Whitehorse, Yukon (60°42'58"N, 135°3'13.5"W)

Welcome to Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada 

I live in the grey building (bottom left corner of this picture)        ---->>

After making a conscious decision to settle down near family and friends in Ontario, I find myself above the 60th parallel yet again. 

Leaving Nunavut was not an easy task - and so I made the decision to stop chasing amazing places far from family and create adventures in my own (previous) back yard and make it home again. 

And there you have it, I'm writing this next entry from Whitehorse, Yukon - capital of gold and lumberjacks and lady escorts, or so I'm told it was during the gold-rush era, maybe in 18th/19th century. However, based on my experiences in the last month, the town has increased in population to about 30,000 people (which is 95% of the entire population of the territory) and the city is oozing with music festivals, young crowds, and lumberjack wannabes. But, I kind of like it all :) 

It's a combination of big city feel with activities and festival around every corner. Everyone is tied to a bike or has a roof rack tide to their car, signifying the outdoorsy nature of young and old alike. (I feel sedentary just walking around town and not being decked out in MEC equipment on my way to work) The design industry - aka: home made goodness - can be found everywhere. Amazing logos, art, stickers, crafts, and gear for all types of folks. There are 4 breweries in town (and I'm told there's a 5th on the way), restaurants, chains, and of course... roads. 

Roads help to get around and out of town. My first week in town, 3 folks (2 previously and 1 currently) living in Nunavut decided to head down to Skagway, Alaska when Whitehorse lost power in their first snowfall. Why stay inside when you can be driving on a two-way road with epic mountain views and slippery roads along the way. The cruise-ship season was dead, which meant we had the entire town to ourselves - literally. It was a Sunday, and we were it. 

This was also the same weekend that Breakout West music festival happened - and with an NU friend around town - I had a full on 4 days of amazing music. 

The next 2-3 weeks continued to be filled by music and spoken word cafes, and more music. I have not attended this many music events since my high school days - which sparked my memory - and made me draw a simple conclusion: Whitehorse is very similar to Guelph - minus the stunning mountains. It feels like home because I grew up with very similar activities around, and now I was re-living some of my high school days. 

Exception to the rule (which is that WH resembles Guelph) however, are a few activities which are very different and unique to this place: 

1. Ultimate pick-up is 2 full hours, and entails a 1 hour drills session - this makes my heart swell because I have not done drills since my SA and Aus days - and therefore, I am happy to attend these - though I don't always take full part in them because I am so very unfit.  But, I am trying :) 

2. Water polo - as in Whitehorse style  - kayak water polo to be exact! 

I mean, why play actual polo in a regular sized pool when you can jam in a bunch of kayaks and play contact polo. I watched but have yet to try.  I think I'm getting old for some activities. I will have to give it more time and practice before I warm up to this madness - which looks extremely fun from the side lines, I might add. 

3. Cross country ski in the most magical places - mountain peaks everywhere - tree covered in fluffy snow, I sometimes imagine if Narnia would have resembled this place. While my experience with x-country ski is mostly in Nunavut, and that 1 time in Guelph when I broke my friends skis (which I think were from the 80s but I still felt bad about this) - the ski trails are nicely groomed here - which isn't unique in the south, but for me, the exception is that I can no longer snowplow my way to safety while going down hill!!! I actually need to learn how to weight transfer and/or step out from the tracks and plow my way down. This is yet another area I need to improve so I can fit in and not be the exception who ruins the amazingly groomed trails :) 

My very first hike was with a group of awesome francophone folks on the Auriol trail (15 km) in Kluane National Park but we managed to make it 15.5 kms as we circumnavigated around a large bull moose. We were all bear ready - spray, loud noise - but when a moose stood still on 'our trail' I got a tad nervous. Some of us suggested to head back at the 8.5km mark - but knowing me, I can only go forward and so forward we went, but up hill first. Next to us were hills covered in small shrubs - which if you climb hard enough - allows for you to break to the top. But you must persist when climbing, as the shrubs kick-back in a way as if they want you to keep out :D 

