Naughty Dogs

Yesterday afternoon we put the dogs outside to enjoy the sunshine and fresh air while we got on with our chores. Just before 5pm I went out to do the weekly hot tub maintenance and called the dogs to come home. After a minute or so I heard the distant sound of Johnny barking. Movement on the opposite, northern, shore of the lake caught my eye so I grabbed the binoculars and quickly confirmed that Johnny and Sage were on one of the docks over at the cabins. Presumably the afternoon sunshine had melted the ice against the north shore, stranding them on the far side.

Our house is about 2/3 of the way along the lake on the south side. The east end of the lake is a privately owned ranch. Blaine went into rescue mode and set off in the the side by side back out the road to the 11 km marker, then onto the trails through the forest to get around the west end of the lake and then along behind the north side. The trails are just ATV/snowmobile trails, unmaintained, narrow, winding etc. Blaine struggled through deep snow and fallen trees along the little used trail. After an hour he reached the dogs who were beside themselves with happiness at being rescued.

One of the trail sections was particularly bad with lots of snow and trees down across the path. Blaine was able to make it through as he was travelling downhill, but he knew he wouldn't be able to make it back up that way. There is a road into the cabins that connects to the Beaver Valley Road which connects McLease Lake to Big Lake, Blaine took that road east with the intention of cutting down past Jackson's Hole. Unfortunately the Jackson's Hole road was impassible so he was forced to go all the way to Big Lake and back along the trail by Marguerite Lake. He got home at 7:30pm freezing cold but with two very happy, hungry puppies.

Today I locked them on the deck. When we came home from work they were waiting at the top of the road. We put them back on the deck and put their food on the driveway to force them to reveal the secret of the escape. Johnny did a series of wiggles to get his head, shoulders, then hips through the gap between the railings. Sage eventually and reluctantly jumped over the fence. Blaine spent the evening barricading the areas that Johnny got through, as for Sage we assume/hope that she will stay put so long as Johnny is contained.

Fingers crossed it works for tomorrow!

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Ice Fishing

It was a lovely sunny morning so we loaded up the qamutik and went ice fishing out on the lake. Alas we didn't get so much as a bite but we very much enjoyed a couple of hours in the sun. the dogs really aren't at all sure what is going on and probably think we are mad but they seem happy enough to hang out with us. Blaine said that they are not very helpful when it comes to tying the hooks on the line though.

 

Fun in the Snow

This weekend we had planned to go ice fishing but opted out since the lake was barely visible through the falling snow, it didn't seem like it would be much fun. On Sunday afternoon it started to clear up a little so we grabbed the sleds and went out for a ride. I didn't turn on my GPS tracking app but I am sure you have a good idea by now of where we go.

We rode over to Indian Hill and then took the trail to the barns on the south of Marguerite Lake. However, we were unable to get through as the stream was decidedly liquid. Blaine turned off the trail to turn around but his sled sank in the thigh deep snow so we spent some time extracting it then retraced our route to join the main trail to the north of Marguerite.

Instead of going all the way around to the rest area we elected to take a short cut over the lake. Blaine went ahead first to find a liquid free route. I do not enjoy riding my sled on water. Johnny, Sage and I took a short walk on the lake while Blaine zipped over and back.

  

The dogs were a little confused as to why daddy had left us but they enjoyed playing in the snow.

 

We parked up on the point by the hunting cabin and enjoyed a beer (snugged in Jimmie Johnson stubby coolers) and a packet of crisps.

This is my view on the sled. Johnny stands on the gas tank, Sage sits behind me on the passenger seat.

On the way home Blaine and I rode around the trails near our house so that they were beautifully groomed for my dog walk on Monday.

Thank you Paul!

Today I awoke to another beautiful morning in the Cariboo and I knew I had to get out there and enjoy it. But how? Walking the dogs is lovely, however we are limited to being in the forest which takes away from our enjoyment of the sunshine (of course in the summer I will be craving that shade). The lake is a bit too scary for me to venture out on alone since my last walk took me past way too many open patches,  the only other option for open skies is Indian Hill. However, my skidoo is in the seacan which has snow piled up in front of it that would have to be dug out to get the doors open.

