Does anyone know the name of the world’s fifth largest island — or where it is? Does anyone care?
At the airport in Canada’s capital of Ottawa on a hot summer day, a man in shorts looked at my parka and sturdy boots and said, “You’re going where?”
But now that Baffin Island is part of Canada’s newest territory (Nunavut, carved out of the Northwest Territories in 1999), more adventure travelers are caring enough to experience nature at its purest in this pristine wilderness.
About five hours flying time from Chicago, plus a stopover or layover in Ottawa, this capital city (formerly known as Frobisher Bay) is located on Koojesse Inlet on the southern end of Baffin Island. It has a new parliament building, an international airport and is the regional center for the most spectacularly beautiful island you could ever hope to see.
Inhabited by the ancestors of today’s Inuit for thousands of years, 750-mile-long Baffin Island is now home to almost half of Nunavut’s population of 27,000. At 195,928 square miles (about the size of three Wisconsins), Baffin is not what you’d call crowded. These Nunavutmiut — as residents of Nunavut are known — live in nine communities, ranging from 400 residents in Kimmirut to 4,000 here in Iqaluit.
Summer can bring balmy weather and a riot of colorful alpine flowers as the permafrost melts a few inches. But this is, of course, the serious High Artic, because most of Baffin is above the Arctic Circle, all of it is above the timberline, and the permafrost is up to 300 feet deep. This means you can’t just rent a car and drive off over the tundra; travel is strictly by plane or boat. This also means virtually zero pollution on the whole island; you can breathe pure, clear air as nature intended.
Visiting Baffin Island is a total experience. You don’t just see it; you feel, taste, smell and dream it. And you listen to the silence. All over this timeless place, you can see the perfectly preserved archeological sites of the Inuits’ ancestors. At these Dorset and Thule camps — many 5,000 years old, with tent rings, meat caches and semi-subterranean winter houses — you’ll feel the reverence the Inuit have for the past, the land and for their ancestors.
On my several trips to Baffin Island, I’ve been to seven of those nine communities, and they’re all very diverse. The people often are physically quite different and speak in different dialects of Inuktitut. But what they have in common is the smile on every face, the unfailing friendliness toward visitors and the desire to show you their beloved homeland.
The most beautifully situated and most northerly of the communities is Pond Inlet, with its spectacular views across the water to the mountains of Bylot Island, a magnificently varied bird sanctuary. On my first trip to Baffin Island in the late 1980s, I had flown to Pond Inlet straight north from Iqaluit over the Penny Ice Cap. Totally unprepared for the magnitude of the dazzling hanging glaciers, inland lakes and rushing rivers, deep fiords and icebergs along the coast, I was hypnotized by the wonder of it all, and in awe of those icy mountain peaks on which no man had set foot, not even the British explorer, Sir Martin Penny, who first “discovered” the area.
Arriving at Pond, the first people I had seen were not Inuit, but a pair of Germans who had been sea kayaking in Eclipse Sound. Sitting in the tiny airport in the fog for two days waiting for a flight, they were cold, wet and tired. But I will never forget the look of ecstasy on their faces.
However, my favorite community has become Arctic Bay, Baffin’s westernmost community; its gentle rolling hills are great for hiking, and the starkly dramatic Red Cliffs of Admiralty Inlet are well worth a long day out on the cold water. If you look closely you might see a polar bear scrambling up the nearly vertical walls of rock, as I did. (A bear skin in front of the altar of the little Anglican chapel certainly lets you know they’re around.)
Arctic Bay’s claim to fame is a narrow 13-mile gravel road, the only road on Baffin Island or in all of Nunavut. It connects to Nanisivik, another of those nine communities but also — and primarily — a mine. The mine — an ecologically good one, bringing out lead, zinc and silver without visibly disturbing the land — is a delight to visit. Nanisivik is also the site of the annual Midnight Sun Marathon, which brings runners from all over North America (the race waswon a few years ago by a man from the Chicago area).
Pangnirtung, on the Cumberland Peninsula just below the Arctic Circle, is the gateway to Auyuittaq National Park, a superb example of an Arctic ecosystem. It has some of the most stunning scenery in the world and offers the ultimate in mountaineering and wilderness hiking. Pang — as it’s known for short — is also known as a premier printmaking center, and its works of native art are famous. It’s also the only place I know where you can visit a “blubber station,” a replica of the old whaling days.
