolling and possibly paddle-making. This weekend she’ll give her rolling clinic.

Meanwhile, Fiona has e-mailed that Stephen is staying with Kim Haggerty, a teacher in Gjoa Haven. He flew into Gjoa Haven yesterday, early afternoon local time. If all goes well, they’ll have linked a school in Gjoa Haven with a school in the UK today. There were still technical details to work out. He’s booked on a flight to Yellowknife on Saturday and finally arrives in Edinburgh on Monday afternoon.

Photos from Alison

Alison sent an e-mail message, along with some photographs:

I'm staying with Rob (who works for the wildlife office) and his wife, Sophia, now. Tonight Glenn and I are giving a presentation for the local kayak club.

Thursday and Friday we are presenting for schools, and my clinics are this weekend. I leave Monday and will be home Tuesday.

Shell Beach

Susie, Henry, and our crew with Susie's Bannock Bread (which is wonderful!)

 

Alison's itinerary update

Came home from softball tonight and had a message from Alison. She said Cambridge Bay has been an amazing experience, the people incredibly nice. Henry and Susie, an Inuit couple they met, have been playing tour guides, showing them around town. They just met the great-great granddaughter of Roald Amundsen. It’s been fabulous.

 

She said everyone is excited about the rolling clinic she’ll be giving. Her YouTube video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vN4QrNVbnv8) has been circulating, and people have been introducing themselves to her, wanting to talk about rolling.

 

That’s the good news. The bad news is that there was a failure of communication somewhere down the line, and the pool has been drained. So she’ll be standing in 30-degree water, in a drysuit that leaks, teaching rolling. As she put it, somehow she’ll survive.

 

Right now, her plan is to fly from Cambridge Bay on the 8th, arriving home on the 9th. She’ll call with flight details tomorrow.

Photos from Julie

Received several e-mails from Julie with photos of the gang:

I am back!!  Arrived in the UK this morning.  I was disappointed not to spend more time in Cambridge Bay, but had to get back for my children.  We had a wonderfully warm welcome in Cambridge Bay and I am sure the rest of the team are enjoying the hospitality of the folk there.... We had a fantastic trip, although the weather certainly wasn't in our favour!  We were told that the high winds and rain were very unusual — the last two summers have been really bad — prior to that the locals reported very settled summer weather and they are able to get out to their summer camps a lot.  This year one local said that they had only been able to visit their summer cabin twice this year because of the weather. Here's a sampling of the photos; I'll post more later.

A huge shout-out to DAL Aviation

The entire Arctic Voice team would like to send out a big thank you to the kind folks at DAL Aviation. Alison reiterated how the group had been told that the visibility was too poor for a plane to reach them, but not 30 minutes after they hung up, they saw a DeHaviland Beaver overhead — piloted by Bill Brady. Despite having to make two trips and load lots of gear, DAL Aviation gave the group a substantial discount on the fare. The team thanks owners Dawn and Fred for their generosity, Johnny for his help, and Bill for his expertise. Without them, they likely would still be on Melville Sound, awaiting transport.

A lising for DAL Aviation is at http://www.yellowpages.ca/bus/Nunavut/Cambridge-Bay/DAL-Aviation-Ltd/3322274.html?adid=13863986aa, and the group highly recommends their services to anyone visiting Cambridge Bay.

Thanks again, everyone.

Around town

Alison told me that Cambridge Bay is like a bigger Sisimiut. It's urban for the Arctic, with lots of buildings. They've been staying at the Inns North (http://www.cambridgebayhotel.com/), but today or tomorrow will be their last day. Alison will be put up by people connected with the kayak club. Glenn and Stephen are packing their gear to ship back to the UK; Alison will be carrying hers with her.

Henry, one of the locals, and his wife have been showing the group around town. They've seen lots of wildlife, and today they are taking them to see the wreck of the Maud, a ship originally christened by Amundsen. Its less than glamorous history is that it was sold by Amundsen's creditors to Hudson's Bay Company, renamed Baymaud, and eventually (1926) frozen in the ice at Cambridge Bay, where she sank in 1930 (Wikipedia).

They took Julie to the airport yesterday(?), and it was like a family reunion. Alison said she didn't know many people in the Arctic, but in its own way, the Arctic is a small place, and they all seemed to be there at the airport.

It's cold, damp, and drizzly there now. She's looking forward to working with the kayak club members, and the logistics will determine whether she'll take her original flight back or come back a day or two later. She said she's ready to come home, but mentioned that the next paddling leg of the Arctic Voice journey is in 2010…

In Cambridge Bay

Alison just called with some news.

The team were in camp and were told by the company managing the float plane that they wouldn’t get a flight today and that it might not be until Tuesday that a flight could reach them. Not half an hour later they heard a plane overhead. Apparently, the pilot had been in the area… It took two flights to get the team and their gear to Cambridge Bay. They are in a hotel, so they have a dry place to sleep and access to laundry and showers.

Right now Alison’s plans are in flux. She met someone associated with the local kayak club, who told her that the members have had some instruction in kayaking but need some help with rolling. Some of the women there feel they don’t have the upper body strength to roll etc. The club has access to a pool, so Alison may get to do a few rolling clinics there, rather than go on to Gjoa Haven. There are still logistics to work out — she doesn’t have a suit for the pool, having brought only her dry suit, but with luck that can easily be remedied. She may come back on the 5th, as originally planned, or she may come back later, but flying from Cambridge Bay.

It may turn out that Glenn will work with two schools in Cambridge Bay while Stephen goes to Gjoa Haven to work with a school there. But with Monday being a holiday, it’s difficult to square away plans, so nothing is guaranteed. At that point our call cut off.

Baby, it's cold outside

Alison called with a quick update (I wanted to talk longer, but she reminded me that when there's no sun, there's no charging sat phone batteries). In Cambridge Bay the winds were 70 mph, so nothing was flying out of there. She said that they have plenty of food and fuel. I asked her how cold it was, and she said at freezing or just below. I knew she'd brought lots of warm gear, and I asked her if she was able to keep warm. She pointed out that the wind and rain and sleet and just general high humidity made it tougher. They spend their time in the tents, leaving only to cook and relieve themselves. They are all hoping for a break in the weather soon.