I posted my dilemma in my facebook status. Paul posted "dig out the machine". It took about 20 minutes to get the doors open as the snow was actually ice disguised as snow.

Snow-bound seacan before

and after

I went back inside and dressed Johnny in his jacket and boots, he doesn't wear them so much for the cold as to stop his legs from becoming snow/ice balls. I threw on my camo dungarees, CG jacket and hat, mittens and Sorels then went to start the sled. Fail. It wouldn't start. I fiddled around, tried the choke half and full on and wore myself out with the pull start. At this point I might have given up but Johnny and Sage were beside themselves with excitement, bounding around and running in circles. 

Using my awesome skills I set about checking stuff... Gas, yep; Oil, yep; What else...? spark plugs I guess. Thankfully a skidoo is a simple machine so I was able to identify the plugs, then I went and rummaged in the shop for new plugs and tools. There were several boxes of two types of plugs, one type had RMK written on it so it took the others. After some time I got the correct size wrench thingy and set about removing the old plugs and installing the new ones. I was really quite proud of myself, even more so when my sled started up!

 

The ride over was interesting as there has been a lot of traffic, followed by warm weather, then cold weather. This resulted in frozen ruts and bumps that made the 1800 road ride like a series of rollers in the terrain park. Sage did a great job of balancing on the back seat then hopped off to run once we arrived at the meadow. My machine seemed to struggle with the hill climb, could be my poor driving or maybe the belt needs replacing.

As always it was worth coming, the silence and the view combine to make this a very special place.

The frosty trees looked spectacular against the clear, deep blue sky.

Fun at the lake

We woke up this morning to a fresh 4-inch dusting of powder. After a raclette breakfast Blaine and I went out to plough the drive, well he ploughed I just rode along. Justin got packed up and headed off, we had an awesome visit with him and the time just flew by. It was a lovely mild day so we went out front on the lake and did a little ice fishing. Blaine set up patio chairs and I made us Sailor Jerry hot chocloate so although we didn't get a bite it was lots of fun.

To maximize the enjoyment of our environment we hitched the qamutiq up to Blaine's sled and he towed me and the puppies over to Indian Hill. Alas with all the powder and extra weight we couldn't get all the way up the hill so had to walk the last little way but the view always makes it worthwhile. Me and the puppies got covered in snow but I couldn't get a picture as my iPhone was in my inside pocket.

For dinner we had Mexican, heating our tortillas on the raclette. I have a chest cough so am resting up in bed with lots of Kleenex and cough meds. Blaine and the dogs are keeping me company watching Sons of Anarchy.

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Happy Birthday Sage

Today is Sage's birthday. She is five years old. To celebrate her birthday and the lovely blanket of fresh snow we got all dressed up for a skidoo ride. That is to say Johnny and I got dressed up, Sage stayed naked because she has waterproof fur and long legs so doesn't need booties and a jacket at -8. Naked Johnny accumulates so much snow that he can't walk. I am not a dog so I wear clothes.

Anyhow my skidoo wouldn't start so instead we ploughed the driveway which was less exciting all round. This evening I mentioned to Blaine that my skidoo battery was dead, to which he responded, "I know but the pull start works". Huh. We will try again tomorrow then.

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Lots of snow

Today it snowed all day and is still snowing well into the evening. Sage has lots of fun in the deep fresh powder, Johnny watched from the car port. It took me almost 2 hours to plough the drive. 2 hours later and Blaine is out there going over it again. If this keeps up I may have to get out of bed and clear the drive for him to get to work in the morning. As soon as he comes back inside we are going to hot the hot tub, hard to beat soaking in a hot steamy tub watching the snow falling all around.

Stinky bum

About 3 weeks ago I changed Johnny's food. Since we got them both dogs have been fed Orijen Regional Red. However, I was recently advised that there is too much protein for Johnny so I switched him to Acana Ranchlands, which is made by the same company and uses the same ingredients but is 60/40 meat/vegetables instead of 75/25.

Of course it may be entirely coincidence, but I have noticed some bad bad smells of recent. I haven't got up close to check who farted but Blaine said that Johnny had gross breath the other day. So maybe another change is in order. They also offer fish, chicken and duck based feed so maybe one of those will make him less stinky.

