Tuktoyaktuk, or "Tuk" as people refer to it, is located about 187 km north of Inuvik on the edge of the Arctic Ocean. It 's not accessible by road except during the winter months (roughly between December and April) when the mighty Mackenzie River is frozen and a thick ice pack exists. At that time, weather permitting, people come and go freely and big trucks with loads of up to 65,000 kg hurridly shuttle freight back and forth because it is the cheapest way to transport supplies.
Martin, drove me, his friends visiting from Washington D.C. Danya, Tad, and Troy, and fellow Inuvik resident Emma to Tuk on Tuesday morning. The weather was kind of blah: grey skys, periodic blowing snow/freezing rain/rain, and a damp wind.
This is the time of year where the ice breaks up, so the road is being monitored and could be closed within 24 hours of notice. But, as you can see below, currently it's in great shape. Don't be fooled by the pressure cracks, the clear ice shows the pack is strong. In fact snow on ice is a bad thing because it can insulate the ice and prevent it from actually freezing thick enough.
As we drove we saw frequent patches of this lovely blue ice, so we stopped to snap a photo of it. The lines across the top of the image you see are made by a road grater to give a little bit more traction for tires, though a 360 degree spin is a pretty common place.
Tuk is a small town of about 800 or 900 whose residents live a pretty traditional lifestyle. We only had a short visit, so I can't really say much about the place.
Below is a boat that was used for 37 years as a supply ship, a missionary ship, and a shuttle for students of the Catholic residential school. Our Lady of Lourdes was in service until the 1960s and is now a monument.
This is a photo of the Catholic church in Tuk. It is pretty small and a little decrepit looking. I don't know if this is a comment about the state of the church in our time, or not.
Here I am, dipping my foot into the Arctic Ocean. Yes, it 's frozen. Yes, my sock is off. And yes, my foot was VERY cold following this photo. 
Our intrepid crew with their backs to the open sea, from L to R: Troy, Tad, Danya, Emma, and Martin.
Martin, drove me, his friends visiting from Washington D.C. Danya, Tad, and Troy, and fellow Inuvik resident Emma to Tuk on Tuesday morning. The weather was kind of blah: grey skys, periodic blowing snow/freezing rain/rain, and a damp wind.
This is the time of year where the ice breaks up, so the road is being monitored and could be closed within 24 hours of notice. But, as you can see below, currently it's in great shape. Don't be fooled by the pressure cracks, the clear ice shows the pack is strong. In fact snow on ice is a bad thing because it can insulate the ice and prevent it from actually freezing thick enough.
As we drove we saw frequent patches of this lovely blue ice, so we stopped to snap a photo of it. The lines across the top of the image you see are made by a road grater to give a little bit more traction for tires, though a 360 degree spin is a pretty common place.
Tuk is a small town of about 800 or 900 whose residents live a pretty traditional lifestyle. We only had a short visit, so I can't really say much about the place.Below is a boat that was used for 37 years as a supply ship, a missionary ship, and a shuttle for students of the Catholic residential school. Our Lady of Lourdes was in service until the 1960s and is now a monument.
This is a photo of the Catholic church in Tuk. It is pretty small and a little decrepit looking. I don't know if this is a comment about the state of the church in our time, or not.
Here I am, dipping my foot into the Arctic Ocean. Yes, it 's frozen. Yes, my sock is off. And yes, my foot was VERY cold following this photo. 
Our intrepid crew with their backs to the open sea, from L to R: Troy, Tad, Danya, Emma, and Martin.