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| A stark warning in Churchill's Airport |
With the closure of the rail line between Winnipeg and Churchill concern is rising for the future of the port city on Hudson Bay.
A series of wash outs over the winter have made the train track inoperable and getting to and from Churchill is now only possible by air. Shipped goods arrive by sea from Montreal, a long journey around Canada’s eastern coastline.
The future looks bleak as food prices rise, every day goods are harder to come by and fuel supplies diminish.
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| The Polar Bear Jail |
A glimpse of Churchill’s polar bear holding facility – aka the polar bear jail – brings home the harsh environment where polar bears often swagger into town in search of food.
Safety in polar bear country is emphasized as these animals are aggressive and not to be messed with.
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| Serious Bear Trap |
Errant bears are trapped humanely in large culvert shaped containers then transferred to the holding facility where they are tagged and shipped home. The tagging system has revealed many repeat offenders.
Following a short flight from Winnipeg on Calm Air, which was very calm and particularly friendly, we spent the morning touring Churchill and fast gaining an appreciation for life along Hudson Bay.
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| Our captain welcomes us on board |
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| Hudson Bay beyond the mud flats |
Later we boarded a Cessna Caravan for the one hour flight to the Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge located 250 kilometers south east of Churchill.
Our pilot looked like he’d just hit puberty but despite youth his skill and experience soon became evident as he manoeuvred the aircraft so that we could all start viewing the object of our journey, the mighty polar bear.
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| Reflection on the Tundra |
The view below us continued to change. Watery inlets zigzagged towards the horizon. Fall colours reflected in the water, providing a colourful backdrop to those fluffy white blobs below us. On the shoreline a beached beluga’s body was being systematically stripped by hungry bears, its body and tail a foreboding red colour. Other bears waited on the mud flats and we supposed there was a pecking order to things.
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| Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge |
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| Comfortable digs |
Our young pilot landed the aircraft skillfully on the rough dirt runway in front of the Nanuk Lodge and within an hour we were fitted out with boots and off on our first adventure after an orientation on bear safety.
We were a long way from civilization, but not from the creature comforts.
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| Andy our guide |
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| Its a little chilly up here |
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| One of the Lodge's indoor viewing areas |
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| ATVs and Rhinos take us out on the Tundra |
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| Waiting for a bear to open its eyes! |
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| Lovely fall colours |
The next four days were divided between long outings on ATVs or Rhinos, excellent food and wine and even a glimpse of the Northern Lights.
But it was the brush with nature that left us with a lasting impression.
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| Our fabulous team of guides take a break with our accomplished Chef |
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