Eagle Plains - Inuvik NWT

 August 24

EAGLE PLAINS - INUVIK

Italics - tour description. Strikeouts indicate it never happened!
Departing Eagle Plains, our first stop is at the Arctic Circle crossing, where we’ll enjoy a celebratory glass of champagne to commemorate this special occasion. After crossing a mountain range and two rivers (the Richardson’s and the Mackenzie and Peel Rivers), we’ll visit the First Nations community of Fort MacPherson. The famed Lost Patrol, found after they perished by RNWMP Corporal Dempster - for whom the highway is named - is laid to rest here. A former Hudson Bay trading post, some native elders still wander the village in Hudson Bay print dresses. Inuvik is a relatively young community with an ancient history. The Canadian government commissioned the building of the town in the 1950’s when it became apparent that the nearby traditional village of Aklavik, was slowly sinking into the delta. Inuvialuit people (Inuit, once referred to pejoratively as Eskimos) were also moved down from various points on the Arctic coast. Appropriately, the name Inuvik means Place of Man in the Inuvialuit language. We’ll take a short tour of the village on the way to hotel and you’ll have time to explore the town on foot in the evening. Accommodation: Inuvik

Thursday was sunny as we had breakfast, not "included" as Leo said. It is provided at a price, $20 for a fried egg and toast, bacon an extra $5!

We piled into the rusty tin can once again for a long day of driving.

Please note the clean white van.

BTW you keep meeting the same people. The car that is parked belonged to a man who was getting coffee in Dawson City the other morning with John. We would also meet them at the Arctic Circle sign and later in Inuvik.

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View from Eagle Plains parking lot.

The Arctic Circle is a parallel or line of latitude at approximately 66°33’ N that marks the border of the Arctic, the northernmost region of Earth. The geographic point at the centre of Arctic Circle is the North Pole.
It covers 40% of Canada’s territory and is home to more than 200,000 inhabitants, more than half of whom are Indigenous.

We celebrated with champagne and our certificates.

Gorgeous colours!

We were at the Artic Circle at 9:50 AM and got into the NWT (Northwest Territories) at 11:06 and the fog starts.

I am very grateful that Leo is a good driver.

Arctic Ocean 475 KM.

Remember the clean van? This is the back window now.

RAP Report a poacher!

We have two ferries today.

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Groceries are expensive this far north! Once again, we are picking up breakfast/lunch supplies.

A 4 pack of yogurt is $15!

In the shadow of St. Matthew’s Anglican Church in Fort McPherson lies the final resting place of the infamous Lost Patrol. 
It began on a lonely trail straddling the Yukon and Northwest Territories over a century ago. Inspector Francis Fitzgerald and his three constables departed on an 800-kilometre dogsled journey from Fort McPherson to Dawson City. They never arrived.

Their corpses were found by search parties that spring — as were their diaries, which told a ghastly tale of desperate meandering as the patrol became lost and their food ran out. Fitzgerald and his men eventually tried to retreat to the Northwest Territories, but their hunger won out. They died just 40 kilometres shy of Fort McPherson.

Another long 8 hour day, we get to the MacKenzie Hotel in Inuvik. Looks very nice, but the elevator doesn't work. 

And worse, dinner is only served until 7 and it is only take-out. Are we annoyed? Yes. Do they have a liquor license, no. We order dinner, the server says the liquor store is down the street so John takes A's request and heads out after dinner.

We understood that Leo said 9:30 departure time in the morning, as did the others, however, they tell us he changed it to 8:30. Someone calls him and he says he always said 8:30, whatever...