Once on top of the hill, we not only got the best view of the mountain range in town, but we could get a birds eye view of the moose who refused to move. Just laid down next to 'our trail' and refused to pass. After a 700m detour, we decided it was safe to head down onto the trail again, but first - we must fight through the shrubs again! A large machete would have been the best tool in this instance. But we still had bear spray. No spot device might I add, nor gun. (It seems that indigenous teachings on how to be safe on the land is not practiced here - yet I see more wild life on my front street - red foxes and ...bears in town) - I'm learning still! But I'm definitely remaining the most conservative when going hiking with folks - I will always circumnavigate if I can :D 

Now, I'm just waiting for snow to arrive and get skiing! 

Also, desperately looking to buy a car just so I can play ultimate at lunchtime and weekends - #firstworldproblems 

Cheers 

R :) 

Life in Nunavut: A weekend in Nuuk, Greenland

Taste of Nuuk 2016 

Flight to Nuuk was a short 1 hour and 50 min flight from Iqauit. The sky was sunny and landing on the tarmac was beautiful. As we flew in, Nuuk was straight ahead and for landing we took a left-hand turn. This allowed for a lovely city tour from above. The city's population is just over 17, 600 (2017).

 

I took a taxi to the visitor center near the National Museum however, they were relocated. So, I decided to walk to the next visitor center called Tupilak and see what adventures could be booked on Day 1.


Tupilak visitor center 
At the visitor center I learned about the 4-day ferry ride up the coast to Ilulissat. Once there, you can go kayaking in Disko Bay. However, that meant I would have to run to catch the ferry right away and make sure that there are no delays on Tuesday to reach my charter flight back to Iqaluit. Too close for comfort. Plus, I wanted to discover Nuuk and the surrounding areas instead.

Therefore, I opted to stay close to the city and take two separate day trips by boat.

Saturday's boat ride took us to Kangeq and Island of Hope. Here is a map of Kangeq and the fjord near by.

 Sunday's boat ride was through the Qoornoq passage towards the Kangersuneq/ Icefiord. We stopped on the way to walk through the village of Qoornoq. A settlement which is no longer inhabitted, but our tour guide stated that families who owned houses or land here are slowly moving back to these abandoned locations. In 1960s, many of these villages were cut off from necessary supplies, including electricity, in order to force the inhabitants to the mainland which is now the city of Nuuk. However, slowly there is a transition back to these villages for summer holiday homes. Services are still not set up therefore, it is like being 'out on the land'. 

 

Friday and Monday were my days spent discovering Nuuk and all the amazing activities it has to offer. Since the flight is very short, we had time Friday to walk around and visit all the museums and art centers. Even Monday night was long enough to attend a theater performance in the industrial district at the National Theater of Greenland.

The library is central and offers free wifi :)

 

Places to eat were many: 
Tuaq serves country food, located in the Katuaq Cultural Center. It is a beautiful building which had an art exhibit when I was there.

Restaurant Charoen Porn had great Thai but I ate mostly sushi and sashimi.

Hotel Hans Edge had fancy drinks and a club vibe.

IGGU is a pizza joint but very popular with the local young crowd.

Cafe Toqqorfik is another lovely place and close to the Sedna and Hans statue, including the many colourful houses. The cafe is across from the National Museum where mummified babies are on display. I believe these were from the time when the Qilakitsoq were migrating from Alaska to Greenland and met with the Vikings on the way. Thule culture is fascinating and very interesting to learn about at the museum.

The harbours offer many old fashioned fish and chips places. Highly recommended by me :)

Nuuk shopping mall had a location outside where the fishermen sold their catch and the local ladies sold their craft. I spent a few dollars there buying local goods. I think this was directly across from the Hans Hotel. Just around the corner to this place was the Salvation Army where I bought a few clothing pieces as souvenir from Greenland. Second-hand shopping is my favourite thing after adventures.