Storyline: Hiking in Nunavut August 1-12, 1998
The next morning it was once again dry and cool. We made breakfast of bacon & instant mashed potatoes, then Tim & I set about making a clothesline between our ski poles. We hung the damp stuff out to dry as Michael read in his tent. Before breakfast a young Inuk hunter had stopped by to say hello. Jason was 18, carried a rifle over his shoulder and was great to talk with. He told us that it would take 10-12 hours to hike from our campsite, up Mt. Herodier and back. We decided to go with day packs, the stove and a meal.
We set out, keeping uphill of the cotton grass that marked the wettest areas. In under two hours we were at the base of the mountain. I don’t like going uphill, but there was no saying no, so after a snack, up we went. I realized early on that I wouldn’t be able to summit. I was much slower than Tim & Michael and would just drag the whole thing out for too long. I finally convinced them that it was OK. I’d keep moving up so I’d stay warm, and I’d meet them coming down. Off they went and were soon two specks moving up among the great granite blocks that form the upper reaches of the mountain. I slogged on. After getting much higher than I thought I would, I reached a huge granite boulder, angled away from me at about 60°. Peering over, I looked down almost 2,000 feet to the bay on the far side of the mountain, and thought “This is enough”.
The guys were out of sight above me and there were snowflakes in the air. Time to start down. My yellow jacket is more visible than their green, so I should be a beacon. A couple of minutes later, I looked back and there they were, coming around just below the summit. I waved in response to theirs, then headed down at, what I thought was a good pace. Less than five minutes later, I looked back again and they were almost upon me, having run down the irregular blocks as if they were stairs. The summit had been eerie, they said, with wind that took their breath away and made them feel unsteady. I’m glad I didn’t go. I’m tired enough as it is.
We made good time back to the base of the mountain and decided to press on past the stream there, to the next stream about ½ hour away. By the time we got there, I was done in. Michael went exploring and disappeared into a snow tunnel formed by the river flowing through. Tim followed. I was too tired to explore it with them, but I did manage to walk down with the camera so Tim could take a couple of shots. We made garden vegetable soup (tasted like chili!) and added dried beef chunks. The fuel ran out just as it was ready. Well, maybe a minute or so early, judging by the chewiness.
The hike back to our camp was quite easy as we found a caribou path. Tim stayed low, as usual, keeping to the shoreline. I was getting a little concerned when he was out of sight for over 20 min. but he showed up over a rise & I felt more comfortable. At one point there was a huge boulder just a couple of metres offshore. 20’ high and 40’ long, it was the ideal challenge for Tim to climb—especially as the shore side was overhung. It took him a couple of minutes to get up, but he did it very smoothly. It turned out that he’d found a slope of snow leading to Eclipse Sound, and just hadn’t been able to resist “skiing” down on his boots. Had a couple of anxious moments as he tried to brake before going for a swim, but made it safely in the end.
We walked together along the shore, then up the river to our camp. It was 7:30 p.m. and I was very tired. I had a cup of Gatorade and headed for the warmth of my sleeping bag. Sleep didn’t come quickly, as I worked out the kinks and aches from the day. When it finally came, it lasted a good ten hours and I awoke refreshed to a blustery morning following what must have been another decent downpour.
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