Bad weather forces an Easter rest for Nunavut Quest

Nunavut Quest’s mushers, support crew and officials met at 9 a.m. Easter Monday to decide whether to race that day.

These decisions are often taken to a vote by the mushers. Support teams and officials will simply follow their lead.

Mushers decide Monday morning to halt travel due to bad weather conditions along the Nunavut Quest route. They plan to resume the race Tuesday. (Photo by Shanshan Tian, special to Nunatsiaq News)

The weather was less whiteout than Sunday’s conditions. However, according to the weather forecast, it was supposed to get much worse throughout the day, only to ease up late in the evening.

Elder Niaqutiaq David Irngaut and Quvaqtaa Charlie Inuarak shared their knowledge on the land and sea ice in the area. There is a narrow channel to cross and a polynya nearby.

A polynya is an area that never freezes throughout the year due to the movement of water currents. This can be very dangerous for travel, especially for those who do not know the area well.

As the day progressed, high winds and low visibility took over the camp, proving it was the right decision to stay put for the day.

Although unplanned, the racers rested over Easter Sunday and Monday.

Typically, there are games organized by the hamlet over Easter weekend, marking an exciting holiday in early spring. Lee Inuarak (#6) and Elizabeth Inuarak from Pond Inlet hosted games for everyone at camp on Sunday evening.

The dice games, running races, throwing games and dog team whip games offered a chance to win prizes. Everyone at camp gathered around and shared in the collective joy of being together on the land.

The race is set to resume Tuesday with only one more camp left before arriving at Igloolik. After two rest days in a row, the dog teams will surely have plenty of energy for the remaining two days of the Nunavut Quest.

The dogsled race from Pond Inlet to Igloolik started April 15 and was expected to take about a week to complete, depending on the weather.

Mushers and support crew camp Monday because of bad weather along the Nunavut Quest route between Pond Inlet and Igloolik. (Photo by Shanshan Tian, special to Nunatsiaq News)