Cambridge Bay Disappointment

On July 23rd,1996 I Received a phone call from Yellowknife.. It  was from an obviously distraught person who booked in fifteen bird watchers from Europe.The problem was that the person who was in charge was in Yellowknife and the group were already in Cambridge Bay. He asked if I knew anyone who could help out until he arrived the next day.

Most of the people were professional photographers from Germany and a few from Japan. I told him it would cost him but I would help. I always feared about situations like this. Because it would tarnish the image of our hamlet and all of Nunavut. I went to the Arctic Inn and met with the group. Some were already gone on their own but the majority were still there.

I explained the situation and told them I was a resident and knew the whereabouts of the birds that lived in the area. The group seemed to be satisfied and after a quick survey of their needs I found that all the group were looking for a Orange Throated Loon., Mute Swan and a Falcon . All these birds were found near or on Pelly Mountain. This mountain was really an esker about 800 feet high and accessible by a bus I hired.

The bus driver apologized for the condition of the bus as it had not been used for months. They all piled in and away we went. I tried to talk over the noise of the bus which had no muffler and I pointed out some points of interest.Muskoxen were in evidence and all the people suddenly wanted to take their picture. Some of the people had cameras that were huge and had to be supported by tripods.

I warned them about staying well out of their way as they could be nasty if they feel threatened or their young get close to them. Some listened some did not. After about an hour I motioned them back to the bus and they managed to get moving again in what seemed like hours.We travelled the road to Pelly Mountain and we parked the bus and set out walking. Most were unhappy with the idea of walking the mile or so to the mountain top[ so decides to explore any number of small and large lakes in the immediate area.

We decided to use the time discovering what makes the tundra so spectacular. The summer flowers, the variety of birds and small and large animals abound and everyone became excited at the viewing of a family of caribou. Three thirty was the time when everyone was to back at the bus and most were.However three were not and we found out that they got lost on the wrong side of a lake and had a long painful trek back. We bumped and grinded our way back to the Inn and all I could hear was how wonderful the countryside was. I did my part and was ready for the tour guide next morning. He came under the heavy hand of a disgruntled bunch and paid the price. For me I wanted cash for the bus driver and a top notch visit for his clients.

He was useless but got through the few days when the community gave a short demonstration of local drum dancing and throat singing. We withdrew his permits for future visits as a tour guide and apologized to the clients who thanked me for helping them to have a good photo shoot.