Into the fog
Whapmagoostui is the northernmost Cree community and isn’t accessible by road. The only ways to get to Great Whale are by boat and plane (or by skidoo, snowshoeing and dogsled in winter). Air travel is the only regular way to reach the community. This time of year makes any trip there an adventure as it’s fog season. And the fog there really is as thick as pea soup.
One time, I was fogged in there for a week. Planes can only land by instrument in heavy fog and Air Creebec isn’t set up for that. I don’t regret being stranded in this community at the edge of the treeline, however. People there are very hospitable and I was thankful for that. I have always enjoyed my visits to Grande Baleine or, as some call it, Kuujjuarapik. This community is the only one in Canada with four official names.
To make a short story long I hopped on a charter August 2 to witness the new Grand Chief Abel Bosum and Deputy Grand Chief Mandy Gull officially take their oaths of office. I was told we’d leave around 9 in the morning and be back in Montreal before 11 that same night.
Did I mention travelling to Whapmagoostui was always an adventure? We were rushed to the airport and told to get on the Air Inuit plane as fast as possible in order to make all our stops. First Chibougamau, then Ottawa and finally Montreal. Our pilots were on a schedule that only allowed them so much flight time in a 24-hour period. Inuk Captain Melissa Haney is the first one of her people to become a pilot but once we were seated and ready to fly we got some bad news.
There was an electrical problem and we had to wait in the airport. A mechanic was flown in and repaired our ride out of Great Whale. As we had been waiting in the airport since a little after 7 pm a few people got hungry. With the big heart I have always known he had, Reggie Bosum broke open a box and brought out some smoked fish for his fellow passengers. Rez Notes writer Sonny Orr showed up wondering what was happening. I asked Sonny, who is the treasurer of the local social club, if they made deliveries. With a smile he informed me they did not.
After what seemed like countless hours we boarded the plane and found out we could only go as far as Radisson, a Hydro-Quebec work camp that has always been denied municipal status. We ended up checking into a hotel at 2:30 in the morning after spending time in good company catching up on changes and making new friends.
The next day we managed to make it to the airport and I arrived home at 4 in the afternoon glad to finally change my socks and other delicate parts of my wardrobe. Both the Grand Council staff and Air Inuit were great in our time of need.
Once again did I mention visiting Whapmagoostui was always an adventure but one that’s never regretted?