Polar Bear Alley

This is a collection of northern stories - polar bear, arctic and otherwise from Churchill, Manitoba, Canada - the polar
bear capital of the world.

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If you like the Polar Bear Blog, check out my first book, Polar Bears of Churchill. It combines eight years of guiding experience in Churchill, Manitoba, Canada with the latest scientific research, local history and a bit of cabin fever. Independently published. Available online for $14.95! Click BUY NOW to purchase a copy and support Polar Bear Alley!

Churchill on Hudson Bay is a mix of Churchill history and stories from the trapline. Written by longtime Churchill residents, Angus and Bernice MacIver, it is the best resource about Churchill, Manitoba available. Published by the Churchill Ladies Club. Available for $16.95

Polar Bear Blog 

Today's Blog 
Hudson Bay Quest 2007
February 15-March 19, 2007
January 14-February 15, 2007
December-January12, 2007
December 1-10, 2006
November 20-30, 2006
November 5-20, 2006
October 27-Nov5, 2006
October 19-26, 2006
October 9-18, 2006
October 1-October 9, 2006
Sept 24-October 1, 2006
Sept 15-23, 2006
Sept 1-8, 2006
August 20-31, 2006
August 8-17, 2006
August 1-8, 2006  
July 25-31, 2006  
July 18-24, 2006   
July 12-17, 2006   
July 2006   
June 2006  
May 2006 
Archived articles

Polar Bear Blog - On the Trail of the Hudson Bay Quest - March 19th, 2007

Heading out today for ten days, first to help Claude Daudet of Gyrfalcon Snowmobile Tours and Moses Kigusiutnak from Arviat to mark the trail for the upcoming Hudson Bay Quest. Of course, I should be headed to town right now but figured I should squeeze in another polar bear blog entry. That and its -47C with the windchill right now and I have this crippling fear that first my truck won't start and then second that it will break down/run out of gas on the way to town (yes, the local gas station is out of gas again...) and third I'll forget to take mitts along on the trip and then be too proud to admit it and eventually my hands will freeze and fall off - but mostly the truck/gas thing.

Anyway, the Quest starts next Saturday running from Arviat, Nunavut south to Churchill this year. There are fourteen racers (most from Arviat) signed up so it should be pretty good. I'll have some pics and video on here about the race and a few articles here and on sleddogcentral.com, dogsledcanada.com and in Routes North Magazine.

What else , my snowmobile is mostly fixed (long story) and the Toyota is fixed (shorter story) so once I 'm back it will be back to road building and updating the website. The weather is supposed to warm up - some indications that it might be up to -10C by Wednesday and zero by race day. I'll pack my bermuda shorts along with my Canada Goose parka.

Polar Bear Blog - Ptarmigan Blues - March 15th, 2007

I looked out the window this morning to see forty or fifty ptarmigan walking over, under and around my porch. Ptarmigan are a staple of winter up here. They are plump little chickens that motor along the along the snow on feathered feet. Moving from one clump of willows to the next, they nibble on buds and seeds through the winter. Their middle claws actually grow considerably longer in the fall, an arctic adaptation that helps them dig through the hard crust of mid-winter's snow.

I grabbed my camera and headed out to take a few pictures. To my surprise, my front door wouldn't open. Assuming it was frozen or snowed in (again), I pushed it a couple times and finally forced it open only to find that my husky, Milo, was the mysterious doorstop. Turns out, he was sleeping in the sun as ptarmigans walked over, around and possibly under him. He grumbled, stretched, paused long enough to chase the ptarmigan away and then pushed his way past me, making a beeline for our couch.

He's lucky he's good with bears because he's not much good for anything else.

Polar Bear Blog - Goodbye Road, Hello Snowshoes - March 14th, 2007

I cannot tell if this winter is proof of climate change or not. As I have said before, this is the winter of blizzards in Churchill - the last one of which finally conquered our winter road and we have been reduced to carrying water and groceries across the lake for the foreseeable future.

Last night, I drove the truck out to the road - bullying my way through snowdrifts mostly by force of will (much to the dismay of my truck's clutch). Blizzards make you feel a bit bipolar up here - one minute your chest is puffed out blasting through freshly fallen snow, snow drifts part like the red sea before your little red truck; the next, that same truck is mired in that same drift and two hours of shovelling stand triumphantly before you. You want character building? You got it.

Anyways, back to climate change... temperatures have hovered around regional normals or below for most of this winter (we will be ten degree below normal for the next few days...) and blizzards have been common. To me, it seems like climate change is taking a pass on Churchill this winter but it has also occured to me that maybe all these blizzards could be a sign of climate change. If there is more moisture in the air overall, that would explain the massive amounts of snow we have received this year (when I say massive, remember Churchill is a semi-arid climate so massive is not that much compared to most other places).

Of course, nature holds her cards close and we likely won't figure out what is really going on today for another 25 years (just like the CIA... hmmm, I smell a conspiracy). In the mean time, I will keep reading the The Weather Makers by Tim Flannery - its a pretty good book about human-induced climate change.