Maybe it is something they are eating during their adventures... Maybe the smelly one is Sage... Stay posted to find out what happens in the stinky pet saga.

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24 hours in Prince George

This morning I enjoyed the luxury of laziness. Blaine needed a ride back from Prince George so I went up last night and we spent the night. He had to go to the office at 8am but I didn't have to check out until 11. The dogs were with Judith at Wildwood Pet Resort. I did a short yoga routine then watched the Food Network while lying in the middle of the king sized bed.

After an hour of Jamie Oliver cooking Christmas related stuff I slowly got ready then drove into town to find some stuff to photograph. The absence of photographs in this post can be taken as evidence that I found nothing worth stopping the truck for. In Prince George's defence it was an unseasonably mild day so the city was awash with dirty slushy snow which is a hard look for anyone to pull off.

We ate sushi for lunch then attended a work awards ceremony. I got my Starbucks fix (venti, non-fat, half-sweet, 200 degree, creme brûlée latte) then we hit the road home. Judith had fed the dogs but sure enough as soon as we got them home they put on their "feed me I'm starving" act. Blaine played along but fed them only 2 pieces of kibble each. They were not impressed.

 

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pet parenting

The dogs have a vet appointment this afternoon, to get their inoculations up to date so that they can stay at Wildwood Pet Resort next week when we go to St Jean-sur-Richelieu for Justin's graduation from Canadian Forces and Leadership School (CFLRS) basic training. It has been raining most of the night and is still raining now. This means I need to walk the dogs early so that I can restore Johnny to an approximate state of cleanliness to avoid the vet judging me for my poor pet parenting skills. Being black Sage always looks clean, even though she isn't.

They are here

On Thursday June 21 I made my first kill of the season. The dogs and I were riding the quad out along Road to Nowhere when I spotted a big black mosquito on Johnny's neck. Later in the evening I was grooming Johnny outside and got bitten twice. They are not yet at critical mass, just a few here and there, but soon the swarms will descend upon us...

Riding the Hog

For the past two weeks the weather has been beautiful (with the exception of snow on Tuesday) so I have been making the most of the bug-free sunshine and riding to work on my quad. My colleague Jen has dubbed my 350cc Yamaha Big Bear "the Hog". On Saturday, inspired by the Sons of Anarchy image that this evoked, I dressed Johnny Cash up in his Orange County Choppers biker jacket and we cruised around the city. In the evenings I have been taking Johnny and Sage (Johnny stands on the gas tank, Sage sits on the passenger seat) to the Road to Nowhere for a run. Sage runs the whole length (2.5km each way) of the unpaved road, which goes to the gravel pit, while Johnny runs a bout half the way out and rides the rest with me. Blaine takes them to the beach in the same fashion. I don't like going there at the moment because of all the melt water and gaps in the ice.

Arctic Mosquitoes

My mind keeps wandering to the important questions when will the mosquitoes come and how long will they last.

But how do we even have mosquitoes here when it is below freezing for most of the year? The answer is adaptation. This week I learned that insects up here have anti-freeze for blood and sort of hibernate/freeze over winter. Once out and about they can handle the low temperatures because they are dark and hairy, which helps a cold-blooded insect gain and retain heat.

Unlike southern mosquitoes who enjoy the luxury of a long season, our critters have a whole lot of living to accomplish in a short time. Assisted by almost 24-hour sunlight and the pressures of time, Iqaluit's mosquitoes operate 24hours a day.

I have mixed feelings about this early spring. I am sad that my skidooing season is over so soon, but I am happy to be out on the quad. I like not having to wear layers upon layers and huge clompy boots, but I hate mosquitoes. Presumably an early spring means a longer bug season... Well I am going to  find out whether I want to or not!

This evening after wings I took the dogs on the quad to investigate Road to Nowhere and I was very surprised to find the whole length of the road completely clear of snow. It was a little chilly so I didn't send her in, but I did note that there is a big swimming pond where the Apex river is backed up by the bridge so I will take Sage up there for a swim one sunny day soon.

References:

http://www.biology.ualberta.ca/bsc/backissues/coldhardiness.pdf

http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674look_out_nunavuts_home_to_bugs_galore/

Cultural fail

We went to the visitor centre but there was no igloo building demonstration. Word on the street was that the snow blocks had been cut out at the park and then transported back to town but that they had broken in transit. Apparently it will take place next weekend instead.

