On the Trail of the Nunavut Quest
Credit – Alex Ootoowak
On the Trail of the Nunavut Quest
Alex Ootoowak | May 08, 2025
On a cold morning outside my hometown of Pond Inlet, eight mushers and their dog teams sped across the ice towards me as I waited at the base of Mount Herodier. This 13-kilometre race would determine the jersey numbers for the Nunavut Quest, an epic annual dogsled journey sponsored by the Qikiqtani Inuit Association.
For the second year in a row, Oceans North was also providing support, donating $5000 as well as the time of yours truly—which is why I found myself acting as the checkpoint for the racers, who would have to swing around where I was and return the way they came.
It wasn’t long before Donovan of Arctic Bay and Qilliqti of Igloolik approached my checkpoint neck-and-neck. While some of the racers struggled to turn their dogs around given all the excitement, everyone was buzzing at how obedient and well-trained Tom of Arctic Bay’s dogs were: with just a simple command and small gesture, they did a 180 so quickly Tom was almost swung off the sled.
As my family and I waited for the last racer to show up at the check point, we looked with binoculars up and down the trail only to find Nanuraq of Igloolik—last year’s winner—show up from the wrong direction: his dogs had taken him on the wrong trail on this unfamiliar mountainous land. Even though he was very far behind, Nanuraq set back down the right trail in pursuit of his fellow participants and somehow crossed the finish line in third place.
Image – Julie Killiktee and Alex Ootoowak about to depart from Pond Inlet with the Nunavut Quest support crew.
Credit – Philippa Ootoowak
The display of skills was a reminder of why this event is so important: more than just a competition, the Nunavut Quest is keeping the tradition of dog sledding alive by passing on knowledge to youth and promoting Inuit knowledge and practices. While a lot has changed, we continue to adapt while keeping our culture strong.
This year’s race ran from Pond Inlet to Igloolik, covering nearly 600 kilometres. The starting race day started off with less then favourable conditions. But the whiteout was not enough to stop our fearless leader and elder Quvvaqtaaq (Charlie) Inuarak and his wife Elisapee, a renowned hunter and dog owner from Pond Inlet. The dogs were restless and eager after a restful couple of days, and as crowds gathered on the sea ice in front of town, the sun poked through to help guide us on our journey. I was tasked to be the last in a line of 19 snowmobiles and qamutiit in case anyone needed assistance along the way.
Image – Joshua Qilliqti Ivalu approaching the starting line in Pond Inlet.
Credit – Alex Ootoowak
The second day brought about a cool, clear sky—a welcome sight after the warm day prior, which had caused the dogs to overheat. During the morning meeting, Quvvaqtaaq emphasized to everyone unfamiliar with the area that we would be going through a narrow channel which is known to have thin, dangerous sea ice, worn away from high current, so we had better stay on his trail through that section. He also stated we would be stopping at an iceberg to collect ice and avoid drinking water from melted snow that was contaminated by dust from the nearby iron mine. We ended up transporting our clean drinking water ice for over 200 kilometres before it was deemed safe to melt and drink the snow and lake ice around us.
The first time we took down camp and packed up, it was a scramble. The support crews had to depart at noon each day to keep the 1 p.m. scheduled departure for the dogsleds, and while modern-day amenities like generators and portable internet devices are nice, they do not aid in the speed of packing.
Image – Lee Inuarak ready to depart near the first camp at Cape Hatt.
Credit – Alex Ootoowak
Along the way, we stopped halfway to have a tea break and lunch, as we did each day. Quvvaqtaaq told stories of our ancestors and the ways of the land, and how wildlife once flourished in these waters before the large ships arrived in this once-silent land. After tea, our leader parted ways with a small group of guys to collect a treat for the camp, while I and Niaquttiaq (David) Irngaut—our eldest member at 81, from Igloolik—led the group to our second camp. Soon after the tents went up, Quvvaqtaaq arrived with a load of aged narwhal meat, skin and blubber, which is a rare delicacy these days: the best time to cache the meat is when the narwhal have been at their scarcest in recent years.
The racers began to arrive that day in what seemed like record time. The trail was smooth and hard, and there was a cool breeze to cool off the dogs. Meanwhile, I was learning different techniques from the racers who were fighting for an extra edge in the competition. Some take the collars off their dogs before they pull, while others gave the dogs’ necks a trim to help cool them off. For food, some swear by their aged seal and walrus (said to give the dogs a boost in energy), while others went with a tried-and-true formula of Arctic char and kibble mixed with water.
