A Warning to Churchill Visitors

The only polar bear I saw was this stone one

If you pick up Manitoba’s brochure on Churchill, don’t be fooled like I was. It states the highest probability of spying polar bears is in November but that’s not true.

Reading that piece of information, I booked a journey to Churchill towards the end of November only to discover when I then made enquiries about a tour, everything finished on November 18^th! Once Hudson Bay froze over, the bears started to hunt. I found nothing on this date in the brochure yet every tourist operation in Churchill was aware of the time line.

Churchill River

Churchill was located on a narrow peninsula; one side faced Hudson Bay; the opposite side lay the Churchill River.

I had already visited the bay side of town so walked towards the river. Despite wearing a balaclava and a touque, the wind cut into my cheek bones so I headed for the railway station to thaw out.

Churchill’s Inukshuk Beach

I arrived at Inukshuk Beach where not another sole lay in sight. Iced Hudson Bay stretched before me along with the first inukshuk I’d seen in the north.

They were signposts for the Inuit. Where the flat, wintery landscape looked the same and there was no sun in winter to indicate direction, inukshuks were constructed to guide the way. Sometimes, food was stored under stones so a hunter might find something to eat if he hadn’t been successful.

Towards Hudson Bay

The morning after my arrival in Churchill, I ventured on foot, with layers of clothing from head to toe. It was slightly “warmer” only -30 degrees. As I plodded towards Hudson Bay, a block away, a grater passed, smoothing the icy street. One other pedestrian hiked in the opposite direction in half the gear I was wearing.

Chilly Churchill

I flew north from Winnipeg over snow covered ground. We passed beside South Indian Lake as the sun set. Lights flickered near the Missi Falls before darkness set it.