A - 'Wonderful Welcome to Churchill'

October 13th Having experienced the unexpected temperatures in Winnipeg, I was curious and eager to step out of our plane on the Churchill tarmac and feel the sub-arctic air. It was cooler than I expected and was forcasted to range between 3 to 5 degrees Celsius during the next 4 days.



My group and I pretty much encountered all of the gems Churchill has to offer in a single day. On the short trip into town we stopped to watch a red fox mum and her two pups bounding along the Tundra in search of lemmings. Following that there was a report that a bear lift was about to take place. We gathered along the edge of a barricaded area near the polar bear jail and watch a tranquilized Polar Bear mum and cub get pulled on a trailer and gentle propped down in a cargo net that lay open and ready on the ground. As the helicopters blades began to spin, a conservation officer protected the bears eyes from the dust that was about to be kicked up. We watched the bears being gently lifted and carried off into the limitless horizon. 30 km inland, a good distance from land, the bears were taken, dangling in a cargo net from the base of the helicopter. Soon they would wake up from their drowsy sleep and using their powerful scent navigate back to the shores of the Hudson Bay.

My group had booked a special helicopter ride which would take them 70 miles northward to the Nunavut border. During this 3 hour excursion they spotted numerous moose grazing amongst the scrawny Spruce trees and over 10 polar bears that dozed along the edge of the Hudson Bay. A pack of wolves consisting of 6 individuals was a highlight, a specie I have yet to see.



The day was completed after a feast at the famous Gypsy's Bakery which is a diner/bakery by day and a candlelit restaurant by night.



October 14th – so much to share.



Here is a brief summary which I will expand on tomorrow when I am not so sleepy. And I will post photos!

It was Deans first day in the Tundra Inn kitchen. He rocked under the guidance another chef but due to his efficiency, confidence and talent has been given full responsibility for cooking breakfast solo as of tomorrow morning. He also fixed his first toilet!



Today was my groups first full day on the tundra and in a tundra buggy. However before reaching the launch where we board our buggies, we took a detour to search for a rather chunky male bear who had been sighted by another bus driver the day before.



We came across a male polar bear, lingering around a mum and her cub with another cub caught in a culvert trap. Mum and cub seemed to be protecting what looked like another cub lying lifeless on the ground. Conservation officiers were called at once and the situation was dealt with beautifully. More details tomorrow. Night night, thanks for reading.