It was for business; I was the designer on some products aimed at lifelong learning education theory. But it was definitely a perk!!! The people were incredible, the ravens are HUGE, the landscape is a wonder (not a tree at ALL), and the local Legion was HOPPING. I sang The Lion Sleeps Tonight to a full dance floor at the top of the world, and it was sublime.
I used to frequent a legion in northern Alberta, every Friday they'd have $10 steaks. You get a steak for $10 then grill it over an open pit grill with everyone else. Great deal and was always a good time. More often than not it led to many drinks at the Legion or local pub after we had our fill of steaks and Caesar salad lol.
Oh it was ever so much fun!!! Half of them were stray film crew people, and were telling stories of Ralph Fiennes, who’d been there three weeks earlier.
The white side of my family lives in Minnesota near the border and they go to Fargo to experience the big city. It's like a big strip mall and the college is an airport
You should see forks in September - it's crazy how many twilight fans there still are. Place gets flooded with 16 year old girls dragging their family along to look at the town, so I don't blame the businesses for keeping up the twilight theme. Basically the only month of the year they make any money.
The [Molson Beach Party](https://youtu.be/Fr-CCgABQI4?si=bm_TVv44STcTQrY4) is the entire reason I know of Tuktoyatuk’s existence. In 1995 they flew 500 contest winners up there for a concert with Metallica, Hole, Veruca Salt, and Moist.
Fucking awesome. I miss the 90’s so fucking much. 311, Tribe called quest, cypress hill, Dinosaur Jr., deftones, Primus, tool, rage, front242, lords of acid, SNES, n64, EverQuest, Asheron’s Call, Half-Life, Quake II…
I absolutely loved the vibe of the 90’s.
"The most incredible jobs, the best jobs a person can ask for. An elf told me, 'Santa, you give the most incredible jobs.' I love that elf. What a great elf."
My dad grew up n Churchill Manitoba in the 40’s and 50’s. He watched the Inuit take down a whale in kayaks! He told me fresh whale blubber is delicious….yeah ummm not sure on that one lol.
Boredom is a real thing up north and like everywhere leads to stupid shit for fun. I know some inuit guys that were determined to harpoon a beluga from the bed of a truck and eventually made it happen.
Can confirm muktuk (blubber) is tasty.
It’s a delicacy in Inuit culture. I’ve never tried it, but it’s described as being very melt-in-your mouth, like the fatty bits in charcuterie meats or sashimi.
Ahhh that’s how he described it! Melt in your mouth. Growing up my dad always made us eat all the grizzle or fat off of stakes and such. I will try it if I ever get a chance!
>Restaurants
Funny enough, there is a KFC [within 50km](https://maps.app.goo.gl/suCmc1k4QTTyY5jX7) of Mount Thor
Most northern fast food place in the world still further north [https://maps.app.goo.gl/xvZNiPsn53bsKSSq8](https://maps.app.goo.gl/xvZNiPsn53bsKSSq8)
A cool tip. If you have Snapchat you can view the world map and see public snap stories from locals in random remote regions of the world. Sometimes very interesting to see the bored Snapchat stories from people that live in the middle of nowhere.
The Canadian Arctic Archipelago only has about 23,000 people, 13,000 of whom live on Baffin Island. Most folks are Inuit and still practice centuries old traditions and ways of life. It’s cold, barren, and beautiful. Lots of fjords, glaciers, and tundra.
Also in the circle is a chunk of Greenland, including Pituffik Space Base, which was staffed with over 10,000 USAF personnel assigned at its peak in the 1960s.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pituffik_Space_Base
I’ve spent two summers on that base, we know it now as Thule AFB. You can still visit the nuclear launch sites and the base is still known for having one of the world’s largest radars. I’ve seen the native animals from arctic foxes and even polar bears. I’ve done the polar plunge there and even heard Rob Schneider do stand up. Overall an experience I’ll never forget and would go again in a heartbeat.
Depending on where you are, "up there" is marsh land through 1/3rd of the year. Actual prime mosquito breeding territory. The eggs survive the winter. Global warming is super obvious up north as things are getting more wet and permafrost is degrading causing little ponds and depressions to form that fill with water. Mosquitoes are only going to get worse.
The damn things are huge, too. You ever seen a crane fly? (someone correct me if I'm wrong about this.. It's the internet, kinda redundant to ask for that). They look like big mosquitos, I tend to see them on the windshield of the car in the fall I think here in Ontario.
Imagine those, but they bite you and are *fucking everywhere*.
Oh man I once drove through a miles and miles wide swarm of craneflies near the Ontario / Quebec border. I had to pull over at a gas station and clean my windshield off to see out of it.
Can you tell me more about living in Yukon? I am curious what it’s like to have the seasonal extremes of light/darkness. I follow a woman on Svalbard and think about her life all the time, what it’s like to live in polar nights for 2-3 months a year, and then in near-constant daylight. Is it difficult for you to adjust? Do you/your family have different traditions to lean into the seasonal changes?
I live in Dawson city. The population is about 2000 in the winter. That small population keeps 4 bars open. There is a casino. There was a massive drug bust a few days ago. It's a party town for sure but there are also lots of activities, we had thaw di gras last-weekend, alwaysa blast. There is a small ski hill that costs 20 bucks for a rental and lift tickets. Decent cross country trails that turn into good mountains bike trail in the summer.
> Some mining
I worked at a lead-zinc prospect there for 6 weeks in 2015. That was my first experience where the sun didn't set at night. The deposit looks good but requires building of a ~300km all-weather road to be viable, so maybe in another 10-12 years when all the permafrost has melted.