Inside the library lots of little kids were beating drums. While we chose our weekly DVDs that wrapped up and they all went home. Subsequently I learned that the throat singers turned up later on, but everyone had gone home.

Today the 2012 Toonik Tyme schedule was released, but we were told to disregard it as there were significant inaccuracies.

It is Johnny Cash's 2nd birthday today so the dogs are happily devouring some smoked beef bones that I brought back from a pet store in Ottawa. Even though he had the larger bone Johnny was crying for Sage's so I facilitated an exchange and all is well in the Wiggins household.

 

Sealskins for sale

The monthly country food market featured sealskins  which were extremely popular. the market was scheduled to start at noon but it was already busy by 11:30 when I arrived. I was told that the skins came from the Department of  Environment who sell them off annually.

Shoppers braved the icy winds to check out the goods

There were both tanned and untanned skins

The untanned skins were traditionally prepared: cleaned, stretched and dried.

Tanned skins were around $100 each, traditionally prepared ones were around $60 each

Cross Country Skiing

For a few years now I have been contemplating trying cross country skiing. Just before Christmas there were a few sets of equipment listed for sale on Iqaluit's facebook swap and sell that piqued my interest again. I wasn't able to get anything on facebook so I hit the internet and, for just over $400 plus $25 shipping, I ordered myself the necessary items from Mountain Equipment Co-Op:

• Atomic Skis (waxless)
• Salomon Bindings
• Komperdell Classic Poles
• Salomon X-Adventure Boots

Shortly after placing the order (at about 7am on a Sunday morning I was so excited!) I realised that the boots were unisex, therefore I had ordered the wrong size. MEC is based in Vancouver so their phone line wasn't open until noon. The guy I spoke with was super helpful and said he would make sure I got the right boots. On Tuesday we came home from work to a voicemail saying that instead of being shipped to the main store for the bindings to be mounted to the skis, everything but the boots and been mailed to me. The message went on to say that if I could get the bindings mounted by a qualified ski technician here in Iqaluit, then MEC would refund me that cost. After I finally stopped laughing I called back to explain that wasn't an option. MEC already had a better solution, they were already in the process of mounting bindings on another pair of skis and would send those to me too. After everything had arrived they would send me the paperwork to mail back the unmounted skis and bindings free of charge.

Over the course of two weeks I received the three packages, in the reverse order that they were mailed! By 6:10 on Friday night I had everything I needed to hit the snow. This morning I drove the dogs out to the third car park in Sylvia Grinnell park and clipped in. Blaine joined us on skidoo and acted as coach, cheerleader and photographer. I am a boarder not a skier so it took a bit of getting used to but I had fun and Johnny Cash certainly appreciated running at a slower pace than the skidoo. I went back and forth a couple of times along the skidoo trail next to the road which is a nice flat, groomed trail perfect to get my balance and figure out the rhythm. It more than met my expectations in terms of the exertion required so I am confident that after 6 weeks of cross country skiing and I will be more than fit enough for our two week snowboarding pilgrimage to Tahoe.

Hello Ron

This morning we decided to check the snow cover. I was not feeling bold enough to drive my sled and Blaine's sporty little number doesn't take passengers so we headed out along the beach on my sled. We left the dogs at home to reduce the number of variables that could stress me out and we made it as far as the FOL (the military Forward Operating Location just the other side of the airport) before deciding to turn back due to lack of snow. Back home we took pity on the puppies and decided to take them to the beach for a run. Blaine drove Sage down on the sled and I walked Johnny.

About half way down, just by the kids' playground Johnny and I were surprised to see a big black dog running at us. Sage had evidently decided to leave her master and come looking for the weaker members of her pack. We continued towards the beach when Sage spotted a man in a black Canada Goose parka and, failing to notice that 90% of the population look the same all winter, assumed that must be daddy so she kept running off with me yelling at her to come back. Finally the excitement was too much and she bolted across the road and went bounding up to the unsuspecting pedestrian. 

