Dundas Harbour on Devon Island

Dundas Harbour overlooks Lancaster Sound and was long frequented by Arctic people’s and significant Thule sites are found scattered around Morin Point.  These are up to 1000 years old.  In 1922 the Canadian government decided to establish a RCMP post here to support its claim to the Arctic Islands.  This post remained open for almost 10 years and then was taken over by the Hudson Bay as a trading post.  HBC shut down the post after a year when they found none of the hunters came here to trade their furs.  We went ashore and did an 8 km hike over uneven but beautiful terrain out to the Thule site and back and then to the site of the RCMP a post  A climb up the hill to view the cemetery before returning to the zodiacs earned us a good meal.

Our next stop in the Canadian Arctic was to be Gris Fjord but unfortunately the ice flow decided to make that impossible.  The Captain said we could probably make it in but if we did we may have to spend the winter there and that was not a prospect that was very inviting though it was somewhere we were all looking forward to visiting as it is the highest inhabited settlement in the Canadian Arctic.  This is an expedition and plans change.

A snowy cold day for our landing at Dundas Harbour 

Sean leading the hike out to the Thule site at the end of the far point

Snow starting to blanket the hardy plants

These stone piles are Thule food caches where they put thei food to protect it from predators. This island was very fertile hunting ground and many came here just in the winter months for that purpose

This is a large animal trap from ancient times

These stones are in rings and are an ancient campground. The rocks are the pegs and held down the tents

Susie is pointing out what remains of a winter home that would hold a family of up to eight. The entrance is to the left. Her comment was that the entrance always faced the sea so that when you got up in the morning you could see where your days food was coming from

Hiking back towards the RCMP site. Very boggy at times. Glad we kept our boots on

Overlooking the RCMP a post

The home of the Inuit family that worked for the RCMP officers

Carcass of a sea mammal 

House that the two officers stationed here at a time shared

A beacon that the government erected when the island became uninhabited so to maintain sovereignty 

The cemetery sits high on the hill. Two young officers died here, both under somewhat suspicious circumstances 

Starting to see icebergs as sunset arrives

Heading north where we have been told we will encounter dense sea ice in the am. Anticipating with fingers crossed!