Beach Day at Hudson Bay

One of my favorite places in Churchill is the shore of Hudson Bay. Each year, we have walked down to the frozen bay at the location I believe to be the town beach. Beneath the ice and snow, I can occasionally see the sand on the beach. The shoreline is strewn with large polished pieces of ice. I am not sure if there may be a stone in the center or not. On the day we visited, there was enough sunlight to reflect light on the shiny white surfaces.

This year, we were visiting after three days of incredible northwest winds. Brian and I were sure that the bay must be wiped out of snow by now. There was still some, but not as much as last year. The sustained high winds had created sculpted patterns in the snow, much like what you might expect to see in sand.

You can visit the blog post from last year to see how different the bay looked. Both years, even though quite different, I felt the same awe at the vast sea of ice before me.

At the head of the bay stands a giant Inuksuk. An Inuksuk is a stone landmark built by peoples of the Arctic regions, and they have ancient roots in Inuit culture. This one is a monument of sorts, or so it seems to me. I believe that ones found on the tundra would not be of this size, but I am not sure about that. It is fascinating to read about the history of Inuksuit (the plural of Inuksuk). That could be a whole blog post all by itself.
On the way back to CNSC, we stopped along the shore to take these photos. I think you can see what a beautiful place this is.