This is the first time I have spent spring in the arctic and different from winter when one expects almost total darkness and summer the midnight sun, spring has been different with the changing light patterns.

In Iqaluit on the weekend, I was surprised at how tired I was and just wanting to catch up on my sleep. Capital Suites had a double set of blinds, so  could create the darkness that allows sleep Was curious what it would be like in Pang. So although the sun is actually setting there is still in effect 24 hours of visible light. These are the details from the weather site.

Length of Day 20h 56m Tomorrow will be 9 minutes 1 second  longer.

Sunrise 1:54

Sunset 22:46

Moonrise16:53

Moonset 1:39

These photos were taken about 10:30 PM last night and show how the ice is breaking up along the shore.

Pangnirtung has an elevation of 75 ft / 23 m and the temperature was 2°C, Humidity 67 %,Wind Chill-11, WindSE 46 km/h

These children were curious about my skis and definitely enjoying spring with bikes and rubber boots.


    

 .....and am actually quite excited as have never been before and this is some of the basics that I have found…these photos are taken from a walk on the ice last night when windy and overcast and a ski this afternoon.

Pangnirtung, known by the local residents as Pangniqtuuq - The Place of Bull Caribou - is located on Baffin Island and is situated on a coastal plain at the coast of the magnificent Pangnirtung Fjord, a fjord which eventually merges with Cumberland Sound. The current population is about 1,325 residents. Pangnirtung has a long history of whaling in Cumberland Sound where commercial whaling started in 1820. In 1838 a Scottish whaler named William Penny along with an Inuk guide, Eenoolooapik, rediscovered Cumberland Sound.

The sound was rich in bowhead whales causing the Inuit way of life to change. By the late 1850's many Inuit left their camps to work at the whaling stations in Blackhead Island on the southern coast and to Kekerten Island on the northern coast. In the mid 1860's Cumberland Sound was showing signs of being "fished out". By 1870 Blackhead Island was in ruins and hardly any ships came to hunt whales so the Inuit returned to life in camps scattered throughout Cumberland Sound.  In 1921, the Hudson Bay Company built a trading post in Pangnirtung which began to attract Inuit. Two years later the Royal Canadian Mounted Police detachment was built. In 1929 St. Luke's Mission Hospital was established. The first government appointed teacher arrived in 1956. The year 1962 saw many of the Inuit living in Cumberland Sound move to Pangnirtung when a distemper epidemic killed most of their dogs. The federal government established its first administrative office that year as well.

The Land and Wildlife

The beauty of Pangnirtung is in its backdrop, the mountains of Cumberland Peninsula, where some peaks reach 2,200 meters.The central part of the peninsula is dominated by the massive Penny Ice Cap, from which many glaciers flow into the sea. Large numers of beluga whales may be seen in the summer at their calving grounds near the head of the sound; walruses can be seen in the sound and occasionally, so can bowhead whales. Ringed seals are found throughout the sound and the fiord.

Pangnirtung is the nearest community to Auyuittuq National Park - one hour by boat - where outdoor enthusiasts can hike, climb and ski. The Angmarlik Visitors Center features displays interpreting Thule culture and staff there can help arrange trips in the area. The Parks Canada Interpretive Center holds the Parks Canada office and houses displays and exhibits to describe the varied nature of Auyuittuq National Park. For those not ready for the challenge of hiking in Auyuiituq National Park there are several good hiking trails that start just outside Pangnirtung. The Ukuma Trail skirts the Duval River and heads towards Kingnait Fiord, which parallels Pangnirtung Fiord over the mountins behind the community. You can also spend a day climbing Mount Duval.