The Treloar Herald : Vancouver to Inuvik in the Arctic Circle.

Vancouver to Inuvik in the Arctic Circle.

After four glorious days in Vancouver, we spent our fifth and final day preparing for our last scheduled trip to our ultimate destination, Inuvik in the Arctic Circle, the rendezvous point for the 2022 North American Epic.

Our first leg was a four hour flight from Vancouver to Whitehorse with Air Canada, followed by a 7 hour stop-over at Whitehorse Airport, which we spent in the lounge, with a few other passengers.

The next day, our final leg was from Whitehorse to Inuvik via Dawson City, however this didn't start off well! Firstly the Airline threatened to bump some of our luggage off the flight due to weight restrictions and secondly the flight was delayed by 4 hours due to mechanical issues of the turbo-prop plane.

However all's well that ends well, we arrived safely at Inuvik, having landed and taken off again at Dawson City en route and none of our luggage (three bags and two bikes, had been bumped, whew!). We managed to get to the Hotel in Inuvik with all our luggage, with the kind assistance of a local resident, who offered us a lift in his pick-up, for which we were extremely grateful.

Inuvik is the Land of the Midnight Sun and Gateway to the Beaufort-Delta. It is located 2 degrees above the Arctic Circle, on the scenic Mackenzie River and Delta. It is Canada's largest fresh water delta so close to the Arctic Ocean, with a spectacular view of the Richardson Mountains. It is nestled between the treeless tundra and the Northern boreal forest.

Inuvik (place of people) is the homeland of the Inuvialuit and Gwich'in aboriginal people. It is also the main headquarters for the oil and gas industry operating in the Beaufort Sea/Mackenzie Delta.

We booked in at the Mackenzie Hotel and spent the rest of our first day in Inuvik sourcing food and doing some quick sightseeing around the Town.

In town, the local inhabitants were suffering from a rare heatwave, with temperatures in excess of 30 degrees, it felt like home to us, so we were not too perturbed. Although the 24 hour sunlight is definitely going to take some getting used to!