17 July 2008 Cambridge Bay, Nunavut

Journal

This is my first time ever above the Arctic Circle. The Arctic Circle circles the earth at 66° 33? 39? (or 66.56083°) north of the equator. It is defined by the southern-most point of a "polar day" and "polar night" meaning that here the sun stays above the horizon for 24 hours, and stays below the horizon for 24 hours, at least once per year.

Because the earth's tilt and rotation wobble, the location of the Arctic Circle will change ever so slightly over time.

Question: How many countries does the Arctic Circle pass through?

We landed in Cambridge Bay on a permafrost runway.

The ship was not ready for all of us so The Group of 9 decamped to The Green Row in Cambridge Bay. We toured the town, stopping in at the Visitors Center. This poster details important words to know in Cambridge Bay.

HELPFUL TERMS — Important words on a poster in the Cambridge Bay cultural center. Both Inuinnaqtun and Inuktitut, indigenous Canadian languages, are recognized in the Nunavut territory.

Thank you to Carla Schwindt for opening up the high school and cultural center so we could see the exhibits. My favorite was these dolls.

Inuit Dolls — Dolls in the cultural center in Cambridge Bay. Their sweet, delicate faces are in stark contrast to life on the tundra.

After supper, a retired schoolteacher, Dawn Wilson, treated us to a drive out on the tundra in an old Ford truck "just back from the dump". Alice, a veteran of Arctic cruises, met her while checking into our flight. A short conversation later, Dawn was offering to drive us out to see wildlife. Her immediate hospitality is indicative of the generous, helpful spirit that pervades Arctic communities.

While we did not see much wildlife, we all appreciated the barren beauty of the tundra, and the mosquitoes....