Ahh, I made myself sad
I just read a great book about some of the things that go on up there. It’s called The Terror. It’s a fictional tale, loosely based on an actual expedition that was sent to find a northern passage, and disappeared.
Yes. The victory point note was found on King William Island, which is just a bit south of the middle of OP’s red circle. The wreck of the Erebus was discovered just south of the island in 2014.
You can also try Erebus, it's from Palin (from Monty Python) and it's his own research of the history and what went down with Erebus and Terror. And it's awesome.
Yes! You're mostly circling the Canadian territory of Nunavut :) most of it populated by the Inuit people and anyone else who happens to enjoy it up there. I worked in Cambridge Bay for a year. There's communities on many of those islands. Its fly in fly out. Everything is shipped up. In the summer large boats bring big crates of orders and things like cars. In the winter the water freezes so ships can't get in. So in the winter things are flown in. The history is rich and the culture is beautiful :) the language varies depending on the region you grew up in. For example in the Baffin region (Like Cape Dorset or Pangnirtung) the native language is Inuktitut, but in Cambridge Bay (The Kitikmeot Region) the native language is Inuinnaqtun and they are both pretty different. But many many Inuit speak english. And there's actually a lot more diversity in some areas. I worked with a looot people from different parts of the world not just Canada. Cambridge Bay was inside the arctic circle (above the tree line) so no trees. I saw beautiful wildlife and vast landscapes and mountains with interesting legends.
Edit: territory not province whoopsies
It's really neat looking out into the land because despite the fact that it looks barren its teeming with life. Animals like foxes, muskox, caribou, whales (whale meat is called mattak), fish, birds. So many birds in the spring!!! You dont see all these all the time, can be pretty rare especially near towns. You uuuusualllyy need to atv to find the big ones. But theyre known to wander near sometimes. Lots of foxes and rabbits near towns, wolves can get close sometimes i heard but never experienced.
Theres interesting plants too. Many close to the ground. And really pretty purple flowers in the spring.
Winter is really fun. Ice fishing, ski doos in the snow, skating, sledding. In some places the ocean freezes super thick and they plow it so you can drive to certain places faster than going the land route. Called the Ice Road
I recall a post on some other store of grocery prices in one of the cities there. Because some cities are very difficult and dangerous to access, produce is limited and many times overpriced
I looked up a city on google streets and it was depressing. One (unpaved) street with a bar, a grocery store and a church
A friend of mine lives in Iqaluit. She talks about taking boats onto big ice flows/bergs and taking photos of Narwhals which sounds terrifying and so fun at the same time. She goes hunting and fishing, and shows me photos of polar bears.
I lived up here for 3 years in two different communities. 2 years on Victoria island and one year on the mainland.
There are a multitude of very isolated communities (most fly-in, some ice roads) across 3 territories (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut) circled here.
Most of these communities have 1-2 grocery stores, post office, hamlet/government buildings, school and ice hockey rink.
Many of the households are multigenerational with often one income earner supporting 3-4 generations.
Sustenance (hunting, fishing, trapping, etc.) is still very much a part of the lifestyle here. Furs and cultural art are also usually a big part of the economy/ individual income.
Groceries and goods are often brought in 1-2 times a year by barge for the coastal communities, while other food brought in by air. This leads to very high grocery bills at certain times of the year.
Given the geography, these communities will see weeks to months of complete darkness in the winter and 24/7 Sun in the summer months.
Incredible wildlife and fishing here and amazing people. A lot of history for the Inuit communities with residential schooling which has left generational trauma. Nevertheless, the people are absolutely amazing and have developed incredible skills to survive and thrive in arctic conditions.
There’s climate scientists that live and work up there. They study climate change.
Source: my mom works there. Here’s some photos of what it’s like:
https://preview.redd.it/2ezn4occzxpc1.jpeg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d75d2c6ae77b38132a67efd932ab3d894f7ab42e
https://preview.redd.it/9675ic9izxpc1.jpeg?width=694&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=30a9449e6ec41bbe3d81b1c5fc9dbab31a3aad08
His is how you arrive and how the supplies are delivered.
Yes people absolutely do live up here. This area is a split between Canada's Northwest Territory (west half) and Nunavut (east half). The majority of those who live there are Inuit (90%). Most houses are highly insulated and built on steel stilts due to permafrost and exposed bedrock. Logistics are based around air-lifts, sea-lifts, and ice-roads (on the mainland). There are many social issues which can be traced to historical mistreatment by the Cdn government and isolation, but many traditional skills are still practiced in many communities.
Source: lived and worked in small Nunavut community for 3 years. Feel free to message me for any other details/questions.
There are some scattered towns in the lower part I don't know much about but the upper part is the "high arctic" and it is desolit. There are some weather stations that are manned a a national park. It is the land of yaks, arctic wolves, polar bears, narwhals and seals. Vegetation i low growing and sparse. It's beautiful and interesting up there but very foreboding.
In Northwest Territories and Nunavut you are much more likely to find musk ox rather than yak. Yak you will find in the Himalaya region, as well as some in Mongolia and Siberia.
On the westerly part, there's a permanent all season road that goes up to Tuktoyaktuk. Everything is very heavily subsidized by the federal government.
If you look up Tuktoyaktuk on YouTube, there's lots of videos about it.
No more then 20,000 people live in that entire area I would say. Most Inuit. Not a whole lot goes on there but I think a mine or two. It's frozen tundra with no trees and a very harsh climate.
