A departure to the Great North is a completely new experience. Successfully done on Saturday, June 22, 2024. A departure early in the morning for Kuujjuaq (CYVP), with two intermediate stops in Chibougamau (CYMT) and La Grande Rivière (CYGL).

Above all, it’s a journey into the unknown, so emotions are high when saying goodbye to loved ones. It’s not easy, it was planned of course, but nothing can prevent teary eyes.

Last loading of luggage, we spent a few hours the night before weighing and preparing everything, so it’s an almost normal pre-flight before starting up.

We leave the bad weather gradually settling over Montreal as we fly towards an azure blue sky to the north! The aircraft’s performance is exactly as measured many times, with even slightly lower fuel  consumption!

Uneventful stop in Chibougamau, heading towards La Grande Rivière. We’re not racing, so a small detour to tease Hudson Bay between Eastman River and Wemindji to enjoy the small islands within ‘swimming’ distance from the shore. Some isolated houses still, access tracks to logging sites as far as the eye can see, a few high voltage lines making the trip from La Grande’s dams to the metropolis. The vegetation becomes sparser, gradually giving way to the tundra scenery.

Flying over the La Grande dams before landing 2 minutes ahead of the Air Inuit cargo 737, greeted by a strong north wind. But at 25 degrees, we’re not yet putting on the tuque.

Lunch break at CYGL, with an unforgettable homemade clafoutis made with freshly picked cherries from home! The Air Inuit staff tells us another flight from Puvirnituq is scheduled to arrive around 3 pm. It lands, passengers disembark, and I find my cousin, a doctor in the Nunavik communities, among them! First improbable encounter of the day.

Departure to Kuujjuaq for a planned 3.5-hour flight. On instruments because northern weather is expected for the last 200 nautical miles. Sometimes above, sometimes within, sometimes between two layers, with views below of the bare northern landscapes, granite rocks, a few small streams, and above all, no signs of life.

Testing our HF radio setup, V antenna as per WWII lessons, and miraculously, we catch Gander Radio and the VOLMET providing weather for Luxembourg, London, and Reykjavik… very useful

Visual approach to Kuujjuaq over the village and river without incident, and we park near our 100LL barrel waiting for us! No pump in the north, so we use our siphon, refueling for the next day!

The fuelman kindly lends us his pickup for the evening, no need to return it before tomorrow! Immediately we feel welcomed into a supportive community. An Air Inuit pilot comes to greet Julien and wish us a good flight!

Nearby inn, a haunt for northern workers. The bar is open, we drop by despite our growing fatigue. A man at a table comes up to me and says he recognizes me. Indeed, it’s none other than our neighbor from Montreal on Hampton Street! I understand why I saw him less often lately, 8 months based in Kuujjuaq, managing Nunavik’s social housing! He offers to show us around the village the next morning, see the infrastructure, and talk about his first months here. It’s fascinating, no doubt about it.