The largest of my two bulls
One of my Arctic Char
Twin-otter plane that took us to camp from Kuujjuaq
(I thought this was the LAST plane ride I'd ever have)
This year's hunting adventure took me to Canada's extreme arctic wilderness where I was able to hunt caribou. When I say extreme, I mean EXTREME...I was in the middle of nowhere. This was a much anticipated trip as it took a lot of planning (a year's worth) and when the time came to head north I was ready. I knew that being away would be tough on a first-time dad especially since I would have very limited contact with Brooke and Easton while away.
I flew from Montreal to a small village called Kuujjuaq. From there I caught a twin-otter plane and flew north to our camp (aka the wilderness). After the fourth attempt at landing on the dusty landing strip at our hunting camp, I arrived safely and was immediately taken aback by the pristine landscape of which I would be spending the week. It was truly breathtaking to be surrounded by God's beauty in nature-as I looked around me I wondered if other humans had ever stepped foot on some of the grounds we covered. Our source of water came directly from the crystal clear ice cold lakes which needed no purification to drink. My trip was successful as I was able to take two caribou (our family can't wait to taste the meat I brought home), caught hundreds of fish, and spent time with God in His beautiful creation.
What I didn't realize going into the much anticipated trip was how much I would miss just hearing my wife and son's voice. After several failed attempts to contact Brooke from the local satellite phone, I became anxious. The realization hit me that if something had happened back home, there was literally no way for me to know... After 5 days with no communication with my family, I was finally able to get through on the satellite phone. 4 minutes and $25 later (yes, that's how much it costs), I was at ease to find out things were fine at home.
I was gone from Thurs Sept 1 through Fri Sept 9. I had an amazing trip...the trip of a lifetime experiencing things many can only dream about. BUT seeing my wife and son at the airport picking me up that Friday was the most beautiful sight I had seen all week. And to have my 10 month old little boy follow me around EVERYWHERE the following day saying "DA DA DA!" meant the world to me.
Justin