That is Nunavut Canada. I’ve luckily had the opportunity to travel there. It’s stunning landscape. Arctic tundra with little vegetation. Home of the narwhal, beluga whales and polar bears. As well as Inuit culture. Don’t underestimate this land. If you have a chance to go do it!
This will most likely be buried in the comments, but this is for OP.
I grew up in the Canadian North. I don't live there now, but I visit regularly. I didn't live as far north as you've circled, but I've been there multiple times. I was once a passenger in a terrifying mid-winter drive keeping my friend company when he was heading up to work in Yellowknife but that's another story.
Once you get just a little bit north of the U.S-Canada border, everywhere that is not a major city such as Winnipeg or Edmonton is essentially stuck in the 1980's. Yes, people are driving late model vehicles and have iPhones and depending on where you are there might be a random Starbucks. But people dress in older fashions, there's still a lot of small businesses, and people's attitudes are generally more aligned with people in the 80's or 90's. What I mean by this is, no one fucking cares that there's no brand stores anywhere. No one cares that you can't walk into a store and have instant gratification for your consumer desires. No one expects Amazon or UPS to deliver shit the next day. You just get what you can get locally and no one complains about it because that's just part of life up there.
The north is also a very, and I mean VERY rough place. Most people respect the fact that you DO NOT mess with people that you don't know. It's also the only place I've been randomly assaulted by strangers, multiple times. It's also the frontier and you can't really count on help from the government or authorities. My brother still lives up there, and one afternoon he got off work and some teenagers were being assholes, sitting on the hood of his truck and refusing to move. Did he call the cops? No. He sprayed them with bear spray and they moved on. Was that wrong? Yes. Is that the way shit goes down in the north? Yes.
As to "what goes on", sadly it's a lot of alcoholism and drug abuse just like everywhere else. Fentanyl is a huge problem and many people die from it. I've had several relatives OD and die from it in the past few years. There's not a lot of nightlife or restaurants, and most likely people get together to drink in the bar of a Boston Pizza if there' s one around. And you may be surprised to learn that homelessness is a big problem - that's because the ever increasing number of forest fires has displaced people that used to live in remote areas and forced them into larger towns. There's nowhere for them to live, so they just kind of exist on the streets. Depending on the city, there will be homeless people outside in extreme weather. Some do die from exposure.
Stil, it's beautiful up there. If you enjoy nature, something spectacular is never far away. And if you hate people, there's not of them up there so they're easy to get away from.
Stayed in Iqaluit for a few months. It was a cool experience.
The landscape in the arctic Cordillera is very striking and rugged. The people are very nice and hardy.
Ate some pretty cool [foods](https://www.realfoodtraveler.com/lessons-from-traditional-inuit-foods/)
Great video series on the landscape: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TJOlExsGRTU
Here: https://arrivein.com/immigration/provincial-spotlight-introduction-to-nunavut-for-newcomers/
I’m not Canadian, but I know a little bit about the northern part of the country. It’s the same as your average Arctic Circle area. The biggest industries up there are fishing, hunting, oil, and mining, and indigenous peoples populate the area, especially people of Inuit and Métis descent.
Lol yes! I live in Nunavut. It’s rough as hell. Im here for work for the past few years.
Fly in only communities, most of which have alcohol prohibited so there’s a brutal undercurrent of bootlegging and people will go homeless before they give up alcohol. Even in -50 degree weather. Drugs are a huge problem as well. Extremely high unemployment as the only industry is mining and the mines are often not close to the towns. The towns are kept afloat by government paying people from southern Canada extremely high salaries to come up on contracts as nurses, teachers, government workers etc. most of whom run away screaming after a year or so. As someone who has travelled the world and seen many struggling places, I’ve never seen devastation and horror worse than some parts of Nunavut.
It’s also extremely beautiful and the landscape is diverse and unlike anything you’ve ever seen. Northern lights most nights except during 24 hour daylight in the summer. People are incredibly kind and Inuit culture is amazing. Many Inuit live subsistence lifestyles and hunt for their food. It’s also “lawless” and free in a kind of cool way. It’s common to see people driving around with a truck bed full of caribou heads or see people butchering an animal in their front yard in town. People camp and hunt all over the land and generally take good care of the land as stewards. It’s a really dichotomous place.
The only part I know that's in the circle is the military base, Alert, that's situated way up at the top of the island chain, right at the point.
I wasn't there personally, but from what my family members have told me, it's a small (100 people or so) base that could either be sunny the entire time you're stationed there or dark, depending on the time of year.
I’ve lived in iqaluit most of my life. In the winters it’s cold and dark, in the summers is nice the sometimes the sun doesn’t even go down just like a constant sunset then it just come back up. Iqaluit is the biggest “city” with about 7k-8k people. Most things are expensive. No trees. A lot of tundra. My family is from igloolik which is further north and it’s the same but more winters colder are darker longer and the sun is up longer in the summers
Canada’s northernmost permanent settlement is Grise Fiord, at 76.41691° N — Alert is just an outpost, with a permanent population of zero.
https://preview.redd.it/ylu4d0liqxpc1.jpeg?width=1449&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7d422bb7617f4543caaa7545564bbc5cdf44e823
There's a great book about the Canadian diamond rush of the 1990's, which took place in this part of Canada. Barren Lands, by Kevin Krajick. Has lots of amazing history about Canadian high-latitude exploration.
Polar bears eating seals. Inuit shooting and eating seals. Seals shaboinking to make more seals.
Bitter cold & snow 9-10 months of the year. Summer is short, warmer, and loaded with mosquitoes the size of wrens.
Probably fewer than 25,000 people live there in total.