For those of you who think the United States Government is responsible for climate change, here's a good website on the H.A.A.R.P. Project (scroll down to the HAARP controversy section - there are fewer big words).

Maybe we could start a pool - US Government Conspiracy vs. Greenhouse Gases vs. Natural Systems - if we all wager $10 today think of how much interest will accrue before the results are announced on this website in 25 years.

Polar Bear Blog - Goodbye Mountains, Hello Blizzard - March 12th, 2007

Back from Chile/Argentina, just in time for another blizzard - which is not really surprising, I think we are getting into double digit snowstorms this winter.

Patagonia was very nice - although surprisingly similar to Canada. Driving south from Bariloche, Argentina (which is a lot like Canmore or Banff) was like driving south to Nelson, BC - even with a hippy/draft dodger town along the way - El Bolson (it is a nuclear free zone).

Ulaa Lodge was an hour boat ride along the Lago Puelo with two stops at border crossings. The final stop included a hike up the side of a mountain to check-in with the carabineros (police).

The highlight of the trip was a horseback ride into past the neighbouring community of Segundo Corral (13 houses) to Las Horquetas Valley. There are no roads and few services in this part of Chile. The government is building a road but luckily for us, it was still 40km away. For now, you can still ride your horse up to the local bar for a 'cervesa' (provided the 'bartender' is around and that there is enough 'cervesas' to share with tourists).

Riding into Las Horquetas Valley feels like riding through the foothills of the Rockies... 100 years ago. It is a mountain valley speckled with family farms, a spider's web of weathered fences and unlocked gates vaguely separating horses, sheep and cows.

We spent the night at Ricardo and Norma's farm, a family who has lived in the valley for almost forty years. Each day, Norma milks cows by hand and Ricardo rounds up the sheep and cattle on a beautiful buckskin horse. As we drank Yerba Matte (Chilean tea) and chatted by the woodstove, I felt like I was visiting my grandparents parents - except, of course, we were trying to speak Spanish instead of Icelandic.

Polar Bear Blog - Speaking of Warming Climates - February 26th, 2007

I finally took the plunge and tore apart my bathroom to build a shower. Yes, that distant and ethereal dream of showering at home is one step closer! The walls are built and the water tank/pump/heater is just waiting to be hooked up.

So, naturally, now that I am in middle of waterworkings and in the middle of bookwritings, what better time to head to Chile. Yes, tonite we fly out of Churchill, bound first for Toronto then Bariloche and then a three hour trip by bus and boat to Ulaa Lodge in the midst of Chilean Patagonia.

As part of the Hudson Bay Post, we try to visit the occasional remote eco-lodge - a little bit to contrast life in Churchill to life in other parts of the edge of nowhere and a little bit to, well, travel! The upside of owning your own newspaper is that you can send yourself on travel assignments. The flipside, of course, is that you also have to assign yourself to keep track of bills and paperwork.

Ulaa Patagonia is a remote ecolodge along Lago Puelo Inferior. The word 'Puelo' means 'end of the road' in the landguage of the Mapuches, the original people of this area. 'End of the road' sounds good to me.

An anonymous model winds down from a hectic day of spa treatments and organic food at Ulaa Patagonia Eco-Lodge.

Relaxing amidst the geraniums, Carmen enjoys the view of majestic white spruce across our as yet unnamed lake at Camp Nanuq (although Crantini Lake and Dog Lake have been used on occasion).

Polar Bear Blog - Polar Bears and a Warming Climate - February 22nd, 2007

It is a beautiful day in Churchill, cold (-31C) and clear. A blue cloud hugs the northern horizon, indicating open water somewhere out on the bay. A good day to be a polar bear.

We are just starting to head into the polar bear's peak hunting season. Churchill and Hudson Bay are gradually breaking out of mid-winter's pattern of north winds, blizzards and extreme cold and moving into a bit more moderate days (we call -30C with no wind 'moderate' up here... bear with me on this one).

Any day now polar bear mothers and cubs will start emerging from their maternity dens and heading out to the ice to search for seals and seal pups. Ringed seals, the polar bear's main diet, will be giving birth on the ice soon, signalling the start of 'prime hunting' for Churchill's polar bears.

Since pregnant polar bears would have entered their birthing dens last September, these polar bears have not eaten since mid-July. Hungry and energetically stressed from producing milk for their cubs, they are pretty intent on finding food. Once out of the den, they wait only long enough for the cubs to acclimatize to the outside world. Then the polar bear family makes a beeline northeast to Hudson Bay, stopping only to nurse or to rest the little ones - although mother bears have been known to pickup their cubs and continue the journey with them on her back.

Wat'Chee Lodge, a polar bear viewing operation on the edge of Wapusk National Park, heads out tonight with their first tourists for three or four weeks of mother and cubs viewing. The short-term forecast looks pretty good (high of -20ish, low of -30) and if that holds it should be a decent year for initial cub survival.