Embarrassed, I apologized profusely. The happily unscathed gent said "you must be Emma, I'm Ron" I just said hello and carried on in search of Blaine. My brain must have been affected by the cold or perhaps the petrol fumes from my sled as I utterly failed to make a very simple connection until about 5 minutes later... Ron is, I assume, my fellow blogger Ron Wassink and I missed an opportunity to congratulate him in person on his awesome photography and commitment to this odd form of communication. Please accept this public apology for my rudeness!

Ice Puppies NU

With the windchill it is -37C (-35F) this evening but there is not enough snow for skidoos yet so we are still playing on the quads. My skidoo has heated grips, my quad does not. I layered up with thermal socks and Sorel glacier boots, fleece track pants under my snowboard pants, a long sleeve T-shirt and a hoodie under my trusty Canada Goose jacket, a fleece toque under my full face helmet, and finally fleece mittens under my sealskin mittens. Johnny has been pretty pathetic recently so he too got dressed up in his Muttluk boots and padded jacket, Sage is hardcore so she went naked. Blaine is fairly hardcore so he wore normal clothes under his snow pants and CG jacket.

Suitably attired we drove the two blocks down to the beach where we let Sage off to run the kilometer or so down to sealift beach. Sage was so excited when we got there that Johnny's feet hadn't even hit the ground before she had him by the neck for some canine wrestling. The dogs played while Blaine did donuts on the ice then we took a moment to admire the broad green smear of the Aurora Borealis. Johnny has learned the hard way that is he wants up on the quad or the skidoo he needs to come jump on my foot, he gave the signal and I hauled him up then we drove home. Now we are nice and warm on the couch watching Ice Pilots NWT - laughing at how we used to think they were insane for living in the north.

Getting ready for winter

Two weeks without an update, you could be forgiven for thinking we had lost our satellite again. The truth is I have been busy. Last weekend we were getting ready for winter which involved me standing in the sunshine drinking coffee (bundled in my Canada Goose jacket and wearing gloves) watching Blaine work:

He has converted the crate that our sealift came in into an insulated house for the puppies. Naturally they prefer to sit outside in the cold looking pathetic instead of enjoying the warmth of their palatial box.
We had lifted the back of my skidoo up to stop the track getting iced in, unfortunately we had not taken the same precautions with the skis. Many jugs of hot water and some effort later the sled was released from the ice and lengths of wood placed under the skis to prevent repetition.
Fred and Stephane arrived with Blaine's new sled so we reshuffled the toy parking. There is not enough snow to go out on the land yet and the sea is still liquid so the sleds are parked by the house with the quads in front.

Overnight on October 1 the snow fell heavily and covered Iqaluit with a white blanket which has remained. Since then we have had several cool days and more snow, warm days have only succeeded in melting the snow enough to turn the whole city into a skating rink. The forecast is for more snow this weekend and as I type the wind is blowing swirls of fresh snow into the porch where the dogs are barking and messing around instead of sheltering in their house. I am beginning to hear talk of the sea ice forming in November. We can't wait for it to be thick enough to get out on our sleds!

A Hike in Sylvia Grinnell Park

City of Iqaluit employees are fortunate to have two cultural days in addition to our vacation allowance. The days are officially for berry picking and clam digging but there is no requirement that you partake in these activities. As Blaine is away I decided to take Monday and Tuesday off to hang out with the dogs and catch up on some chores. This morning I took the dogs for an invigorating hike through Sylvia Grinnell Territorial park. Named after the daughter of one of American explorer Charles Francis Hall's benefactors, the park is just on the other side of our airport. 

The hike took us an hour and according to Google maps is about 3.6km, Johnny and Sage enjoyed chasing the ravens and roaming around enjoying the smells. Nunavut parks has marked the trail but doesn't offer a distance, only approximate times. From the main car park we followed the red trail which is a cross country scramble over the tundra along a windy ridge to the dizzying height of 68m above sea level. The trail brings you out at the far car park, which was the mid way point for the Terry Fox run. We then made a U turn and followed a neat gravel path back along the river heading downstream.

No photos as I didn't feel like carrying the big DSLR with me and it was cold, windy and raining. However it was a beautiful walk and I encourage all my Iqaluit readers to head out and enjoy it for themselves. I walked into the wind on the way out so that it was to my back on the return and suggest that you do the same.

You can read more about the park here.