Mar. 1 (Day 4)
Wake to bright sunshine….test various layers of clothing and will need to wear balaclava always! The slightest breeze will otherwise freeze the face. I have an ordinary thermometer (christened with the rather trumped up label of ‘my weather station’) reads – 26C…I walk back to the tracks and see the drifts that caused the lumpy ride yesterday. The snow is hard packed like concrete by the wind, honed into a knife-edge shape. I test it and am surprised by it’s strength
Our gear hasn’t yet arrived – it is to come on the ‘freight train’ – why a separate freight train is needed I don’t understand. Garrett frets that there will be some mix up and the gear won’t arrive when expected or won’t arrive complete or won’t arrive at all. Not a good feeling for a group leader used to making things happen.
After lunch, Shawn gives us a tour of the hydro dam. Built in 1952, for the Iron Ore Co of Canada (closed the Schefferville mine in 1982) , the generator has 3 turbines produce a tiny amount of power (12 watts each?) by today’s standards but is maintained today as the critical link and supply of hydro to surrounding communities. Its noisy and I’m hungry – Shawn shares some homemade caribou sausages he made - very spicy with lots of garlic and pretty darn good tasting with mustard and pickles. Later, our whole group troops over to the big house for a lively dinner with our hosts.
But the gear train does arrives at midnight. I’m excited as tomorrow we depart!
