Yesterday was another gorgeous day in Arctic Bay, for the first time it what seems like a couple of weeks, the sun was out for the majority of the day. The summer season here is so short, and the sun makes such a big difference to how warm a day feels, no matter the air temperature, that two weeks of cloudy weather is a big deal.
Travis returned from a weekend out on the land with Leah’s parents last night, or more correctly early this morning. The House seemed far too quiet without him around and all three of us were anxiously awaiting his return. We continued our practice of going out for evening drives, searching for birds, getting out of the hustle and bustle of town, but yesterday evening we kept a eye out all the time for returning komotiks, looking for Leah’s mom and dad’s telltale blue iglutaq, so we rush back to town and greet Travis on his arrival. While out near the water lake, looking for Lapland Longspur, we spied a group of ten snowmobiles with komotiks far out in Adam’s Sound. Leaving the Longspurs and their glorious song we returned to the waterfront in front of Leah’s parents in time for the first to arrive, but alas it was not them.
We then turned our attention to Victor Bay, as there was a possibility they would return there. Halfway down the hills overlooking Victor Bay we sat and scanned the sea ice for komotiks. Far out, near Nuvuaq at the mouth of Victor Bay (probably 15 kms) we could see a lone snowmobile and komotik bouncing across the ice. As I sat in the sun at the side of the road, watching the snowmobile edge closer, waiting until we could see if it was the one we sought, I listened to Lapland Longspurs and Snow Buntings sing, and the stream beside us making its way to the ocean. The sun was bright and warm (and already a little lower in the sky than four days ago) and it was harder to imagine a nice place in the world to be sitting, the sweeping vista of Victor Bay and the cliffs across Admiralty inlet dancing in the sun and the shimmer of Arctic mirages.
We waited awhile before we realized that it was not the komatik we were looking for, before giving up and going home. But we hadn’t had long to wait, for about 15 minutes later, at 1:00 am, Leah’s parent’s snowmobile and komatik rounded Uluksan Point, that marks the mouth of Arctic Bay, and we gathered up Hilary and went to meet them.
Travis ran across the ice, making his way over the tidal cracks with help, and I went out to meet him and get a big hug. With him in my arms I made my way gingerly back to shore, as I discovered that my new hiking boots had zero traction on the sea ice. Being careful did not help though, for near shore as I stood to figure out the best place to cross a tidal crack, I began to slide inexorably towards the crack. I had just enough time to set Travis down before I plunged in, thigh deep until I could stop myself with my hands and pull myself out. The water was rather, um brisk, but I was no worse for wear, and soon we were on the beach.
It was good to have my boy back home, although as much as he missed us, I think he still wished he was out on the land, hunting seal and fishing.