More arctic ice golfing in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut.

Click here to warp to Cambridge Bay Nunavut.

"FORE"

Golfing on the sea ice in Cambridge Bay. The Peter Gzowski Invitational Golf Tournament.

Here are a few pictures of the sea ice golfers. This year there were no polar bears to contend with.

There are many links to some of Nunavut's websites offering information and entertainment with an arctic perspective of life.

Stranded on an ice pan

One of Iqaluit's hunters was stranded on an ice pan today. Mr. Chris Gerioux was stranded on the sea ice when a section of the ice floe broke off from the ice pack and drifted out to sea. Mr. Gerioux was stranded along with his snow mobile for over 13 hours.
The ice pan was roughly 100 ft. by 50 ft. in size but began to break up as the water became rough. The ice pan broke in half and threatened to disintegrate leaving Mr. Gerioux to drown in the freezing waters of Frobisher Bay. Chris was eventually spotted by a passing hunter. He was rescued and his snowmobile was salvaged. Chris is very fortunate to be alive. The tidal currents would have surely floated him out into high seas where he would have met an icy fate.

One Survives. Official Report.

Nunatsiaq News

Facts VS the Grapevine.

Here is the official local news report on the tragic loss of one of our own. Previous information was retrieved from the grapevine. It sure is strange how many different versions of the story came out.

Walking home drunk in Germany.

Die Wagenschenke - Das Partyzelt am Albanifest in Winterthur.

"How dry I am"

(HIC)

Here is a funny little game that I found on the web.
As addictive as the German Beer
this guy is swilling.

Frozen birdies but no polar bears allowed as ice golf takes off : Weird News

Arctic extreme golfing in Greenland. Looks playable to me. The caddie carries a rifle to ward off polar bears.


Frozen birdies but no polar bears allowed as ice golf takes off : Weird News

The Ordeal is Over

Ed Norman returns home safely. His friend and companion, Tod, did not survive. The rescue team found him outside the snow shelter with his gloves off. He may have been overcome with fear, hunger and cold.
We all extend our deepest sorrow to Tod's family. I shall let the Nunatsiaq news report fill in the details. Thank you readers for your prayers and support. The Nunatsiaq News is a weekly edition and this story may not make it into this weeks printing. Mr. Ed Norman is to be commended for his brave trek across the tundra. He walked across the barrens for over 27 hours to try and get help for his stranded companion.

FOUND ALIVE AND WELL.

Here is what I know so far. None of this is official but Ed Norman has been found alive. He is hungry and tired but no worse for wear and tear. Ed had walked for 27 hours from the area where they were stranded, leaving Tod behind. The two men had run out of gas on the way back from thier Sunday outing. Deep snow caused them to use more gas than anticipated. The weather deteriorated after they were stranded. The two men built a snow house and decided to stay where they are. After 2 nights, Ed felt that one should attempt to go get help. Tod was exhausted and Ed felt like he could do it. Ed left Tod in the snow house and started walking. He was spotted by a Hercules aircraft. Ed had witnessed the plane flying in a search patern and waved frantically. The crew didn't see him at first.
Ed was rescued by snowmobile. I heard that he had gone back to the snow house to save Tod. Tod is still in peril but the team should be there in a few more hours. I hope that Tod stays in the shelter and doesn't wander as many people do when lost. He has been waiting for 30 hours or so and may be hypothermic or disoriented. The always present danger of a passing polar bear is still a concern.
More details and/or corrections as I get them.

Hope Fades as Time Goes by.

30 snowmobiles, 2 airplanes and 1 helicopter searched a wide expanse over Frobisher Bay and the surrounding tundra. There has been no sighting of the 2 missing men or thier snowmobiles. Not a trace of evidence has been seen. They have had to spend 4 nights out on the arctic wilderness without shelter or any type of survival gear. For 3 of those nights, wind, snow and whiteout conditions prevailed. The search has already resumed. I heard aircraft and helicopters at 4AM. The sun offers light in those early hours this time of year. The search will continue untill 10PM tonight. After 10PM, the sun has set and arctic twilight doesn't offer enough light for a visual contact from the air. Some of the ground crew involved in the search may continue to search after 10PM, but they themselves can be at risk of being lost. Only the most experienced hunters will continue the search during the twilight hours.
I have learned over the years that one should never give up hope for the safe return of a person lost on the land. I also know that as every day goes by, the chances of a safe return dwindle dramatically. A person can survive for 7 days on the tundra without food, shelter or water. That is if the individual has the land skills required to know how to survive. Any longer than 1 week is usually a hopeless endevour. These men, one a friend of mine, if found, will be in bad shape without a doubt. I will still pray for thier safe return, but as time goes by thier chances of returning to us fades.

Missing.

