Volume 4, 1951 - The Arctic Circle - Home

inadvertently found our way into a large walrus herd. These
animaIs, about 120 in all, persisted in following the canoe
for some distanoe. After a few worrying minutes, we made
shore on a small island only to disoover, mainly by the
use of our nostrils, that we had landed on their breeding
ground. By now they had become most inquisitive and what
was worse, appeared to be highly irritated, for with angry
snorts they were raising themselves two and three feet
olear of the water and several aotually made timid attempts
to climb onto the beach. Sinoe it was impossible to stay
here aIl night we decided to push on; by keeping in very
shallow water near the island and finally scurrying aoross
to the mainland, we managed to break away. The wind was
rising, making travel miserable. But for the faot that
the buildings of the weather station at Resolute were
already in sight we would probably have holed up for the
night.
However, temptation proved too strong and we coasted
the shore of Allen Bay, reaohing the open sea once more
near Cape Martyr. From Cape Martyr to the western point
of Resolute Bay the ooast 1s entirely open and a light
swell had already commenced to run from the east down
Wellington Channel. A little to the east of Cape Martyr
this swell caused the only damage to the canoe on the
trip. ln our desperate attempts to keep close to the
shore to gain its lee we were oaught by one swell larger
than the rest which let the canoe down on to the rooky
bottom, punching a small hole through the canvas.
On August 22 at 2.30 a.m. we turned into Resolute
Bay, and by 3 a.m. the oanoe was oompletely unloaded and
we were aIl enjoying the early morning delights of Resolute
night life.
Next day our party broke up. Fortier and Thorsteinson
returned to the south via Greenland while l remained for
a few more days to pack up, finally reaching Ottawa on the
morning of September 10.
The trip y1elded two important findings: the first
be1ng that the stratigraphy of the Arctic Islands is not
nearly as simple as previously piotured by early geologists.
Mountain building appears to have taken place and it would
seem likely that here we may have something very similar
to the Appalachian geosyncline in struature~ This will
have to be proven by subsequent workers. The second is
that it now appears to be quite feasible to·use a freight
oanoe in the southern parts of these islands and that it
is probably the most suitable crart for this type of work.