You could say 2022 was a year with highs and lows. It included a car crash, allergic reactions, a lot of remote work, terrific hikes, reunions with friends, some interesting stories and a memorable spring visit to Cambridge Bay, with its bright sun and endless views that included encounters with Ollie the Muskox.

I felt like a migratory bird heading to the Arctic: I just had to go.

And so, I was happy: for a couple of days during the annual Umingmak Frolics, held every spring in Cambridge Bay, I was able to be out on the ice outside town and watch snowmobile races.

There was even a canteen and BBQ set up on the ice. You can see Cambridge Bay in the background. Walking out to the races even required some skill because it was easy to fall.

I had always wanted to be in this western Nunavut community for the Umingmak Frolics, named after the muskox which can be plentiful on Victoria Island.

Although I had written about the Umingmak Frolics for years, going there was never deemed newsworthy enough to travel across Nunavut to attend and meet Ollie, the muskox festival mascot, myself.

But, after I first decided I would go to the Umingmak Frolics, I had challenges to overcome. Without the backing of a steady employer, for the first time in 30 years, covering flight expenses was daunting. But thanks to a buddy pass on Canadian North from a friend and cashing in some points of my own I was able to fly from Montreal to Cambridge Bay via Iqaluit and Yellowknife. Friends put me up along the way.

I also picked up from some work from CBC North, which was great. You can read some of the stories I did then and later in 2022 here.

While the Frolics may not have had a heavy news content, I ended up being in Cambridge Bay to cover the fire of the community’s youth centre.

Being so used to working over so many years while in Cambridge Bay, it seemed comfortable to be back in that routine again.

But even while I worked, I managed to visit with friends (which was one of the main reasons that I wanted to come.) These friends include Eva Kakolak and her two blind sons Ashlee and Anthony, whom I have known for years. Ashlee, on the right, played some music for me when I stopped by.

And then it was back to island life in my home base in southern Quebec from which I ended up working remotely for CBC until the end of September.