I have a friend who lives in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut on the northern shore of Hudson Bay. He works for the territorial government surveying wildlife like caribou. Life is difficult and very expensive. There is a lot of hunting, whaling and fishing. My friend once had to kill a polar bear that broke into his house in the middle of the night.
it is soon to be a contentious international issue. as it thaws, more and more marine traffic will go through these mostly unregulated waterways. the Canadian navy cannot patrol effectively as it is too small and cannot backup its' its sovereignty claims. the Natives will wants some of it for profit as well. china considers themselves a near arctic state and they want a piece of the polar action.... [China: We are a 'Near-Arctic State' and we want a 'Polar Silk Road' (cnbc.com)](https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/14/china-we-are-a-near-arctic-state-and-we-want-a-polar-silk-road.html)
interesting times
It is very cold, but there are also, somehow, lots of mosquitos the size of small birds. There isn't much there that can't also be found in more hospitable areas, so the few people that live there tend to either have been born in the region, or moved there expressly because they very much dislike seeing other human beings.
I did! I use to live in Tuktoyaktuk!
I don't know what to report - absolutely stunning. Beautiful, a really unique ecology and social environment. I was not born in the north so I was always a bit of an outsider, but folks are very kind, generous, with a great sense of humour.
A lot of folks make their living from the land, or supporting those who live from the land.
Look up the town of Iqaluit.
Sick
I was lucky to go to Iqaluit once in May for 4 days. It. Was. Amazing.
LUCKY! That sounds like the trip of a lifetime.
It was for business; I was the designer on some products aimed at lifelong learning education theory. But it was definitely a perk!!! The people were incredible, the ravens are HUGE, the landscape is a wonder (not a tree at ALL), and the local Legion was HOPPING. I sang The Lion Sleeps Tonight to a full dance floor at the top of the world, and it was sublime.
Partying at the Legion is a Canadian tradition. Always get a pint and chat with some vets hanging out.
We had the after-funeral drinks at my Grandpa’s local Legion after he passed away. Can confirm it is a rowdy time
I used to frequent a legion in northern Alberta, every Friday they'd have $10 steaks. You get a steak for $10 then grill it over an open pit grill with everyone else. Great deal and was always a good time. More often than not it led to many drinks at the Legion or local pub after we had our fill of steaks and Caesar salad lol.
That sounds fucking awesome
Legions are a steppin out RIOT.
Oh it was ever so much fun!!! Half of them were stray film crew people, and were telling stories of Ralph Fiennes, who’d been there three weeks earlier.
Wow that’s even more interesting
I first read “ravens” as “raves” and was thinking “damn, I didn’t know they partied so hard up there” lol
To answer that, yes. Yes, they did.
Alert!
Thule in that circle too
My friend was based in Alert one summer. All he did was drink.
Mans is in Fargo asking what goes on up there. Sir what goes on where you are??
It seems like Fargo has a lot of organized crime.
The land of Frostbite and DUIs
I saw a documentary on Fargo a while back. … I’ve kinda been into documentaries lately..
Was it the one with the wood chipper? Yeah, I saw that one too
Yeah I couldn’t really get into it
It's easier if someone helps lower you in.
Into the wood chipper? It helps to have a buddy give you a little nudge.
Be careful with that woodchiper. Sometimes teenagers come to your property and dive headfirst into it.
Bro what would they even put in a documentary about Fargo? Hot dish recipes?
Supplemental postage stamp art.
can you send me the Documentaries name? i Love docus when iam high haha
And woodchippers
Don't eat the red snow
That clear coat though…
You’re a liar, Mr. Lundegaard. A f-f-fucking liar! Where’s my checkbook?”
Lots of disorganized crime too if we're being real.
The Gerhardt Family?
And the Lyons, Faddas, Cannons, The Stussy Family, “that damn Butcher” and his wife.
Don't forget the occasional 500 year old Sin Eater.
"When a man digs a grave, he has to fill it. Otherwise it's just a hole"
Ooh you betcha
Haha nothing of warmth
I miss Fargo. All two hills and drunken fights at the OB.
The two hills? You mean the garbage mounds?
Norm’s Mallard just won the 3 cent stamp.
People don’t much use the three cent
Painfully flat terrain and wind that will pierce your soul.
Damn you didn't need to flame him like that. I'm a witness to that another act of violence on Reddit in broad daylight
What if he’s in Moorhead?
The white side of my family lives in Minnesota near the border and they go to Fargo to experience the big city. It's like a big strip mall and the college is an airport
Sounds like you just saw the mall and the airport
Better than forks
Forks, Washington is one of the most beautiful places. The steelhead and trout fishing is amazing
I love all of the wilderness around Forks. But Forks itself, not so much. I surfed at La Push a lot when I was younger
I went through forks recently. They are still holding on to the Twilight shit
You should see forks in September - it's crazy how many twilight fans there still are. Place gets flooded with 16 year old girls dragging their family along to look at the town, so I don't blame the businesses for keeping up the twilight theme. Basically the only month of the year they make any money.
So don't plan on staying in La Push in Sept...got it
Yeah my bad bro I meant grand forks, ND not Edward, Jacob, and Bella
The only reason to go Grand Forks is if you are in the air force or really into college hockey.
What about the “Harvard of the skies” und aerospace
The Bison used to roam every Saturday in the Autumn. Not much of that nowadays.
Have been to Tuktoyaktuk. Hunting / fishing and selling crafts from the animal products are a way of life for many.