In such a natural paradise, wildlife watching is one of the biggest attractions. It doesn’t necessarily appear on command just because you’re there, camera in hand. But the locals can tell you where to look for caribou, white fox, arctic hare, wolves, many species of birds, whales, seals, walrus, porpoises and narwals. You can’t count on seeing the elusive polar bear , but once we were kept from exploring very much of the community of Clyde River, midway on the east coast between the Arctic Circle and Pond Inlet, because a big bear was wandering through.
(The seventh community I have visited is Broughton Island, also on the east coast but south of Clyde River, which has good hunting but not much else for tourists. I have yet to visit Kimmirut or Cape Dorset, both on the southwest side of the island.)
The opportunities for outdoor activities on Baffin include canoeing, kayaking, trekking, climbing, tent camping and fishing in the summer. In the spring, there’s dog sledding, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and igloo camping. Forget winter; the sun disappears on most of the island, the temperature can be -50 with high winds, and air travel is iffy. (As for fall — there really isn’t one.)
Don’t think you can go it alone out on the land no matter how experienced you are; this is the real northern wilderness. Contact a guide or outfitter, in advance if possible; all are registered and licensed, speak reasonable English, are knowledgeable about the area and consider your safety as their top priority.
If the outdoor life in the Arctic is not for you and yet the North calls, check the Web for periodic low weekend airfares to Iqaluit. You can stay in town in comfortable accommodations, shop for Inuit art, observe a new government in the making, indulge in hearty northern food and walk on the tundra at the edge of town. If you’re lucky a caribou might come past and walk with you down the main street.
You also can people-watch in the restaurants and bars (Iqaluit is the only place in Nunavut where liquor is legal). You’ll see fascinating, rugged, weatherbeaten frontier types who are in the North for a reason — and are eager to tell you all about it. If names and spellings get confusing as you plan a trip to Baffin Island, remember that Nunavut is only a year old and the process of changing back to the original Inuktitut is a gradual one. There’s certainly no reason why the names of British explorers should identify sacred landmarks that were already named for thousands of years before the white man arrived; Martin Frobischer, William Baffin and the mutinous Robert Bylot are no heroes to the Inuit.
The big question is whether progress, development and tourism will ruin Baffin Island. So far its residents have TV, satellite phones and computers. But rest assured, the fragile ecosystem will never support expressways, malls or many of the other trappings of modern life.
Inuit hospitality is legendary. They will share their very souls with you; but they will not change their lifestyle to suit the tourist. They will try to convince you their way is the best, and indeed, you may never want to leave.
The Inuit don’t say goodbye, because it sounds too final. Instead, they say, “See you,” because they expect you’ll come back.
And perhaps — like me — you will.
IF YOU GO
GETTING THERE
Air Canada (888-247-2262; www.aircanada.ca) can book you from Chicago to Iqaluit via Ottawa for about $1,000 (all prices here in U.S. dollars) but watch the Web for low-cost specials (a friend once got a Labor Day weekend fare for a few hundred dollars). Total flying time is less than five hours, but at least on the northbound flight you probably will have to overnight in Ottawa.
GETTING AROUND
Prices for flights within Baffin Island vary tremendously but generally are not expensive; they often can be booked on the small commuter airlines once you get to Iqaluit. However, the best way to see Baffin is to pick one of the many tour packages that often include all flights.
LODGING
Iqaluit has three excellent hotels and several bed-and-breakfasts, all charging about $100 per person. The small hotels (5 to 12 rooms) in other communities run about $150 per person but include three copious meals; each community has only one hotel, so reserve in advance — and be prepared to double up if necessary.
WHAT TO TAKE
A warm jacket is needed even in summer, but dress in layers because it can get quite warm. Good hiking boots, preferably waterproof, are a must. If you’re going for the snow in spring, your outfitter will provide heavy clothing. Take bug spray in June and sunblock in August.
EXCHANGING MONEY
Take your credit card and a little cash. Iqaluit has two banks and an ATM. With the low Canadian dollar, everything is a bargain, except film; bring your own.
INFORMATION
For the colorful free booklet The Arctic Traveller’s Nunavut Vacation Planner, call Nunavut Tourism at 800-491-7910, or visit their Web site at www.nunatour.nt.ca. The site contains information about arts and crafts and lists a number of festivals that are scheduled throughout the summer.
