A Day with the Dogs at Wapusk Dogsledding Adventure

During our time in Churchill, dogsledding is always a highlight of the week. This year we visited Wapusk Adventures with Dave Daley. Dave gave us a fascinating overview of what it means to be a dog musher and keep a dogsledding business in operation.

Dave has 39 dogs in his dogyard. There are also some very energetic puppies near the door to greet us and entertain us. Dave loves his dogs, and they clearly love and respect him. In fact the dogs we met seemed to love everyone!

Once it was time for the dogsled runs, the dogs began to go crazy. "Pick me, pick me!" they barked. There is no question that this translation is 100%accurate. Brian signed us up to be on the first sled so we could experience the full release of doggie power. It was a fast run!! By the time the dogs have done the ride a bunch of times, they are still fast but at a much more relaxed pace. As volunteers we had always gone last, and certainly savored every moment of the day's last ride. Now we know what it's like at the start of the day.

These dogs are true doggy athletes. Many have run in major races including the Iditarod. At Dave's place visitors do the Ididamile, and I have a snazzy certificate to prove I did it. In the photo above, you see a racing sled parked outside of the two outhouses. (there is a bird feeder attached to one of them and antlers to the other) And speaking of birds, we all had fun feeding the gray jays or whiskey jays from our hands or the tops of our hats.

There is a local race up here between Churchill and Gillam called the Hudson Bay Quest. The race is 220 miles long, and it is a very challenging course. If you'd like to read a little more about this race, follow this link. http://www.hbqrace.com/about-hbq/
Twice we have gotten to see the start of the race, but not this year. Here is a quote I loved from the link above.

 "It is a traditional race built on the history of the fur trade, the Hudson’s Bay Company and the early days of Churchill, Manitoba. It harkens back to a time when ‘There ain’t no law of God nor man goes north of 53°’ was a common saying."

Boreal Beauty at CNSC

At CNSC, we sit on the edge of the boreal forest. Borealis is the Latin word for "of the north", so it is a fitting description. Today we sit inside as there is a snowstorm outside. My fellow traveler tells me that he is just watching the trees disappear and then reappear as he gazes out at the landscape I love so much.

Two days ago we all traveled out to visit the boreal forest. We climbed into komatiks (box-like sleds pulled behind snowmobiles) for a short ride into the forest. I am always astounded by the beauty and the quiet once we arrive.

Entering the forest

Staff from CNSC gave a demonstration of snow sampling to demonstrate the data collection techniques for studying the snowpack. Photo courtesy of Chris Haller

There was also a quinzhee which had been built perhaps a week earlier. A quinzhee is a temporary shelter that is created from a pile of snow with a  hollowed out area. Notice the sticks in the top. They are inserted 6" into the pile so that as you hollow it out, you will know to leave it a thickness of 6".

This is a good time to look for animal tracks. This year I found two bunnies out for a walk- snowshoe hair? Some folks tried out snowshoes which are a necessity if you walk off the snowpacked trail. While the wind blows the snow from open areas, the opposite happens in the forest. The trees trap the snow, and it can be very deep- deceivingly deep.

Many of us walked back along the snowmobile trail until we came out onto Launch Road. We followed this across the lake  and through through the old rocket range. That will perhaps be another post, as we had a fascinating tour yesterday morning.

I snagged a ride home on the last leg of the walk, and had a komatik all to myself. Felt like a snow queen!

Warm welcomes in Winnipeg and Churchill, Manitoba

As seen from our elevator ride to the top of Prairie 360

Warm welcome at the Winnipeg Airport

This year our journey to Churchill has been shared with our good friends Chris and Dick Haller from Holland, MA. We arrived in Winnipeg on February 11th, even though this post says February 20th. We spent several days in Winnipeg at The Hotel Fort Garry, our favorite spot for both its old world elegance and its close location to the train station. Actually it was one of the grand old railroad hotels. Hotel Fort Garry is also located very close to The Forks, a national historic site where the Assiniboine River and the Red River converge. It has been a meeting place throughout history. I found this lovely poem on a bench outside The Forks Marketplace.

   I am always impressed by how much Canadians embrace winter sports. There are long stretches of the river for skating and hockey, and this year a new entertainment called Crokicurl made its debut. I believe it originated from a board game. I know that must sound crazy, so I hope it's right. Below you see a photo of the Crokicurl court and you can also see Chris and Dick skating along the river. Those trees along the river are recycled Christmas trees (pretty sure).

