The Road to the Top of the World

Kujawinski is not quite right when it comes to Great Bear's uranium mine and its product during World War Two. True, the mine at Port Radium produced uranium ore -- but a small amount and of very low grade compared to the rich ore from the Congo. It is, however, true that the same government-owned company that mined ore at Port Radium refined it -- on the shores of Lake Ontario. That's where the Congolese ore went, along with the little that Port Radium could ship. That is the ore that went into the atomic bombs of 1945. Despite its low grade, Port Radium uranium continued to be produced until 1960, because of the US government's interest in corralling all conceivable uranium sources into its supply chain.

We hunt beluga whales along the coast of the Beaufort Sea. We used to hunt near Kittagazuit, 25 miles east of Tuk, at the mouth of the Mackenzie River where the ice road leaves the delta and goes into the Beaufort Sea. The huge river deposits all it's silt at this mouth. The water is no deeper than thirty or forty feet, not thirty-three hundred as he suggests. But that was the only inaccuracy I noticed. Usually writers shower their articles about the north with exaggeration and romantic flowery adjectives. But I'll raise a bowl of steaming hot reindeer stew to this fine piece of prose. If and when you do come north, bring a little gift for the children or the elders that will surely photograph. A nice pocketknife, a colorful hanker-chief, or bubble gum, will get you the greatest smiles. The true they say, lies due north.

My family and I lived in Inuvik for over 5 years during which time we travelled the ice road to Akalivk, drove the Demster to Fort MacPherson and enjoyed the people and the peacfulness of the region. I recall vividly taking a dog sled ride around a herd of Reindeer (not Caribou) while the local hunters offered us a tase of reindeer stew. I like caribou steaks better but it was years later, when travelling through Frobisher Bay that I got to taste that delecacy. I truly miss those days living in the Arctic and this article describes it to a tee. Thanks

Beautiful images. One of the things I cannot help thinking about Jayda's mixed feelings about the the road. It seems to be a continuing story when destinations are made more accessible to visitors. There's the positive part of access and economic development and the other side of how this road will affect the local communities. It seems to be a concurrent theme not only here but in many other remote parts of the world.
http://diningtraveler.com

Very sad news. It's too bad human beings just cannot leave anything on this earth alone.

I believe in North America the correct name for the animals in your picture of Northern Canada is Caribou not Reindeer.

Breathtaking photos of an absolutely glorious place! Mr. Kujawinski, I am by no means a cold weather person, but your article and these sumptuous photographs are irresistible. I've never seen reindeer or the northern lights, though I'd like to. Sounds like I need to, soon, and even try that ice bridge while it's still there. I'd honestly love to see this part of Mother Nature and Mother Earth in all of her unspoiled splendor, while I can and before climate change makes things worse.

Thank you. Thank you so much and to my fellow earthlings, human and non-human, who live there: hello.

I bid everyone peace.

2-14-16@6:40 pm

Thanks for this fabulous story about an amazing part of the world. We've been up the Dempster twice: the first time in 1994, and more recently in 2014, when we took our son. Both times we booked flying trips to Tuk and it was unforgettable. To those who have expressed a concern that the permanent highway will destroy the beauty of the area, I would point out that even now, relatively few people make the trip even as far as Inuvik. On our recent trip, driving from Whitehorse to Dawson City, we encountered local people who had never gone all the way up (amazing as it seems). Living in the closest major city to the western Arctic, we have met almost no one who has made the trip.

So while I'm sure that the new highway will improve the lives of the residents of Tuk, I'm not convinced that there will be any massive influx of tourism. The drive up the Dempster to Inuvik is awe-inspiring and peaceful (not counting the weather!). The nearest thing we've experienced to that sense of remoteness was along Highway 11 through northern Ontario, and we encountered a lot more traffic there than we did on the Dempster.

A lovely, detailed, well described scene. A wonderful example of good writing contrasted with that of the super boat. This so captures the end of a way of life and its remoteness, soon to be no more. And thank you for the photos.

It will be a record setting 88 degrees in Phoenix today, yet I could only finish reading this article with a jacket on.

20 years ago this coming summer I was fortune enough to go on a canoe trip down the Nahanni River. Upon my return I enrolled my 3 young children in canoe camp with hopes that they would one day have the same experience. Last summer my eldest began leading trips down the Nahanni. This summer my other son will be leading a 2 month trip from Whitehorse to Inuvik and my daughter will lead a month long trip in northern Quebec.

The North is a humbling place. It shows us what the whole world looked like once. I would hope that anyone who goes there returns home inspired to protect and heal this wonderful place that we have taken so much for granted.

Wonderful picture of this part of the world. I came to love the people and environment as a physician in the US Public Health Service, traveling to villages all over Alaska, including Nome and Barrow, caring for the Native Americans in 72-74. Thanks. Curt

There is a wonderful book by Helen Thayer: Three among the Wolves, a Couple and their Dog live a year among a pack of wolves on the Mackenzie Delta near Tuk. A great read for all ages!

I've been as far as Inuvik, a virtual metropolis in comparison, and to Cambridge Bay, which truely feels like the edge of the world. Kujawinski captures this part of the world perfectly.

Amazing photos-its another world to behold and something special to experience in life. 'Downsize to Freedom (free ebook) cash in, pay off debts and see the natural world while you can.

I drove the road 3 times, from Whitehorse to Inuvik. The scenery is spectacular, but the calmness and peace one finds here is what draws me to the Arctic. Excellent article!