The [Molson Beach Party](https://youtu.be/Fr-CCgABQI4?si=bm_TVv44STcTQrY4) is the entire reason I know of Tuktoyatuk’s existence. In 1995 they flew 500 contest winners up there for a concert with Metallica, Hole, Veruca Salt, and Moist.
Was a finalist to win tickets for that. Still think about being so close to getting there
Veruca Salt. My Xennial heart is aflutter!
Can't fight the Seether!
Fucking awesome. I miss the 90’s so fucking much. 311, Tribe called quest, cypress hill, Dinosaur Jr., deftones, Primus, tool, rage, front242, lords of acid, SNES, n64, EverQuest, Asheron’s Call, Half-Life, Quake II… I absolutely loved the vibe of the 90’s.
Take my Asheron's Call upvote! (Servers are up, btw)
Dude, I remember the ads on tv for that.
Same! That town name has always stuck with me from those ads. Plus it was the first time I ever heard “Violet” by Hole.
Interesting. I wonder what animals they utilize the most
Caribou, Polar Bear, Seal. Other communities further north beluga is most common, narwhal most valuable.
Further north??? Do you mean Santa’s Workshop?
Toy industry is booming there. Lots of jobs available. Height requirement may apply.
"The most incredible jobs, the best jobs a person can ask for. An elf told me, 'Santa, you give the most incredible jobs.' I love that elf. What a great elf."
Make the Arctic Great Again 😂🤣
Tuktoyaktuk is on the mainland, places like Sachs Harbour, Pond Inlet, Resolute, and Grise Fjord are all north of it
My dad grew up n Churchill Manitoba in the 40’s and 50’s. He watched the Inuit take down a whale in kayaks! He told me fresh whale blubber is delicious….yeah ummm not sure on that one lol.
Boredom is a real thing up north and like everywhere leads to stupid shit for fun. I know some inuit guys that were determined to harpoon a beluga from the bed of a truck and eventually made it happen. Can confirm muktuk (blubber) is tasty.
It’s a delicacy in Inuit culture. I’ve never tried it, but it’s described as being very melt-in-your mouth, like the fatty bits in charcuterie meats or sashimi.
Ahhh that’s how he described it! Melt in your mouth. Growing up my dad always made us eat all the grizzle or fat off of stakes and such. I will try it if I ever get a chance!
Even though Westerners are aghast, seal fur makes a great hat.
on baffin island there's mount thor which has the longest vertical drop on earth at 4k ft that's all I know
Wow, that thing looks primeval
It IS primeval! It's some of the oldest exposed stone on earth, about 3.5 billion years old.
Precambrian. Nice. Got to love Precambrian basement.
It doesn't even seem real, like it's straight out of some fantasy fiction. It feels like it's defying the laws of physics.
Glaciers yo!
Baffin and the surrounding land is interesting, glacial sculpted land. Some of the rocks there are the oldest on the surface.
Interesting
>mount thor 27(ish) second free fall.
I probably wouldn't last much longer if I were to Mount Thor. I mean the dude is hot AF.
Can confirm, would not last that long either
That's about 75% of the entire height of the mountain from the base. Damn.
It gets generally good reviews (except for it’s restaurants): https://maps.app.goo.gl/eBLJ31CA7n7JXM5aA?g_st=ic
>Restaurants Funny enough, there is a KFC [within 50km](https://maps.app.goo.gl/suCmc1k4QTTyY5jX7) of Mount Thor Most northern fast food place in the world still further north [https://maps.app.goo.gl/xvZNiPsn53bsKSSq8](https://maps.app.goo.gl/xvZNiPsn53bsKSSq8)
Much more impressive than El Capitan but less accessible, so not as well known.
Stop spreading false data. That is clearly Mt Krumpet and the Grinch would like to be left alone.
Reject vegetable Embrace seal
A cool tip. If you have Snapchat you can view the world map and see public snap stories from locals in random remote regions of the world. Sometimes very interesting to see the bored Snapchat stories from people that live in the middle of nowhere.
This is a great idea
Ranken inlet especially has some really interesting snap stories! There were quite a few to go through. So cool seeing what life is like there.
That’s what I do when I’m bored lol
The Canadian Arctic Archipelago only has about 23,000 people, 13,000 of whom live on Baffin Island. Most folks are Inuit and still practice centuries old traditions and ways of life. It’s cold, barren, and beautiful. Lots of fjords, glaciers, and tundra.
Also in the circle is a chunk of Greenland, including Pituffik Space Base, which was staffed with over 10,000 USAF personnel assigned at its peak in the 1960s. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pituffik_Space_Base
I’ve spent two summers on that base, we know it now as Thule AFB. You can still visit the nuclear launch sites and the base is still known for having one of the world’s largest radars. I’ve seen the native animals from arctic foxes and even polar bears. I’ve done the polar plunge there and even heard Rob Schneider do stand up. Overall an experience I’ll never forget and would go again in a heartbeat.
you don’t want Nunavut
But have you ever been Inuit?
I laughed more than I should have at this.
Both comments are amazing
Maybe I Canada third pun into the mix?
Yukon certainly try
Both people that live there wish to be left alone.
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I don’t understand how mosquitoes can live through winter up there.
Depending on where you are, "up there" is marsh land through 1/3rd of the year. Actual prime mosquito breeding territory. The eggs survive the winter. Global warming is super obvious up north as things are getting more wet and permafrost is degrading causing little ponds and depressions to form that fill with water. Mosquitoes are only going to get worse. The damn things are huge, too. You ever seen a crane fly? (someone correct me if I'm wrong about this.. It's the internet, kinda redundant to ask for that). They look like big mosquitos, I tend to see them on the windshield of the car in the fall I think here in Ontario. Imagine those, but they bite you and are *fucking everywhere*.