Image – Vince and Uangnaq Inuarak chopping up frozen ringed seal meat in preparation of the dogteams’ arrival at the bottom of Milne Inlet.
Credit – Alex Ootoowak
As we prepared to leave the next day, our elders spoke of the water fall bypass we would traverse part way up Phillips Creek. In the past, there was a traditional travel route with a gradual grade along the east side of the creek that had minimal rocks, but the tote road connecting the mine to the port at Milne Inlet meant we would instead have to go up a steep little valley on the West side into a pile of rocks. When we finally arrived at our third campsite, everyone noted how less red the snow was in this area this year compared to previous years—a sign that new mitigation measures to reduce dust escaping from trucks hauling ore have been effective, as well as of the overall reduction in the amount of iron that was shipped this year.
Image – The iron ore stockpile at Milne Port. The end of the tote road can be seen leading to the stockpile from the top left.
Credit – Alex Ootoowak
Image – Tom Naqitarvik of Arctic Bay and his dog team. The pink tint to the snow is not a trick of the light, but the result of dust blowing over from the nearby iron ore stock pile at Milne Port.
Credit – Alex Ootoowak
The night seemed to arrive faster than expected, with the evenings getting noticeably darker the further South we went. At the next day’s morning gathering, Niaquttiaq said that the upcoming snow conditions would be even more challenging. There was a hard top layer with soft crystal snow underneath, which not only makes for hard pulling but is hard on the dogs’ feet. Many of the racers applied ointment to the dogs’ feet to help combat the harsh conditions.
Not long after our noon departure, the support team came across a welcome sight of fresh caribou tracks. As we do not have any more tags left on Baffin Island this season, we are not allowed to hunt them. Teman, Nanuraq’s father, said we should request some tags for next year’s race so that we could supplement the camp with fresh meat. Such an obvious request to make, and yet I had not even thought of it before he had said it! During our tea and lunch break, Quvvataaq told stories of our forefathers and the struggles to survive with starvation and battling the elements. The place names along this route have a deep history with people that many of us are related to. We hung on to his and Niaquttiaq’s words, and it gave us all a new appreciation on life that we often take for granted. The mountains of North Baffin gave way to the rolling hills as we ventured further south with signs of caribou all over.
Image – Quvvaqtaaq (Charlie) Inuarak shares stories about running dogs back in the days before snowmobiles.
Credit – Shanshan Tian
Arriving here meant we were just over halfway through the Quest, and the racers now had a choice to make. There are two main trails to Igloolik from this point: the western route and the eastern route. The western route is slightly more direct, but it is steeper, and we’d heard reports there was less snow and more bare rocks. The racers decided to go the eastern route, which is more lowlands and lakes.
Just as we took off, though, a wall of white came over us and made the next stretch slow going. The following day brought further challenging conditions as a crosswind picked up. At this point, both the dogs and their owners were getting worn down, and Day 6 kicked off with blowing snow and even worse visibility than the day before, forcing the race to pause.
Image – A blizzard kept racers at their fifth camp at Angmaluktualuk Lake for two days before it was safe to continue.
Credit – Alex Ootoowak
The tired camp welcomed the opportunity to get some much-needed TLC. Our timekeeper, Shanshan of Igloolik, also welcomed the rest day as she had been staying up very late each night keeping track of all the times and sending off daily reports to the local news! Our leader told the racers to feed their dogs a lot, and that they would have all day to recuperate.
The racers and support staff needed fuel as well. Throughout the quest, Niaquttiaq had been feeding me fermented bearded seal, something I had never tried before and really liked. Igloolik and Sanirajak are very well known for their tasty fermented walrus. As we in Pond do not get many walrus, we mainly stick to our fermented narwhal. But this bearded seal was right up there, and I plan to make my own this summer if the stars line up.
After a nap from a fermented meat coma, if you will, I decided to try make a hole in the lake for fresh drinking water for the camp and maybe try our hand at jigging for char. Niaquttiaq had brought a lure and I had some twine. Meanwhile, Lee recruited a gang of teenagers to help chip away at the 5-and-a-half-foot-thick ice. No need for augers when you have a group of strong youngsters taking turns chipping and digging.
