I decided to go on a 'learning vacation' with the Churchill Northern Studies Centre. It seemed right up my alley. I would get to tour around with other people with the same interests, while also learning from an expert in the field through lectures at night. I signed up and waited for Via to have its 50% off sale.
In early June, there was a train derailment between Gillam and Churchill. As there are no roads into the town, and I'd already booked my train ticket, I started to get a bit worried. The train issues dragged on, and I started to think this might be to my advantage. If the derailment was publicised, maybe people would postpone their trips, therefore making my trip in economy a bit more comfy. I was in luck! On my way up to Churchill, there were only a few of us going the whole distance. The car was almost empty.
I decided to get off in Thompson, and fly from there to Churchill, as I was able to get a seat sale. In Thompson, I shared a room with Mel. We'd met on the train, thanks to an older man who was telling us about his life in Churchill, and as we were both heading to Churchill, and had just spent 30+ hours on the train, we decided it was ok. The next morning Mel, a Swiss man and his son, and a Japanese student (all who had been on the train) got on the one hour flight to Churchill.
Let me start by saying I love Churchill! I ended up spending 10 whole days there, and by the end, almost wanted to move there.
I went whale watching 4 times. Twice I was in the big tour boat run by Sea North Tours. Once I was in a zodiac and once I was in a kayak. I saw loads of whales. Every time it was so exciting! Many of the whales were babies, so that was neat too.
The most exciting trip out was the kayaking one. I ended up being paired with a Chinese student who'd never been in a kayak before. To add to that, it was a crazy windy day. We lasted about 45 minutes in the kayak before I asked Remi, the Sea North zodiac driver, if we could go with him. Man, am I glad I did. About an hour and a half into the kayaking Remi got a radio call. As there is no coast guard in Churchill, Sea North helps out when there are water related issues, because they have boats in the water. It turned out that a canoe with 7 people had flipped the night before, and while 5 of the people had been located, 2 were still missing. We had to go on a search and rescue mission!! The whole time I was torn between excitement and fear. It turns out the other people were fine, but I got a great story out of it.
Another highlight of the trip was seeing polar bears in the wild. I hadn't even thought that it would be possible, but it was!! Over the 10 days I was there, I saw 8 bears. Most were mothers and cubs, but I also saw a male who had been injured and was hanging around the Prince of Wales fort.
Two fun facts related to bears: 1) There is a polar bear jail in Churchill. Any bears caught around town are caught and put in jail. They aren't fed, and have no contact with people. Eventually they are released outside of town, or flown down the coast. 2) Every Halloween the men of the town get their guns, hop on their ATVs and surround the town so the kids can go trick or treating. It's called the Polar Bear Posse.
On one of my last days I took a Tundra Buggy tour. This is a must do in the winter months, but my 6 hours were not wasted in July. While on tour I got the sight I'd been longing for. A saw a polar bear in fireweed. I also saw a caribou.
While there, I also got to see the first two freight ships of the season come into port. It was such a big deal, many of the people in town headed to Cape Merry to see them come in.
As well as the whales and bears, I also saw a lot of different types of birds. Luckily, the expert on our tour was also a birder, so he was able to identify many of the birds for us.
The Study Centre, where we stayed, was amazing. It's a new, environmentally friendly building, about 20 minutes from town. It's on the old Churchill Rocket Research Range. Many of the old buildings are still on site, and there are still rockets in the ground.
The town is very small, less than 900 people, but there is much to do. There are some great shops and restaurants. I recommend the Tundra Inn for dinner, and Gypsy's for lunch. There's also the complex which houses the school, hospital, arena, pool, bowling alley, theatre, library and town offices. It's a pretty impressive building. Everyone must also visit the Eskimo Museum.
I also got lucky on my train trip home. A few days before I was to leave, they finally fixed and tested the track, so I could take the train the whole way to Winnipeg. Again it was pretty empty, and as I was the only person in economy going the entire way, I got to be safety monitor. Excitement!! I had four seats to myself, and they made a pretty comfy bed for my 40+ hour trip.
Overall, my time in Churchill was amazing. I loved every minute of it, from being splashed by a beluga, to searching for the northern lights, to meeting some great people. I'm not sure if I'll ever get back there, but I'll never forget my time spent in the Polar Bear Capital of the World.
I only have one regret about this trip, and it's that I wasn't there when the orca pod rolled into town. It showed up at the beginning of September. I would have loved to see that!
