ᑰᒃ - kuuk - river

Joshua and I hiked around the Sylvia Grinnell River last weekend. It was an overcast, kind of rainy day, but we still enjoyed ourselves. It is amazing how different the land looks without snow! The cool wind continues to blow, but it is complimented by an ever shining warm sun. Although it is only +5, it feels hot! The river is flowing into the ocean, taking chunks of ice with it. The water is a murky light green, similar to that green color they used to paint operating rooms with. We think this color is caused by the amount of copper in the water. As big chunks of ice break apart, they pile up and create raging rapids. The rocky shore reveals hundreds of colors and shapes of rocks, green, pink, black, grey, brown, coral. Small patches of green moss and little clusters of flowers reveal that the brown meadows are on the verge of bursting into life. These tiny plants look so delicate, and yet they are very tough to survive in this terrain. 

Josh overlooking the river

Copper green river flowing around, through, over and under the ice

 

I love water, but I sure won't be swimming in this river

Thankful to be together in Nunavut

River shore

Mini ice chunk on top, large ice chunk under the water.

Everywhere we walked, we could hear water dripping

If you look real close, you'll see wild blueberries. Yum!

Purple saxifrage - Nunavut's territorial flower

 

 

 The Nunavummuit call this plant aupilaktunnguat, which means something like bold spots or blood spots in Inuktitut. In Inuit culture, the purple saxifrage has a number of important uses. First, the sweet tasting flowers are a favorite treat. But, like candy, eating too many too fast can produce a belly ache. The plant can produce both a green and a gold dye. The dried stems and leaves had two common uses: to make tea, and as a supplement to store-bought tobacco. Purple saxifrage also provides an important time-keeping function: when the plant blooms, the Inuit know that the caribou herds are calving out on the land. Source