Oh man I once drove through a miles and miles wide swarm of craneflies near the Ontario / Quebec border. I had to pull over at a gas station and clean my windshield off to see out of it.
Can you tell me more about living in Yukon? I am curious what it’s like to have the seasonal extremes of light/darkness. I follow a woman on Svalbard and think about her life all the time, what it’s like to live in polar nights for 2-3 months a year, and then in near-constant daylight. Is it difficult for you to adjust? Do you/your family have different traditions to lean into the seasonal changes?
I live in Dawson city. The population is about 2000 in the winter. That small population keeps 4 bars open. There is a casino. There was a massive drug bust a few days ago. It's a party town for sure but there are also lots of activities, we had thaw di gras last-weekend, alwaysa blast. There is a small ski hill that costs 20 bucks for a rental and lift tickets. Decent cross country trails that turn into good mountains bike trail in the summer.
Thaw di gras! Hah I love it. It sounds like a great community, thanks for sharing.
> Some mining I worked at a lead-zinc prospect there for 6 weeks in 2015. That was my first experience where the sun didn't set at night. The deposit looks good but requires building of a ~300km all-weather road to be viable, so maybe in another 10-12 years when all the permafrost has melted. Ahh, I made myself sad
We're getting a thaw in Alaska right now...the state birds will be upon us soon
😆
It’s about as close to end of the earth as you’re gonna get
Sold. I’ll book the flight now
I just read a great book about some of the things that go on up there. It’s called The Terror. It’s a fictional tale, loosely based on an actual expedition that was sent to find a northern passage, and disappeared.
I’m assuming it’s the book the AMC show was based off of?
Yes, the book is excellent. Much more ominous and bleak.
I believe so.
Can recommend. Terrific book.
I’m reading that now! Around 140 pages in. Really enjoying it so far
Its so good but sooo depressing
I’ve read that book. Great book. Absolutely terrifying.
wait this is where they got lost in terror? This is pretty cooL!
Yes. The victory point note was found on King William Island, which is just a bit south of the middle of OP’s red circle. The wreck of the Erebus was discovered just south of the island in 2014.
You can also try Erebus, it's from Palin (from Monty Python) and it's his own research of the history and what went down with Erebus and Terror. And it's awesome.
Loved the book. Read it almost in one sitting. Palin is a really good writer, turns out.
I’m halfway through this book right now! Couldn’t pay me to set foot in that region now, especially not in 1845..!
I came here to mention that book. So good.
There's an estimated 40k people living up in Nunavut and the islands of the NW Territory. The majority of the people living there are Inuit.
Yes! You're mostly circling the Canadian territory of Nunavut :) most of it populated by the Inuit people and anyone else who happens to enjoy it up there. I worked in Cambridge Bay for a year. There's communities on many of those islands. Its fly in fly out. Everything is shipped up. In the summer large boats bring big crates of orders and things like cars. In the winter the water freezes so ships can't get in. So in the winter things are flown in. The history is rich and the culture is beautiful :) the language varies depending on the region you grew up in. For example in the Baffin region (Like Cape Dorset or Pangnirtung) the native language is Inuktitut, but in Cambridge Bay (The Kitikmeot Region) the native language is Inuinnaqtun and they are both pretty different. But many many Inuit speak english. And there's actually a lot more diversity in some areas. I worked with a looot people from different parts of the world not just Canada. Cambridge Bay was inside the arctic circle (above the tree line) so no trees. I saw beautiful wildlife and vast landscapes and mountains with interesting legends. Edit: territory not province whoopsies
Great answer
I did not know there was a tree line. It makes sense, but never heard it.
It's really neat looking out into the land because despite the fact that it looks barren its teeming with life. Animals like foxes, muskox, caribou, whales (whale meat is called mattak), fish, birds. So many birds in the spring!!! You dont see all these all the time, can be pretty rare especially near towns. You uuuusualllyy need to atv to find the big ones. But theyre known to wander near sometimes. Lots of foxes and rabbits near towns, wolves can get close sometimes i heard but never experienced. Theres interesting plants too. Many close to the ground. And really pretty purple flowers in the spring. Winter is really fun. Ice fishing, ski doos in the snow, skating, sledding. In some places the ocean freezes super thick and they plow it so you can drive to certain places faster than going the land route. Called the Ice Road
Fargo or Moorhead?
I recall a post on some other store of grocery prices in one of the cities there. Because some cities are very difficult and dangerous to access, produce is limited and many times overpriced I looked up a city on google streets and it was depressing. One (unpaved) street with a bar, a grocery store and a church
You can't really pave anything that far north.
Country Polar Bear Jamboree
A friend of mine lives in Iqaluit. She talks about taking boats onto big ice flows/bergs and taking photos of Narwhals which sounds terrifying and so fun at the same time. She goes hunting and fishing, and shows me photos of polar bears.
I read that unfortunately there's a lot of depression and alcoholism among Nunavut people
I lived up here for 3 years in two different communities. 2 years on Victoria island and one year on the mainland. There are a multitude of very isolated communities (most fly-in, some ice roads) across 3 territories (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut) circled here. Most of these communities have 1-2 grocery stores, post office, hamlet/government buildings, school and ice hockey rink. Many of the households are multigenerational with often one income earner supporting 3-4 generations. Sustenance (hunting, fishing, trapping, etc.) is still very much a part of the lifestyle here. Furs and cultural art are also usually a big part of the economy/ individual income. Groceries and goods are often brought in 1-2 times a year by barge for the coastal communities, while other food brought in by air. This leads to very high grocery bills at certain times of the year. Given the geography, these communities will see weeks to months of complete darkness in the winter and 24/7 Sun in the summer months. Incredible wildlife and fishing here and amazing people. A lot of history for the Inuit communities with residential schooling which has left generational trauma. Nevertheless, the people are absolutely amazing and have developed incredible skills to survive and thrive in arctic conditions.
