Aug 12, evening

Though a good day, today is sadly the end of our stay in Churchill. We started the day early, vacating our rooms at the CNSC by 7:00am. After breakfast we sorted our gear and got going on a tour of the surrounding area guided by local naturalist Paul Ratson.

As we hiked around the two sites, Bird Cove and Polar Bear Alley, Paul talked about the history of the area and the various jobs he has worked in and around them. He showed us scrap left from old military exercises and told us stories about his time monitoring polar bear populations; we actually got to go and see one of the old polar bear snares they used to use for the monitoring!

Once lunch rolled around we picked up our gear from the CNSC and headed to town to do some exploring and shopping. We wandered around town and visited the Arctic Trading Post, Eskimo Museum, and Gypsy's Bakery where we got some delicious treats!

When we were finished in town we drove a little ways south to Goose Creek and so we could check out the local marina and try our hands at fishing. Nothing was caught but three of our number decided to go swimming in the Churchill River! Thankfully we had a fire going for when they came out.

For supper we got to visit Jill's cabin where we had a wonderful meal of caribou and goose meat. After supper we had a great time hanging out and playing games until it was time to go to the train station. Once there, we piled onto the train and pulled out of the station. For now, it's time to say goodbye to Churchill and the arctic. But we'll be back next year!

Jordan Bunka