Igloo church, Inuvik
Walk around Boot Lake, Inuvik
After limited sleep and no shower or breakfast we jumped in the bus and headed off leaving the trailer behind at the campsite with much of our gear locked inside. The Dawson City airport was unexpectedly modern and after checking in we were soon boarding a Hawker Siddeley 748 aeroplane and heading north through cloud and rain. We stopped for half an hour at Old Crow and then flew for another hour to our destination of Inuvik in the Canadian province of Northwest Territories. We are now well and truly inside the Arctic Circle at a latitude of 68o 21’ 17”. We were met by a local travel guide who loaded us onto a bus and took us to the Nova Hotel which was delightfully equipped with proper beds, showers and a private flushing toilet! The remainder of the day was spent wandering around Inuvik in cloudy conditions but no rain. After going to the visitors’ centre for tourist guidance we did a walk around the nearby Boot Lake and then ventured into the central township which is the main street just past the only set of traffic lights. Later in the evening we all headed back to the MacKenzie Hotel for a classy evening meal. It seems like ‘rags to riches’ in the last 24 hours. We have tomorrow pretty much as a free day but at 5.00 pm we’re flying up to the Beaufort Sea for a five hour Arctic Sea expedition.