There’s climate scientists that live and work up there. They study climate change. Source: my mom works there. Here’s some photos of what it’s like: https://preview.redd.it/2ezn4occzxpc1.jpeg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d75d2c6ae77b38132a67efd932ab3d894f7ab42e
https://preview.redd.it/aqz4ejqezxpc1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5b71aaad59df4966dce5cd21ad2e69dc94db296c This is how you get around.
https://preview.redd.it/9675ic9izxpc1.jpeg?width=694&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=30a9449e6ec41bbe3d81b1c5fc9dbab31a3aad08 His is how you arrive and how the supplies are delivered.
https://preview.redd.it/43wof9tlzxpc1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ecd55fadb29ef319efed0262b5dda659e0ed9cbc This is what 3am looks like.
https://preview.redd.it/4r9bkm5rzxpc1.jpeg?width=343&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=44244a2373789b8b4387e477f05a92978910b4ea And all the animals are huge
This is so cool, thanks for sharing all this!!!
Yes people absolutely do live up here. This area is a split between Canada's Northwest Territory (west half) and Nunavut (east half). The majority of those who live there are Inuit (90%). Most houses are highly insulated and built on steel stilts due to permafrost and exposed bedrock. Logistics are based around air-lifts, sea-lifts, and ice-roads (on the mainland). There are many social issues which can be traced to historical mistreatment by the Cdn government and isolation, but many traditional skills are still practiced in many communities. Source: lived and worked in small Nunavut community for 3 years. Feel free to message me for any other details/questions.
There are some scattered towns in the lower part I don't know much about but the upper part is the "high arctic" and it is desolit. There are some weather stations that are manned a a national park. It is the land of yaks, arctic wolves, polar bears, narwhals and seals. Vegetation i low growing and sparse. It's beautiful and interesting up there but very foreboding.
In Northwest Territories and Nunavut you are much more likely to find musk ox rather than yak. Yak you will find in the Himalaya region, as well as some in Mongolia and Siberia.
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OH, and I forgot mountains. There are mountains on them their islands.
Desolate*
On the westerly part, there's a permanent all season road that goes up to Tuktoyaktuk. Everything is very heavily subsidized by the federal government. If you look up Tuktoyaktuk on YouTube, there's lots of videos about it.
No more then 20,000 people live in that entire area I would say. Most Inuit. Not a whole lot goes on there but I think a mine or two. It's frozen tundra with no trees and a very harsh climate.
That is Nunavut Canada. I’ve luckily had the opportunity to travel there. It’s stunning landscape. Arctic tundra with little vegetation. Home of the narwhal, beluga whales and polar bears. As well as Inuit culture. Don’t underestimate this land. If you have a chance to go do it!
I love that this sub exists because I sometime wonder if I’m the only one having these thoughts haha
I love these kinds of questions. I never knew that I too wanted to know what goes on up there.
This will most likely be buried in the comments, but this is for OP. I grew up in the Canadian North. I don't live there now, but I visit regularly. I didn't live as far north as you've circled, but I've been there multiple times. I was once a passenger in a terrifying mid-winter drive keeping my friend company when he was heading up to work in Yellowknife but that's another story. Once you get just a little bit north of the U.S-Canada border, everywhere that is not a major city such as Winnipeg or Edmonton is essentially stuck in the 1980's. Yes, people are driving late model vehicles and have iPhones and depending on where you are there might be a random Starbucks. But people dress in older fashions, there's still a lot of small businesses, and people's attitudes are generally more aligned with people in the 80's or 90's. What I mean by this is, no one fucking cares that there's no brand stores anywhere. No one cares that you can't walk into a store and have instant gratification for your consumer desires. No one expects Amazon or UPS to deliver shit the next day. You just get what you can get locally and no one complains about it because that's just part of life up there. The north is also a very, and I mean VERY rough place. Most people respect the fact that you DO NOT mess with people that you don't know. It's also the only place I've been randomly assaulted by strangers, multiple times. It's also the frontier and you can't really count on help from the government or authorities. My brother still lives up there, and one afternoon he got off work and some teenagers were being assholes, sitting on the hood of his truck and refusing to move. Did he call the cops? No. He sprayed them with bear spray and they moved on. Was that wrong? Yes. Is that the way shit goes down in the north? Yes. As to "what goes on", sadly it's a lot of alcoholism and drug abuse just like everywhere else. Fentanyl is a huge problem and many people die from it. I've had several relatives OD and die from it in the past few years. There's not a lot of nightlife or restaurants, and most likely people get together to drink in the bar of a Boston Pizza if there' s one around. And you may be surprised to learn that homelessness is a big problem - that's because the ever increasing number of forest fires has displaced people that used to live in remote areas and forced them into larger towns. There's nowhere for them to live, so they just kind of exist on the streets. Depending on the city, there will be homeless people outside in extreme weather. Some do die from exposure. Stil, it's beautiful up there. If you enjoy nature, something spectacular is never far away. And if you hate people, there's not of them up there so they're easy to get away from.