Today is a sunny Wednesday morning with little wind. It has been a mix of snow, blowing snow and temperatures dipping down to -10C since Sunday afternoon. Typical May weather. The sunshine today is especially welcome as many people have been trying to be involved in a search effort for 2 missing men. One of them is my friend. His name is Ed Norman. He and his room mate, whom I only know as Tod, had decided to go for a snowmobile outting Sunday morning. The weather looked nice. The snow, inviting. The trip was only to be a few hours of joy riding. Ed never came back Sunday afternoon. The weather changed to reduced visibilities in blowing snow.
Ed and Tod are still out there somewhere on the sea ice or on the tundra. No one knows as they did not have a planned route nor did they tell anyone of their intended destination. They did not bring any survival gear, food, water, flares, radio or G.P.S. Ed knows that there are survival shacks on the land and he also knows the southern Baffin area around Iqaluit quite well. The ice conditions can be dangerous in some areas this time of year. There is so much snow this spring too. Snow can cover open water or cap the top of a deep hole. There is also possible avalanche hazzards near some of the steeper slopes. Nunavut is a very dangerous place.
I can only hope and pray that Ed and Tod are found alive. As each day passes, this becomes more and more unlikely. Today is a sunny day. Good day to resume a search for a friend.
It is always this way. In the spring, the weather may be inviting for hiking or snowmobiling. It is important to let people know where you intend to go. It is important to bring survival gear. It is important to aquire some traditional Inuit knowledge. It is important to understand that the landscape changes with the wind and the sunlight. It is very easy to get lost on the tundra.
All of these facts are well known to Ed. I guess that he didn't want to spend the morning packing gear when he only intended to go out for a short tour. A few hours at best.
I am praying for you Ed. I hope you come home today. You can bring Tod with you. We can sit down with a hot cup of coffee and you can tell me all about your adventure. I am looking forward to your arrival.

The Big Melt

The snow is melting. Slowly but surely. So are the roads. When you live in a place that has snow 9 or 10 months of the year, you tend to overlook the amount of snow that has accumulated. Most of the roads are not paved. The paved roads lack sidewalks and curbs. There are no drainage catch basins or street sewers. No traffic lights. No parking meters. A black layer of asphalt strewn thinnly atop a bare stretch of hardened dirt road at a cost of 1,000,000.00 (CN) per Kilometer. The unpaved roads gather a thick layer of a plastic-like ice, sand and gravel concreation that can be graded and plowed. In essence, the roads are "paved" 9 months of the year. Now, the everpresent sun is melting the snow. It is still -5 degrees Celcius and yet the snow melts.
Potholes are given thier name due to thier pot like shape. Potholes are shaping my life. There are so many potholes on some of the roads that top speeds of the local taxi cabs, who are notoriously speedy drivers, reach up to 3 or perhaps 4K/hr. I have to leave early to get to work. The driving makes my back ache so I take long hot baths. I drive a different route to the store to avoid potholes.
Potholes have an impact on my life as well as my back. Potholes change all the rules.
In Canada, we drive on the right side of the road. The exception would be in May when everyone drives 3K/hr, zigzagging along all the while trying to avoid potholes. On a typical day, you may observe four vehicles travelling south and three travelling north on a pothole infested stretch of road. The lead vehical on the southern bound lane is driving where the sidewalk should be. The next one is driving with two wheels upon where a curb would be if there were curbs. The other two vehicals are snowmobiles. The northbound lane is simillar in appearance with respect to the vehicals positions. As the traffic proceeds, the vehicals try to ride thier wheels around the potholes. The vehicals may crawl around, crossing into the other lane here and there avoiding potholes. After a few seconds, all the northbound vehicals are in the southbound lane and all the south in the north. No collisions occur. It is very easy to avoid a collision when you are travelling at 3 K/hr. Moments later they weave themselves back into thier respective lanes.
The drivers, when observed from the pedestrian's point of view, sway to and fro and bounce up and down. The front left wheel finds a deep pothole and the car jars suddenly. Everyone in the car leans into the direction of the pothole. The front wheel climbs out as the rear wheel finds another pothole. Everyone swings quickly to the right then the left. Then they bounce up then down hard. The next bump causes the two front passengers to bump thier heads on the top of the car. I find that a procession of vehicals driving at 3 k/hr, veering in and out of oncomming traffic that may be veering in and out of oncomming traffic, full of people bouncing around inside the cab like so much popcorn, somewhat amusing.

The T.G.A.

I have included a link the the T.G.A. See LINKS~~~>>
I never thought that other people would ever be doing pretty much the same thing as we do here in Nunavut.
The snow and ice golf is fun to be sure but I hope to blog the summer golf games on the tundra.
The tundra golf is much more competitive and the lack of snow makes the game a bit more like the more familliar version.
This spring has brought much snow. The tempuratures are still close to freezing. We may not have a course to play on until the last week of June. Perhaps early July.
The crooked hole awaits.