Gallivanting and Gathering in the Great North

Jul 5, 2016

4 min read

Friday , the night of the 24th we were off for the greatest adventure of the summer to date. Lily and I loaded up into Nevada and Jeff's car, stopped in High Level to pick up the other fellow, Brenda, and some pizza and we were off to the Great North. The drive was spent chatting, rocking out and admiring the scenic drive. We made a couple of stops on the way, including at Indian cabins and Alexandra falls. The three and a half hour drive from High Level flew by. When we finally reached Hay River it was nearly midnight, however it was anything but dark. In Boyer the sun sets for only a couple of hours, but in Hay River the suns light is always present, the sun itself never being far away from the horizon. The night, despite the sun was cold but I had thankfully packed enough layers to keep warm within our small three person tent where Lily, Brenda and I slept. Before bed we had stayed up until 2:30am, during which were introduced to Andrew Stanley, set up, strolled along the Great Slave lake and relaxed around the camp fire.

The next morning Jeff and I were up early. The only thing in the way for drink or food we had brought other then water was instant coffee, we made that on the fire and I read my book while Jeff went for a stroll. Once the others were awake we went in to the wharf in town from our campsite for a breakfast of fish straight off the boat and cupcakes. The wharf was teeming with activity, there were booths of yarn, crafts, medicines, food. It was full of energy, the longest line was for the fish. After our brunch we took a walk around the wharf and then visited the museum of Hay river. We were guided through the displays of the lives that were in this beautiful northern town. The blast from the past was interesting and arresting, my favorite part of the display being the section of old books, some from as early as the 1700's. I could have spent the rest of the day reading through the old books and admiring the feel of their pages and the comforting smell of old paper and ink. But, we had a pig roast to attend! The pig roast was the event for which we had come to Hay River. It was set up on the beach of the Great Slave Lake. The pig had been roasting on a spit all day and was the most delicious bit of meat I have had in a long time. Along with a dance floor, band and bonfire, the night proceeded in happy bliss, new friends were made as well as old bonds were strengthened. I got to see the sun move across the lake, just under the horizon still casting much of its light. It was all in all a wonderful night.

The last day of our Northwest Territories adventure was just as exciting as the others. We got packed up and going, we stopped for a meal and at a beautiful arts store in enterprise. On our way back we stopped to fish and got caught in the rain. The rain did not deter us however, the fish we were after had already eaten four of our hooks and we were determined to catch him. Catch him Jeff did. Now we needed somewhere to eat our fish, which is where Andrew Stanley, who had showed us the fishing spot, really came in. Andrew Stanley is a trapper who lives on his own with his dog Charlie in a cabin accessible only by foot or quad. He is full of knowledge and experience and is a fascinating man, he has had a reality TV show made about him and keeps a YouTube channel to share his knowledge called the Wild North. Through his connection with Jeff we were able to meet Andrew and even be brought to his cabin after a .8 of a mile walk through muskeg and dense brush. At his cabin we cooked up the fish as well as he shared some of his moose meat and tea with us. It was an incomparable experience that will undoubtedly stay with me for life. Because of this amazing detour we did not arrive home until 2 am.

The rest of the week was spent resting up and recovering from the still lingering sickness. We did another grave site visit with the same two community members as well as a representative from Culture Alberta. The rest of the work week in terms of actual work at the office went by somewhat slowly. We continue to prepare for Treaty Land Entitlement meetings which will be occurring the 11-13 of July but otherwise most of our work is ad hoc and includes assisting Nevada with whatever she is doing that day. This Friday being Canada day the week is a short one. I will leave the long weekend for the next post. Until then.

If you are interested in learning more about Andrew Stanley, please visit his YouTube page : https://www.youtube.com/user/TheWildNorth