We land the dinghy on the beach getting slightly wet due to the swells since there are no docks in Pond Inlet.

Then we walk west on the beach for about 2 mm and it feels really good to see the green hills and wild flowers. When we reach the river we walk up to the bridge but before we cross we stop to talk to a couple camping near an old abandoned settlement.

Kisha is a retired Mountie from Iqaluit and his wife Ruda is a native of Pond Inlet. He speaks English very well and translate in Inuktituk for her. They spend the summer in a waterproof tent she has sewn fishing arctic char in the river with nets. They heat the tent and cook the fish on a homemade replica of the traditional stoves. She has her Ulu and he has a harpoon/knife for protection from the Polar bears. He tells us to be very aware of the bears, that they are not very aggressive, but that they can be unpredictable.

We go to the COOP store where iceberg lettuce and chips are both $9.99. Then we go to the Northern Store, originally started by the Hudson Bay Company. The post office is there as well and a Timmy booth. The post-mistress is very talkative and is very reluctant to sell me 2 stamps for Canada. She kindly recommends that I get the 8 stamp book picturing a woman with a fur hood who looks exactly like her friend. So I do!

Then we walk past the Provincial government and the high school, past a very modern home.

Finally as we get ready to get back to the boat, we have a long chat with four little girls in grade 2 and 3. They learn English at school and we have a long conversation. They all have lots of siblings and many dogs, very bad teeth but bright smiles and seem quite happy playing on the beach completely unsupervised and talking to strangers.