Beach volleyball
Stayed in Iqaluit for a few months. It was a cool experience. The landscape in the arctic Cordillera is very striking and rugged. The people are very nice and hardy. Ate some pretty cool [foods](https://www.realfoodtraveler.com/lessons-from-traditional-inuit-foods/) Great video series on the landscape: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TJOlExsGRTU Here: https://arrivein.com/immigration/provincial-spotlight-introduction-to-nunavut-for-newcomers/
I’m not Canadian, but I know a little bit about the northern part of the country. It’s the same as your average Arctic Circle area. The biggest industries up there are fishing, hunting, oil, and mining, and indigenous peoples populate the area, especially people of Inuit and Métis descent.
Métis are way further South
Not a lot of Metis up there. White people would have had to actually have gone up there.
That's the Arctic yo. Like North Pole realm. Santa Claus and elves are up there.
Lol yes! I live in Nunavut. It’s rough as hell. Im here for work for the past few years. Fly in only communities, most of which have alcohol prohibited so there’s a brutal undercurrent of bootlegging and people will go homeless before they give up alcohol. Even in -50 degree weather. Drugs are a huge problem as well. Extremely high unemployment as the only industry is mining and the mines are often not close to the towns. The towns are kept afloat by government paying people from southern Canada extremely high salaries to come up on contracts as nurses, teachers, government workers etc. most of whom run away screaming after a year or so. As someone who has travelled the world and seen many struggling places, I’ve never seen devastation and horror worse than some parts of Nunavut. It’s also extremely beautiful and the landscape is diverse and unlike anything you’ve ever seen. Northern lights most nights except during 24 hour daylight in the summer. People are incredibly kind and Inuit culture is amazing. Many Inuit live subsistence lifestyles and hunt for their food. It’s also “lawless” and free in a kind of cool way. It’s common to see people driving around with a truck bed full of caribou heads or see people butchering an animal in their front yard in town. People camp and hunt all over the land and generally take good care of the land as stewards. It’s a really dichotomous place.
Canadian Shieldn't
Polar bears. You generally need to carry a gun or be with someone with a gun to wander around just in case.
The only part I know that's in the circle is the military base, Alert, that's situated way up at the top of the island chain, right at the point. I wasn't there personally, but from what my family members have told me, it's a small (100 people or so) base that could either be sunny the entire time you're stationed there or dark, depending on the time of year.
Check out the show “Life Below Zero”
Let me reveal to you my favourite discovery of that area, I present you [The Arena](https://maps.app.goo.gl/kpMD5RjiYR7jTUgW6). Check the reviews.
I’ll be honest I didn’t even know anyone lived in North Dakota. Props to you OP for being the only one.
I’ve lived in iqaluit most of my life. In the winters it’s cold and dark, in the summers is nice the sometimes the sun doesn’t even go down just like a constant sunset then it just come back up. Iqaluit is the biggest “city” with about 7k-8k people. Most things are expensive. No trees. A lot of tundra. My family is from igloolik which is further north and it’s the same but more winters colder are darker longer and the sun is up longer in the summers
Alert, Nunavut is our most northern town.
Canada’s northernmost permanent settlement is Grise Fiord, at 76.41691° N — Alert is just an outpost, with a permanent population of zero. https://preview.redd.it/ylu4d0liqxpc1.jpeg?width=1449&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7d422bb7617f4543caaa7545564bbc5cdf44e823
Polar bear sex
That’s Nunavut
Nice to see a fellow F/M flatlander!!!
Up there’s so much room, where babies burp and flowers bloom.
There's a great book about the Canadian diamond rush of the 1990's, which took place in this part of Canada. Barren Lands, by Kevin Krajick. Has lots of amazing history about Canadian high-latitude exploration.
Some of the biggest fucking crows or ravens (idk the difference) you’ll ever see.
If you look at a black bird and think "Ooh is that a raven?" It's a crow. If you look at a black bird and think "Is that a fucking cat?" It's a raven.
Polar bears eating seals. Inuit shooting and eating seals. Seals shaboinking to make more seals. Bitter cold & snow 9-10 months of the year. Summer is short, warmer, and loaded with mosquitoes the size of wrens. Probably fewer than 25,000 people live there in total.
I have a friend who lives in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut on the northern shore of Hudson Bay. He works for the territorial government surveying wildlife like caribou. Life is difficult and very expensive. There is a lot of hunting, whaling and fishing. My friend once had to kill a polar bear that broke into his house in the middle of the night.
it is soon to be a contentious international issue. as it thaws, more and more marine traffic will go through these mostly unregulated waterways. the Canadian navy cannot patrol effectively as it is too small and cannot backup its' its sovereignty claims. the Natives will wants some of it for profit as well. china considers themselves a near arctic state and they want a piece of the polar action.... [China: We are a 'Near-Arctic State' and we want a 'Polar Silk Road' (cnbc.com)](https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/14/china-we-are-a-near-arctic-state-and-we-want-a-polar-silk-road.html) interesting times
It is very cold, but there are also, somehow, lots of mosquitos the size of small birds. There isn't much there that can't also be found in more hospitable areas, so the few people that live there tend to either have been born in the region, or moved there expressly because they very much dislike seeing other human beings.
I did! I use to live in Tuktoyaktuk! I don't know what to report - absolutely stunning. Beautiful, a really unique ecology and social environment. I was not born in the north so I was always a bit of an outsider, but folks are very kind, generous, with a great sense of humour. A lot of folks make their living from the land, or supporting those who live from the land.
You know how much of that is habitable? Nunavut
Scientists do science. Submarines do war games.
Start walking north and find out!
You can't say chipper without Frances Mcdormand's accent.