Free Four Degrees Celsius by Kerry Karram Page B

family. [8] An Inuit with a rifle was a hunter in the new world.
    These gifts had the impact that Major Baker was hoping for, and by 8:00 a.m. the men had packed up and were ready to go on their trek to Cambridge Bay. Three dog teams, each with an Inuit guide and his wife, took charge of the Domex men. The howling excited dogs settled down once their masters called them to work. Fifty-nine days after the Dominion Explorers had taken off from Winnipeg on their journey in search of minerals, their efforts were now focused on a journey that they hoped would bring them home. The going would be anything but easy.
October 21, 1929
    Richard Pearce’s Diary, en route to Cambridge Bay
    We are about 25 miles from the old mud shack, camped opposite the end of Melbourne Island. We found out that dog-team travelling is not like it appears in the movies, with speeding dogs carrying mushers along. The real stuff is largely hard work, real hard going when the snow is a little soft … The boys are feeling muscles they never knew they had and the Colonel had to lean on me for a few minutes tonight to get rid of a cramp in the leg. The Eskimos built snow igloos and put them up in no time. While the temperature in them must be kept below freezing, they are quite comfortable … This will have to be all for tonight as I am too tired to write more.
    The group, though exhausted, was pleased with the distance travelled. Dashing behind the dog teams, over a surface that was anything but even, left them completely worn out, bruised, and feeling unmercifully battered. The dwindling Arctic light made it difficult to discern the ridges made by the blowing snow, and the men stumbled and fell throughout the day. Pearce commented, “Three weeks ago we could not have done it. However, we are doing the very thing we have wanted to do for weeks, and a little tired feeling is not likely to stop us on our way to the post.” [9] All continued to be busy until the igloos were constructed and the dogs had been tended.
    The building of an igloo is a remarkable feat. The very idea seems strange in itself, as the materials used to protect from the storms and cold are the same materials made by freezing temperatures and driving snow. Yet the Inuit had been building igloos for shelter since their life was established in the land of snow and ice, and they went about their task efficiently and quickly. The igloo is built in a spiral, out of 24x14-inch blocks, each weighing about thirty pounds. Not any type of snow will do. The blocks must be cut out of a drift that is firm enough to be handled by the builder, then placed in a spiral manner, each block having two weight-bearing edges. A snow knife, with a very long and extremely sharp blade, is the only tool needed. [10] The blocks are cut vertically into the drift, and the depression created by the removal of the blocks will be the main room of the igloo, giving the family inside enough headroom to stand. Each block is fitted closely and made secure with a very sharp “pat.” The walls rise at an astonishing rate and remain secure regardless of the slope, because of the dense consistency of the snow. The flat-lying blocks forming the top require extra attention and shaping, and the key block at the very top is fitted snugly to close the igloo. If the igloo is not being built just for the night, the builder may use a clear piece of ice for a window. [11]
    Once the igloo was finished, the Domex men removed all traces of snow from their clothing before entering the dwelling. This task was achieved by beating the parkas with a stick. Inside their soundproof and insulated igloos they chatted about the day’s accomplishment while the evening meal was being prepared. The foremost part of the igloo was used for cooking; the Coleman stove was lit and the food was pooled. Trout, dried salmon, a little bacon, and “other odds and ends” added together made a fine, hearty, and enjoyable meal.