Because of the time-difference I have woken up early. I'm sitting in my room, writing up my diary, waiting to see what happens. Until then, I shall write some words about where I am, and why I am here.
In Alaska, if you travel east to 141 longitude, you come to the border, a perfectly straight line separating the USA from Canada; crossing this line takes you into the Yukon province. This is the area where you will find Dawson City, the Klondike River and many other historical places from the gold-rush era. Continuing east, you will reach another huge part of the country, which takes up almost all of the north-west area. Canadians - with impeccable logic, and a burst of creativity -
have named it The North Western Territories. It is usually abbreviated to NWT, so from now on I shall use that simplified term.
It is a gigantic land.
Its 533,000 sq.mi. is almost the size of Alaska, but, in contrast, the population is only 41,000. If you enjoy solitude, you will certainly be happy here. The NWT were originally more than twice this size; in 1999, after negotiations, the indigenous Inuit carved out a section and founded the independant Nunavut Province, which, at a staggering 772,200 sq.mi. is more than twenty times the size of Hungary!
To the west the NWT border on the Yukon Province, and to the east, Nunavut; to the south are Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, while the northern part ends on the shores of the Arctic Ocean.
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Its flag is particularly beautiful.
The blue stripes on the left and right symbolize natural waters, while the white represents snow and ice. In the center is the province's coat-of-arms, in use since 1956. This shows a wavy blue line, symbolizing one of the greatest geographical discoveries: the North-West Passage. The red is for the tundra, the yellow for the natural resources and the arctic fox for the fauna.
The greater part of the NWT is the constantly frozen permafrost, which is mainly tundra, though in recent years the tree-line has moved 6 mi. north; according to scientists, as I have said before, this is due to global warming. One of the most exciting parts of the NWT is the much-dreaded McKenzie Basin, perhaps the coldest spot on the North American continent: -76 F in January is not an unusual temperature here. It might be a useful training-ground for me before the planned Antarctic (or will it be Arctic?) expedition.
I should be embarrassed to admit it in front of any fans of Canada, but for me, Alaska has always been No.1. Completely by accident, in a fit of madness, I happened to click on to the hunting possibilities in Canada, on the Cabela’s website. I saw that there I would even be able to hunt musk ox, though, of course, it would involve leaving the US. Frank Cole, the ingenious main organizer of my trip, assured me that flying here and there between the two countries would not add significant difficulties, or unnecessary risks, to my plans; on the contrary, he thought it would make my trip complete. I didn't hesitate, and asked him at once to include a musk ox into the plan; in fact, to make it two. And as I would be there anyway, I could fit in two more caribou hunts: you can never have too many deer hunts.
With Boyd's letter was a hunting permit, in which it said that it must be carried on me at all times.
Also included in the letter was one of the now-familiar aluminum tags, to be fastened to my caribou. I don't understand; I asked for permits for two, but I only have one tag; we'll have to sort it out.
Yellowknife has proudly born the title of capital of the NWT since 1968. This town of 173,000 lies on the shores of Great Slave Lake, and from here it is a drive of only a couple of hundred miles to the Arctic Circle. It fulfills the same function as Fairbanks in Alaska; it is the start of all hunting and exploratory expeditions into the northern wildernesses. Any further north from here you would not be able to find runways suitable for large passenger-planes. It is a center for trade and distribution, and most companies organizing hunts in the NWT have their headquarters here. It is a perfect place from which to see the Northern Lights, particularly on winter's nights.
In 1935, in Yellowknife harbour - who'd have guessed it? - gold was found.
It seems that in the hierarchy of northern settlements, those that do not possess this rare yellow metal are placed firmly at the bottom. They might have grizzlies by the thousand, innumerable
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places of natural beauty and be of great historical significance, but if they don't have gold, then they're not part of the elite. Their inhabitants walk around in a constant state of shame, with downcast eyes; and at national assemblies their mayors are given the lowest seats. For a small town not to have gold is a disaster - its residents will suffer a never-ending sense of inferiority. I wouldn't be at all surprised if some gold-less villages take surreptitious steps to ensure that some is finally found in their soil.
Despite its sinister name, Great Slave Lake has a rather peaceful history. The somewhat unfriendly name is based on a misunderstanding. It comes from the local Slavey Indians, who were previously referred to as Slave. Unsurprisingly, they decided to change their name to Slavey, but the lake will bear that name forever, along with its mistaken association with slavery.
With a depth of 1842 ft. it is the deepest lake in North America, and its surface area of 11,000
sq.mi. is almost 1/3 of the size of Hungary. That's big enough to take quite a cruise. And several thousand people have already done so; during the gold-rush many routes led from the eastern regions, over the lake, to the gold fields of Dawson.
I'm off to find my breakfast.
Room 305
Chateau Nova Hotel
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