Speaking of polar bear survival, a friend of mine sent me one of the latest works of polar bear research. It is an update entitled 'Polar Bears and a Warming Climate' and is written by three of Canada's top polar bear researchers, Andrew Desrocher, Ian Stirling and Nick Lunn. It is about the best outline of what is going to happen to polar bear populations if the planet continues to warm as scientific models suggest.

Here is the link to read 'Polar Bears and a Warming Climate' for yourself.

Polar Bear Blog - Road to Manitoba - February 21st, 2007

So, there will be a road between Manitoba and Nunavut... someday. On Tuesday, there was a presentation in Churchill outlining the recommended route between Manitoba's Highway 6 (Thompson) and Rankin Inlet, Nunavut. The proposed road would connect the existing road from Thompson to Gillam, Manitoba to a new road running NNW from Gillam, running along beach ridges parallel to Wapusk National Park. Once this route meets the Churchill River (180 kilometres north), a spur will branch off to Churchill while the main road continues along 'the Great Beach' and a series of gravel ridges north to Rankin.

This is a big task, costing an estimated $1.1 million per kilometre of road, ending up with at least a $1.2 billion tab. The road itself would likely start as a winter road in some places and evolve into a two-lane gravel road (26' wide). They plan to build it high enough that it should stay windswept and clear for much of the winter.

If all goes well, construction could start in five years. Of course, that usually means that construction will start in about ten. However, if two or three mines are deemed viable along this route and if Manitoba Hydro is asked to extend their line and sell power to Nunavut, that could speed up the process. What is significant is that the road to Nunavut (or to Manitoba, depending on who you talk to) is now a 'when' instead of an 'if'.

All I know is that this is probably a good time to start looking into setting up a tire and windshield repair shop along the Churchill River.

Polar Bear Blog - Red Neck Deck Returns - February 19th, 2007

It is 6pm and some daylight is still hanging in there even if it is fading fast. The moon is a cheshire cat smile and a few wisps of cloud drape across the sky like a bad combover. A perfect day to spend my first sunset of 2007 on the deck.

It has been a cold winter with lots of blizzards - and probably more to come. A good winter to catch up on projects. Or at least start catching up on projects. Now that the paper is out, I have been taking a few days to start installing running water in the cabin. Of course, as soon as one project starts, a few others inevitably fall in line - streaming out of the woodwork like rats to my pied pipewrench.

Before you start a project, you need to plan. Being that men are visual creatures, however, this is a bit difficult to do - much easier to move stuff around, stand back and have a beer and then move it back where it was, have another one, scowl and then move it back again. Unfortunately, this procedure is a bit more difficult when dealing with a 5'x3' water tank, a 3' wide door and a 5.5'x5.5' water room with a composting toilet inside it already. (Needless to say, as soon as we got it placed in there, we realized it was a bad plan and pulled it out again to place it 5' away from where it was originally sitting)

But, we did it and are still talking to each other. I have discovered the art of silence: when I feel like snapping at Carmen because women don't understand male 'renovation body language' - for example, saying 'okay' and a circular head motion means move the tank counterclockwise, twist it at a 35 degree angle until we are 3/4 of the way thru the door and then lift'... I mean how can you not understand that - anyway, I just stare at the ceiling for a bit - it works.

Now, once the tank is in place what is the natural next step - mortar limestone around the woodstove! I have been meaning to do this for three years now, what better time than in the middle of another project... Male mulitasking - start something, get it to the point of no return, move on to something else.

Naturally by this point, the original project had morphed from moving a water tank and hooking up running water to tearing down a wall in the bathroom, building a shower, adding another light in the backroom, moving a heater, tiling the bathroom and finally painting.

Oh did I mention that our composting toilet froze up in the middle of this all... and that I am supposed to be writing a book instead of renovating a cabin?

And that is why it was a good day to sit on the redneck deck for a bit.

Polar Bear Blog - Read All About It - February 15th, 2007

The winter edition of the Hudson Bay Post is out and about - in Winnipeg anyway, it is still in transit to Churchill. Churchill's monthly newspaper published occasionally is chock full of not-necessarily-true-stories about not-so-late-breaking news but the cover looks cool!

The web-version is available here in pdf form (you need Adobe Reader to view - most computers have it though so just try clicking on the links below)

Hudson Bay Quest
Arctic Bridge
Sweat Lodge
Ed & Ithaka
Caribou & Lichen
IAEP & Research
Whats up in Churchill

One of the stories in this month's Hudson Bay Post is about the Road to Nunavut and Churchill. The consultants will be holding an information session on February 20th updating their progress and discussing some route alternatives. Here is a link to the original presentation - it is pretty neat - there are a series of slides that cover everything from historic sites to river crossings. Looking at how how many river crossings there are between Churchill and Rankin Inlet, it might be a while before we are going for Sunday drives to Nunavut. Click here for the Road to Nunavut maps.