Image – While waiting for the whiteout conditions to pass, Lee Inuarak and his gang of young guys chipped and dug a hole in the lake for collecting water and jigging for arctic char.
Credit – Alex Ootoowak
Once the hole was made, many took turns jigging with our only hook to no avail. That evening, the wind died down enough for Lee and his wife Lilu to host their “weather day games,” which are done during the quest to bring the camp together and boost morale. There were dice games, foot races, whip games, and cup-throwing competitions. Isaac, Niaquttiaq’s son and one of the racers, won the cup throwing and received a beautifully made harpoon head made by a lady in Pond Inlet.
The next day we woke to a blizzard even worse than the day before. We didn’t even bother to meet and just hunkered down for the day, making sure everyone had all the necessities like fuel for the stove and food. My buddy Tom, who was my neighbour through most of the quest, was a great source of wind shelter for my tent that day as he had built and brought a 7’x12’ cabin, as well as an electric pizza maker that he ordered off Amazon. Given all these amenities, we started calling the cabin his “mansion.” Nanuraq then admitted he had brought an air fryer and was about to make pizza pockets. I said I would stick to the fermented meat from the elders, thank you.
Image – Camp matriarch Elisapee Inuarak competing in a whip game during the whiteout.
Credit – Alex Ootoowak
We woke up on day 8 to a different world: it was a calm, sunny, warm, gorgeous day. Quvvaqtaaq jokingly asked if the racers wanted to spend one more day at camp and was immediately shut down. The town of Igloolik was notified that people were welcome to greet us as we made our way to the final campsite 40 kilometres northeast of town. That day I got to send off the racers, waving my Oceans North flag and yelling “GO” at the top of my lungs as each team took off in a full-on gallop onto the sea ice of Foxe Basin.
With supplies dwindling, the support crews were greeted at our final campsite by a small crowd of people who had come from town. We were all very well practiced at this point, and with the extra helping hands, the tents went up in a flash. Igloolik locals Nanuraq and Qilliqti were the first racers to arrive and were greeted by many family and friends. Some nostalgia came over us as we went to bed for the last time as a group in camp. Lots of knowledge had been passed on to us from our three wise elders during this quest. But I also reflected that having a warm shower and not needing to fuel stoves before bed would be nice.
Image – After two days of whiteout conditions, racers woke to a crisp, clear morning on their eighth day, and were able to resume their journey.
Credit – Alex Ootoowak
As dawn arrived on the final day of the quest, it was bright and clear, and some small hills were now visible in the distance. The night before, the locals had been pointing to the horizon and telling my nephew Evan and I about all the different places, but we hadn’t able to see anything. Maybe we were too used to the big mountains of Pond Inlet!
it was decided at the morning meeting that the racers would leave first today to allow them to arrive mid-day rather than evening. We followed soon after, giving them a wide berth so not to disrupt them too much. The 19 snowmobiles and qamutiit made it into Igloolik just before noon, with the flags of the Hamlet of Pond Inlet, the Hamlet of Igloolik and Oceans North waving from our sleds as we did a drive-by the crowd before circling back to park.
Image – Jinneal Nanuraq Uttak was the first to cross the finish line in Igloolik, his hometown.
Credit – Alex Ootoowak
Shortly after 1 p.m. the racers began to arrive, and many, many cheers went up as each and every racer was hoisted up over the heads of the crowd. It was a huge accomplishment for all who had travelled hundreds of kilometres over ice, snow, rock, and land. As our elders said, this is more than just a race: it is keeping the tradition and knowledge of dogsledding alive.
The final times were:
- Aiden Qaunaq of Arctic Bay/Pond Inlet (by far the youngest racer at 19) 57:49:11
- Daniel Inuarak of Pond Inlet 51:51:32
- Tom Naqitarvik of Arctic Bay 51:14:58
- Isaac Irngaut of Igloolik 46:55:05
- Donovan Qaunaq of Arctic Bay 43:34:44
- Lee Inuarak of Pond Inlet 42:55:07
- Joshua Qilliqti Ivalu of Igloolik 41:45:35
- Jinneal Nanuraq Uttak of Igloolik 40:53:33
Image – Last but definitely not least, Aiden Qaunaq is hoisted up by the crowd in Igloolik. Aidan was our youngest racer with a heart of gold and loads of determination.
Credit – Alex Ootoowak
