Imagine yourself in a place of rolling hills, snaking eskers, gently meandering rivers and awesome gorges, walking on the tundra among a riot of wildflowers of all colours, observing breeding birds close at hand, perhaps seeing a Barren-ground Caribou with magnificent antlers cross the skyline. From the moment you step off your chartered plane at Bathurst Inlet, you will be in awe of the vastness of the land. For the next week, each day will be a sensory overload, each rise in the tundra revealing a new wonder in this Arctic Oasis.

Itinerary
(Breakfast - B, Lunch - L, Dinner - D)

Day 1
Arrive in Yellowknife
Upon arrival we will be met at the airport by the manager of the Bathurst Inlet Lodge and taken to our hotel. He will also transfer us to your charter flight to Bathurst Inlet tomorrow morning. We will have free time to explore Yellowknife this evening.

o/n The Chateau Nova, Yellowknife (D)

Day 2
Flight to Bathurst Inlet
This morning we will transfer to our charter flight to the lodge. If the weather cooperates we will fly over the Diavik and Ekati diamond mines and follow the last 20 kilometres of the Burnside River for spectacular views of the area. Our flight should take about 2 _ hours. After we land we will have a short, but thorough, orientation to the lodge. If time permits, we will take a wildflower walk along the beach to the east of the lodge on an established wildflower trail with signs to identify the plants. After dinner there will be a presentation on the history of the community and the people of the Inlet and a lodge tour.

Each evening, after supper, there will be a presentation that varies according to the interests of the group. For example, one evening we will enjoy an interpretive session on the local tools and artefacts that have been collected from the area over the past 40 years, along with a discussion and demonstration of the traditional clothing from the central Arctic. Later in the week Bishop Jack Sperry, Arctic missionary, will give a presentation on his 50 years in the north. As well, the founders of the lodge, Glenn and Trish Warner, will talk about their lives and experiences in the north. We will always be learning and expanding our knowledge about the Inlet and its peoples and natural history.

o/n Bathurst Inlet Lodge (B, L, D)

Days 3 - 8
Wilderness Activities Around Bathurst Inlet
The scope and sequence of our activities for the week will depend upon the weather and ice conditions. However, there are always alternative activities available so these conditions will not inhibit our enjoyment of the area. What follows is a very small sample of all the activities available to us.

We will use the lodge boat, the “Blue Loo” for our sea journeys. The reason for the name of the boat will be obvious the moment we see her. The “Blue Loo” is a very safe 40-foot pontoon boat that is a good stable platform for the use of binoculars and cameras. It also sports a sea-going outhouse, which reduces anxiety in this land of few trees and limits pollution on land. Each morning, after our optional early bird walk, we will have breakfast followed by an important briefing on the day's activities. This is when we'll find out where we are going, what weather to expect and the equipment and clothing we will need to take with us.

The Bathurst Inlet area is a geologist's dream. We will visit Quadjuk Island with its immense sculpted sandstone hoodoos. We'll cross rows of glacial rebound beaches left high and dry after the glaciers melted and climb interesting talus slopes of the Tinney Hills with their huge glacial erratics and vertical sandstone pillars. Tinney Cove has a huge upturned reef of algal limestone stromatolites, the oldest known fossils, over 2 billion years old.

From an historical cultural perspective, the land around the lodge is a treasure trove of ancient Inuit culture. From the Paleo-Eskimos, through the Copper Inuit to the Thule People, Bathurst Inlet has a long history of human occupation. We'll explore Thule tent rings, meat caches, stone fox traps, kayak stands, drying racks, hides and a large game drive system called Inuksuit. We'll visit the more recent past with a trip to a part of the Franklin Expedition's route where we will discuss the importance of the mapping of the Arctic coast carried out by this expedition.

Perhaps the most exciting feature of the lodge is the possibility of seeing many of the large arctic mammals. We'll stalk Muskox, feeding on the new shoots of Arctic Willow, along the shores. We'll encounter herds of Barren-ground Caribou, most often groups of calves and cows, although sometimes large bachelor herds. Arctic Hares are common and are preyed on by Arctic Fox and of course, there is always a possibility of spotting a Barren-ground Grizzly and, more commonly, Arctic Wolves. Ringed Seals are common in the bay and Bearded Seals sometimes show up.

Naturalists are faced with a constant choice - look up or look down. The Arctic is carpeted with an amazing array of wildflowers and the area around Bathurst Inlet is home to many species of nesting birds. Lapland Longspurs and Horned Larks sing among the Cotton Grass meadows. Blackpoll Warblers nest in the tall willow riparian habitat along Hydro Creek, as do Willow and Rock Ptarmigan. The tiny tundra ponds are frequented by Red-necked Phalaropes. The higher slopes are graced with Mountain Avens, Woolly Lousewort and Alpine Azalea. As we study their adaptation to the Arctic environment, we'll be keeping an eye out for the Peregrine Falcons and possibly Gyrfalcons that nest on the ridges. The gull nesting islands abound with wildflowers fertilized by the droppings of Thayer's and Glaucous Gulls and all three species of jaegers keep the gulls company in the bay.

Finally, the photographers among us will be amazed at the astounding photo opportunities that occur everywhere we go. From the breath-taking views from Bathurst Ridge to the colourful carpets of wildflowers on the tundra, we will be presented with picture after picture. Bring lots of film or “digits”! We will also experience the “Midnight Sun” at this time of year, so how about a midnight swim in the Arctic Ocean?

o/n Bathurst Inlet Lodge (B, L, D)

Day 9
South Quadjuk Island / Departure Day
On our last morning, depending on our charter flight time, we will take a boat trip to the nearer islands to ensure that we haven't missed anything. We'll visit South Quadjuk Island with its Thule tent rings hidden among dense stands of Alpine Arnica and Moss Campion. Then sadly we'll return on our chartered aircraft to Yellowknife.

o/n The Chateau Nova, Yellowknife (B, L, D)

Day 10
Flights Home
We will be driven to the airport in time for our flights home. (B)