Pingos and the Arctic Ocean (The Dempster 2003, Part Two)

David and Sam at the Arctic Ocean

The Dempster Highway was begun in 1959 and completed in 1979. The road from Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk (Tuk) and the Arctic Ocean, however, has only been fully open since 2017. Before then, travelers arrived to Tuk by boat, light plane, or ice road. 

This final section of road from Inuvik to Tuk was difficult to build. The entire base was layered on permafrost. In some areas, the road was elevated dozens of feet with rock and gravel to keep it from sinking or heaving. It is a good road, albeit there are areas of washouts, washboards, heaves, and potholes. Although only 86 miles, it took us almost three hours to drive the distance. 

The majority of the ecosystem between Inuvik and Tuk is alpine tundra, lowland, and marsh. 

View from road to Tuk

Closer to Tuk, the boreal forest succumbs to the permafrost.  The trees grow smaller and smaller and less and less frequent until it appears that there is only one last tree remaining between it and the North Pole. 

Last tree to Tuktoyaktuk

Millions of birds migrate to this area each spring to raise their young. We saw many birds, particularly waterfowl, gathering in the lakes and ponds near Tuk. Overhead, we could see parents making test flights with their fledglings in an attempt to build wing strength before their long trek south. By mid-September, the airways will be filled with their wing beats. 

Swans water for migration near Tuktoyaktuk, Canada

The area surrounding Tuk has been designated as Canada’s Pingo National Monument. Pingos are mounds of ice.  Many have been covered in soil over the years, making them appear like little islands. You can rent a kayak and paddle to them. Today was not that day. 

Pingo near Tuktoyaktuk, Canada

Pingos near Tuktoyaktuk, Canada

We did see a pair of moose cows at a distance.

Two distant moose near Tuktoyaktuk, Canada

Tuk was incorporated as a hamlet in 1970.  Its current population is around 900 people.

View as you enter Tuktoyaktuk, Canada

When we arrived in Tuk, the outside temperature on the truck registered 43 degrees. A gale force wind upwards of 40 miles per hour complimented the cold. To say the least, it was frigid. David and I were wearing our street clothes, sweatshirts, heavy jackets, and raincoats… and we were still shivering. With the wind blowing so stiffly, I didn’t dare try to take a timed photo with the camera on the tripod. 

Water temperatures were around 35 degrees. We had planned to let Sam dive into the Arctic Ocean, but it was so cold we feared we couldn’t dry her quickly enough with that long coat of hers. So she dabbled in the Arctic Ocean… still happy as could be… until she tasted the water. She promptly spit it out. 

We drove around town, passing several churches and the local cemetery.  

Local church in Tuktoyaktuk, Canada

Cemetery with Arctic Ocean in background, Tuktoyaktuk, Canada

Houses built above the Arctic Circle must be able to accommodate the permafrost. They are built on pier and beam structures or otherwise elevated to keep the building from resting directly on the ground. The heat from the house can quickly melt the permafrost, causing the ground to become unstable and the house foundation to shift. Here are a few examples of housing in Tuk. 

Elevated housing to prevent permafrost settling, Tuktoyaktuk, Canada

Tuk has a unique community freezer system called the Ice House. A large hole was dug deep into the permafrost using pick axes and shovels.  A ladder descends nine meters into the permafrost.  There are nineteen rooms in the Ice House, and each family (or extended family) is given a room to store their food…  no electricity needed!  

Just outside of town is the garbage dump. It sits right on the ocean and has been in operation for years with no place else to handle the refuse. It is definitely unsightly, but evidently works for the community. 

We had planned to spend the night in Tuk, but the winds were blowing so hard, and the campground sat inches from the Arctic Ocean… making the wind off the water even more intense and frigid. We made an executive decision to return to Inuvik that same afternoon. It was a good decision… it rained steadily almost all night.