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THE SETTING

High Arctic Lodge Base Camp is 86 miles northwest of Cambridge Bay.  As you fly there, you cross innumerable rivers and lakes, with most lakes and ocean bays having ice remaining on the water.  Herds of musk oxen run from the sounds of the plane and even form their famous “phalanx” (circle with all oxen facing with horns to the outer perimeter with the young in the center).  Also, on the lakes are vast numbers of water fowl – Canadian geese; loons, Tundra swans and many more.

Once you land on Merkeley Lake, the aircraft taxis to the dock.  Dawn then gets everyone settled into their respective cabins, each with an oil stove heater to keep the Arctic chill in check.  While the facilities are somewhat primitive (no ensuite but instead outhouses & one shower house), they are quite comfortable, especially considering you’re in one of the most remote locations imaginable.  Dawn and her staff do a great job in making you feel cozy and at home.  The main camp building is where delicious meals are served and guests can socialize with others, both guests and staff.  We enjoyed spending time with two old fishing buddies (age 70+) who each were on their seventh trip to the Lodge.  A generator provides limited electricity to the camp.

When you head north for the outlying camps, you go even further into the bush.  North Camp hosts four guests and two guides.  The guides live in the combination kitchen/bunk house while the guests sleep in tented accommodations.  These tents have wooden floors and oil heaters so they are amazingly comfortable.  The Hadley Bay Camp is a similar set-up with a nice bonus being a flowing river right in front of the camp.

At all locations, it’s amazing to see the sun lower in the sky but never set.  You can get up during the night and everything is still bathed in light.  It can be a real plus for wildlife watching since animals can wander into camp anytime.  It’s not unusual to see evidence of caribou or musk oxen using the same trails we do to access the camp.  At High Arctic, you have to keep your camera handy at all times since fishing isn’t the only time when you get some great shots!

Speaking of great shots, we had the opportunity to fly north over the frozen Arctic Ocean in search of polar bear on the morning we left Hadley Bay to return to Base Camp.  We went as far as 10 minutes north of the 72^nd parallel.  We didn’t see the elusive bear, but we did see many fur seals and bearded seals, the latter being so big as to look like walruses from the airplane.  It was great!

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