Saturday 27 October 2007

The Last Day


Our last day was a 20 mile ski towards Pangnirtung. Lynne and I kept each other going. We were tired, oh so tired, but we shared Arctic thoughts and dreams and kept moving when the adrenaline was fast running out. I was sad to think that our Arctic Adventure was nearly over yet at the same time desperate for a shower and a decent meal.

As we approached Pangnirtung some Inuit children ran out to greet us and we gave them some sweets from our Munchy Bags. I immediately thought of my two children back home in England. Walking into a building was weird after ten days on the ice. The warmth hit me and that first shower was something else. Despite the length of time I stayed underneath the water I still didn't feel clean - however hard I scrubbed.

Larry, Lynne's husband, gave each of the group a phonecard - which was very thoughtful. I called Inuit activist Sheila Watt-Cloutier and, amazingly, she answered the phone and invited me to her house in Iqaluit for the interview the next day. Throughout the trip I had been hoping I'd be able to do this interview so was very relieved when she said, in a typical Canadian relaxed kind of way, come round.

The group spent the evening nursing various minor injuries - mainly to do with feet! Thanks to the experience of our leader we had no major injuries to report. We later heard that other members of groups crossing the park at the same time had suffered from frostbite. We had been in very good hands.

That night, as I lay on a bed for the first time in ten days, I felt sad the trek was over but excited to be meeting a Nobel Peace Prize nominee the following day. The walking was over..the talking was about to begin.

It may have been the end of our journey across this vast wilderness, yet I knew it marked the beginning of my passion for the Arctic.

1 comment:

Leanne said...

The last day was by far the hardest day of the journey. My tendons were destroyed and not even Johnny's strong hands could relive the pain in my shoulders. It was 5 hours from the time that Pangnirtung was visible until we arrived there!