Over 54 days and 900km, Bob Saunders, Chris Shank, Sandy Briggs, and Susan Saunders travelled by (and with) kayaks from Taloyoak to Repulse Bay, Nunavut. This expedition across ice and water marked the completion of a larger self-propelled journey that spanned 6 summers, and Susan chronicled their adventure.
Susan, Bob and Chris pull their kayaks across the ice (Photo by Sandy Briggs)
“You gotta see this,” I called to Dad and Chris. From where I was standing, there was no water in view. Just ice. Huge, huge, chunks of blunder ice. Ice that was moving and grinding, and would eat you alive and mulch you up into a million pieces if you got too close.
We were on a break on an island near Clouston Points in Nunavut, and were well into our Agguanittuq Expedition. The first part of the expedition, from Taloyoak to Kugaaruk, was behind us. That section had been a mix of walking on ice (while pulling a kayak packed with 65 days of food and gear), waiting out storms, and some days of blissful paddling on calm waters. Lately, though, our days were like ultra-marathons – we woke up at the the mercy of the tides and ice, which seemed to be at 2am daily, and paddled until the ice blocked our progress.
Along our journey, we’d become intimate with ice. We learned by trial – or more aptly, error – what colours and textures of ice would and wouldn’t hold our weight. We watched the landscape change with the tides, opening and then closing into mazes of ice chunks the size of cars, sheds, and houses. When I looked out at the ice near Clouston Points, I knew we would not be going further into that.
Blunder ice off of Clouston Points (Photo by Bob Saunders)
Luckily, we were at a great place to make a portage. It would only be about 10km to make it across a peninsula into the mouth of Keith Bay, and we decided it was our only chance.
The portage was actually a nice change of scenery from paddling. The constant uncertainty of the ice had taken its toll on us, and we were emotionally exhausted from wondering how far we would make it each day. In the back of our minds, we worried if we would make it to Repulse Bay at all. To portage means to be in control of your progress, to be in control of how far you are able to go. We were once again calling the shots, and were dreaming, plotting, speculating, and hoping for better conditions on the other side.
Chris and Susan forget they are portaging on their way to Keith Bay (Photo by Bob Saunders)
As it turned out, it was more of the same on the other side (no blunder ice though, phew!). Waking up with the tides, paddling until we got blocked, day after day, getting closer and closer to the mouth of Committee Bay. Eventually we made it, and were portaging again. We were finally free from ice! We only had to cross the Rae Isthmus and complete a short paddle to Repulse Bay (a paddle we’d done on a previous trip) to complete the loop.
A nice stretch of open(ish) water nearing the south end of Committee Bay (Photo by Bob Saunders)
The portage consisted of navigating through a series of ponds and small lakes, crossing the drainage divide, and eventually making it to the North Pole lake and river that flows into Hudson Bay. Though relatively short, the river was swift with shallow boulder fields and sections of powerful white water. It wasn’t something to take lightly, especially so close to the finish. Our minds had to remain in the game.
Chris lining his boat up some fast water on the portage across the Rae Isthmus (Photo by Bob Saunders)
At a place where we couldn’t travel any further on the river, we began our final portage of the trip to Hudson Bay. Halfway through, we set up camp as the sun set and the moon rose, reminding us the arctic summer was ending. We knew we were within striking distance of Repulse Bay and could make it in one more push.
We woke up at 3am, planning to finish the portage in the morning and arrive in Repulse Bay in the early afternoon. Boy, were we mistaken. When we got to Hudson Bay, we saw ice in the distance. Soon, though, the ice closed in on the shore. Once again, we were navigating through a maze of ice, but we were’nt familiar with the tides on this side of the isthmus. The water dropped quickly, depositing large ice chunks on the shore.
Eventually we could see the lights of Repulse Bay across the mouth of the bay – but ice clogged the water like a plug. By now, it was nearly dusk and we could see no way through the ice. We were so close, yet so far. We’d been going since 3am, and we were tired, hungry, and cold. Defeated, we set up camp.
Looking across Repulse Bay at Repulse Bay with more ice impeding our way (Photo by Bob Saunders)
While setting up, I heard a motorboat. I was so excited (we hadn’t seen anyone since Kugaaruk) that I ran to the shore and waved them over. The hunters, in a big aluminum boat and with knowledge of the ice conditions, took a look across the bay and confidently proclaimed that they’d be able to navigate through that ice blockade.
We looked at each other, and then back at them. “Do you think we could follow you through?” They agreed. It was like the ice had been playing a trick on us until the last moment, and our heroes had arrived. We tossed some of our gear in their boat to save time packing our kayaks, and re-suited up.
On August 20, 2012, day 54, we were guided through the maze of ice to our final destination: Repulse Bay, Nunavut.
Agguanittuq trip route completed over 6 summers
In total, move than 9000 kilometers and 328 days of travel over 6 summers brought us to our final destination of Repulse Bay. We would like to extend a thank you to Sandy Briggs, Elisa Hart, Eric Binion, and Karl McEwan who joined us on portions of the trip, and helped make it possible. To Elisa, Linda, and Eric for loving and supporting their spouses during these trips. Thank you to MEC and RCGS for providing grants for this last leg of the journey.
Dreaming of the next big one…
MEC supported Susan Saunders, Bob Saunders, Chris Shank, and Sandy Briggs on this adventure through the MEC Expedition Support Program.
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