September 22,1995

It was a old day in Ikaluktutiak ,Nunavut that day when I decided to do a little exploring. The ground was hard and cold. The rivers and lakes were frozen but the elders told me to be careful and watch for black ice. I never had my snow machine prepared so decided to use my ATV to travel to my fishing and hunting camp site some 11 miles out of town. The weather looked alright but at this time of year changes very quickly. I just acquired my new travelling partner Buck who was a half wolf and half malamute dog. Large by dog standards and wary of me as his new owner but prepared to take a chance and ride on the back of my ATV.

I made sure I had extra gas but only planning to be gone for a couple of hours broke my own rule by not taking my emergency kit. This kit contained everything you needed to survive 10 days on the tundra. The kit in my case was kept in a waterproof box and was quite large. Normally it sat on the wooden extra seat on my ATV but with Buck coming I took it off and took Buck instead. I was properly dressed for the occasion and started up my machine and as I lived on the north edge of the hamlet was soon out on the tundra.

The road I was following was hilly and slippery so I travelled at a reasonable speed.The occasional snowdrift  was crashed and snow would fly in all directions. I was enjoying this outing and began to speed in reckless abandon. I stopped here and there just to take in the scenery. Days were getting shorter and the sun was well below the horizon and before long it was pitch dark. I arrived at my campsite and let Buck run for a while as I tidied up around the campsite. Lumber had to be sorted and stacked for the winter. The door and windows which I had covered with a tarp were now exposed to the elements so I really had more to do than expected. A rule in the Arctic is to work but do not break a sweat. This is dangerous as exposure to the elements when sweating can lower your core temperature quickly.

I tried to be careful but in my anxious moments to get everything done I became overheated and then felt the cold creep into my bones. I stopped work and immediately lit a fire. I had loads of wood and a few boards with a tarp gave me shelter from the wind which seemed to pick up. I called for Buck being anxious to get home but there was no response. Since I had a sense of fear I talked to myself and admonished myself saying I would never fall into this situation again.

I warmed up but no Buck so I prepared for a longer stay. Snow began to fall so I covered my ATV with a tarp and hoped it would start when called upon. I had a store of military meals and began to eat but there was a certain uneasiness about the situation. I got up and started the ATV and called again for Buck. If necessary I would leave him as he would find his way home. Further fear crept in when the wind began to cause the snow to blow . Now I was worried so I sped off towards the hamlet. We had a very bright beacon in town as there was a Lauren tower there. The road became part of the landscape and I never knew if I was on the road or not.

The snow deepened and I was having difficulty with steering but I only hoped the machine would keep running. After what seemed like an hour I passed by the graveyard and the hamlet lights came into view. As I drove into my yard there was Buck chewing on a muskoxen bone and quite unconcerned. For me I had a life lesson, not really that bad but up there a small situation can be fatal. I vowed to be more careful and this was one rule I kept for the whole time I lived in that wonderful but cruel world. My diary entry that night was circled in red and I read it often as a reminder to be prepared every time you left the safety of your hamlet.