Brian is playing with some folks he met at The Forks

We also took in a play called The Flats, which is set in Churchill in the area of town along the river called The Flats. It was sort of a murder mystery, and quite entertaining. Brian's favorite quote was, "Either you were born here, or you have a reason." That made us chuckle, but in all seriousness we love the people in the community of Churchill. I do enjoy hearing the personal stories of resident Churchillians. Not sure that is a correct term.

We ate a lot of food in Winnipeg, with one location being Prairie 360. This is a revolving restaurant, and one of the views is of the train station and the Human Rights Museum.

Dinner with friends at Prairie 360

Finally, the day came to board the train to Churchill. We discovered that this year there was going to be a dome/lounge car. We were very excited. Also, there was real food this year, so the ride was much easier. Here is the train in Thompson, Manitoba. I believe there are almost 300 miles to go. We are almost there!

Last car on the train- Dome and lounge! Yey!

After our 44 hour trip, we arrived at 8:30am in Churchill on February 16th. We were greeted by so many friends during our arrival at CNSC. Here is a photo of the Churchill Northern Studies Centre taken last year. I call this the "landscaped view". Not sure what magical location Brian found for this photo, as the front view is very open. On the front of the building is its mission, "To Understand and Sustain the North". That is exactly what happens here: education and research which lead to understanding, knowledge, and the ability to better sustain the north.

Churchill Northern Studies Centre- note the dome and the bear-proof side deck

Can't resist adding my favorite view. This year, I have the pleasure of seeing this when I look out our window.

Aurora Arrives! Welcome Back Dancing Lights!

Last night we were treated to a sky filled with swirling colorful lights. The evening started off with the aurora peeking out from a slightly cloudy sky in the northeast. It made for some dramatic photos- perhaps more dramatic than it looked in reality. A short while later, the sky had cleared and the lights were dancing around the sky in every direction.

The lights were welcomed with shouts of joy! We have had a cloud cover here since we arrived on Thursday, and this was particularly frustrating because we knew a bright aurora was hidden behind those clouds. We could see a green glow on the webcam at explore.org/live-cams/player/northern-lights-cam. The camera is right outside on the roof of the old building.

Roger Starman Woloshyn, our fearless leader/astronomer, had us primed with lectures on both the aurora and the stars. Turned out to be a perfect night to find all those constellations shining in the winter sky. Below is a photo of the southern sky where you can see Orion just below a band of aurora. I just noticed that part of Taurus the Bull is in the upper right corner. Look for a "V".  It wouldn't be long before the aurora would fill the southern landscape.

Think about that for a minute- the fact that the aurora is filling the SOUTHERN sky. Here in Churchill we stand right below the auroral oval, so when there is a strong aurora and the oval bulges, the aurora will actually be south of us rather than north.
Right now there is an unusually wide hole that has opened in the sun's atmosphere, and it is stretching across the sun's southern hemisphere. Check out spaceweather.com to see a photo of this dramatic opening. This opening is a coronal hole which allows solar wind to escape, and this stream of solar wind collides with Earth's magnetic field. We wait expectantly for Aurora to present herself to us later this week.

Later that evening there were some gentle bands of aurora behind the spruce trees right out in back of the center. This is pretty much the view from our bedroom window on this visit, the same view I always love to photograph during daylight hours. Of course, I was outside for these shots.

Mother Nature cooperated with very little wind and a "mild" temperature of 15-20 degrees F. Snowstorms are coming, but we'll be checking the skies tonight for another visit of the aurora borealis.

The Lure of the North- We're on our way very soon!

Photo from 2016-

I've been pouring over photos from our travels to Churchill during February/March of 2016. Once again, we are returning to the great north, and here are a few photos that make me very excited to be heading back! We'll be in Churchill, Manitoba for the second two weeks of February, and this year we will be joined by our friends the Hallers from Holland, MA. Although we are going for a shorter time, this year we are actually taking the Arctic Skies program. That means no chores to interfere with our aurora activities.

For anyone new to the blog, I've kept this photo journal of our time as volunteers at the Churchill Northern Studies Centre. Churchill sits on the western shore of Hudson Bay at about 58 degrees N. This will be the 4th year keeping the Dancing Lights blog, so please do take a look at some of the best auroras from our time up here. Some of my other favorite photographic moments have been dogsledding, a visit to Hudson Bay, time in the boreal forest, and some beautiful tundra landscapes.

View from the deck at CNSC

Aurora from March 2016- Photo by Brian

May there be many wonderful opportunities for aurora posts this year!