I have links to photographs of trips from 201-2015 at the following webpage. The 2013 page shows an example of the severe water damage that happens to the road from time to time. http://tinyurl.com/juxo3y8

The highway is a fitting realization of the Canadian original motto "A mari usque ad mare" (From Sea to Sea) or its suggested modern modifications of "A mari usque ad mare ad mare" or "A mari usque ad maria" (... to sea to sea or ... to other seas).

Beautiful photos and wonderfully written. It gives a sense of place and the people living there. Would have liked a bit more info on the Reindeer Company, since it provides the background for several pictures.

I've travelled a lot and have been to Yellowknife twice. not too long before i'd been to st. john's, newfoundland and Victoria, british Columbia. my wife, who was Japanese, was gobsmacked at the distances and the fact we were in still in Canada. we went during January both times. it was close to -40. the locals were pleased great slave lake was frozen because it saved them a lot of driving time when they could go straight across instead of around the lake. the aurora was phenomenal....shimmering mauve and green which reminded me of curtains rippling in the summer breeze. it is a beautiful part of the world.

As a professional nature photographer and winner of the Canada Northern Lights Award for Best Travel Photographer, I enjoyed this piece. I am excited about the prospects of the road for the NWT people, but it also saddens me that the wildness of this very special place that I dearly love will be eroded, however slightly. However I will definitely not miss my terrifying drives on the ice road!

While reading the lovely descriptions, I kept thinking about the ways this highway, the capitalists and the visitors were going to ruin this wonderland. Am I the only one who wonders why government officials would authorize over a quarter of a billion dollars for a highway? Surely it is not for the benefit of a population of less than 50,000 people! History leads me to deduce that multiple, greedy ventures are in the works.

Because of my research of the tourism industry, I know that the residents most likely will, as they desire, see an increase in their financial standard of living and exposure of the area. However, this increase occurs alongside the typical decreases in a sense of community, security, health and environmental preservation. Additionally, the residents are in danger of becoming caricatures of themselves, objects, the 'Others' of gawking tourists. I truly hope that the people of this area will be strong advocates for their land and their identity, as well as, tough negotiators with those powerful ones who have vested interests in the highway and its ultimate use to meet their capitalist goals.

I have always wanted to visit the Northwest Territories and had planned to do so as a reward for completing my doctorate. However, the nightmarish images of impending destruction in my head prompt me to update the timetable so that I can visit the area while it is still as pristine as described in this article.

Beautiful, beautiful photographs, to compliment a great article. Here's hoping the road brings good health and prosperity for all along its path. And for those who would wish to exploit this opportunity, for their own personal gain: remember the polar bears.

The Dempster Highway is extraordinary. Fort McPherson, just past the Peel River crossing, is a remarkable community. The whole area is beautiful. Go. But have new tires on your vehicle, the shale parts of the highway can shred old rubber.

A wonderful piece, the author's soul is in this, the beauty, the tranquility, the peacefulness. Hopefully, the road doesn't change this.

Wonderful pictures. The Beaufort Sea is where a big oil company failed at the first attempt at placing an oil drilling platform. It was a spectacular disaster, with the platform having to be towed to Seattle for repairs. It's towline broke along the coast and billions of dollars of investment went crashing onto the rocky shores. Fortunately, no one was hurt and no oil escaped the platform. Several months ago I read that the same company was going to try again. Since then, I've heard nothing. As long as oil prices hover around $30 a barrel trying to plumb the Beaufort's depths in search of oil will not happen. The huge diversity of sea life present in the Beaufort is saved from Big Oil, but not global warming.

This piece is a gift. I live in the easternmost point of the USA, which is isolated and filled with astounding beauty. I know how difficult it is to convey the spirit of the place and people to others not familiar, or comfortable, in such surroundings.
With your vision and voice, it seems you have generously exposed the outer and inner beauty of Tuk Peter Kujawinski . Also, high praise is in order for the stunning photography (and fortitude) of Christopher Miller. Northern light indeed.

My first instinct is sadness, that the spread of human development, mostly technology, will soon cover the entire planet. it’s like watching a virus take over a host. But the people of Tuk seem to welcome it so my point of view doesn’t count. Let’s hope not too many visit too quickly so that the region might adjust and prosper in a healthy way.

The idea of earthly silence is one of the biggest draws of all. Not many places can claim that anymore. Kind of ironic because just going there interferes with that. Nice article, though maybe the double edged sword of information?

Wonderful article about a place most of us will never see and a lifestyle we will not experience. Beautiful pictures and well written narrative are such a pleasure to experience in our hectic world.

Having lived in Alaska and the arctic off and on for 40 years, there is no question as to the stark and vast beauty of the arctic, especially during the winter. When one can fly in a small plane out over the arctic ocean and look in 360 degrees and see nothing but white, then that is awesome. The arctic is a very dangerous place because of the weather, the bears and the isolation but it is also one of the most intriguing place to survive in on earth. Kudos to the natives who have lived for thousands of years in such a hostile place.

That highway is going to make for one terrific road trip when it is complete. Really enjoyed reading this article, which inspires me to visit Tuk some day.

Gosh those photos are beautiful.

I have lived and worked in Tuk and Peter has it just right about life up there.
One interesting point about the coming of the highway - it's due to be completed in 2017 which, coincidentally, is Canada's 150th birthday as a country. Canada will finally be complete from east coast to west coast to north coast. What a celebration that will be in Tuk!
"Tuktoyaktuk 2017 - Where the County Comes Together". Come join us.

I haven't quite made it that far north, traveling only to the top of British Columbia in my short time on this planet, but this article -- and those amazing photos -- inspire a deep desire to spend a lengthy amount of time in the Arctic. There's something about being in the stillness of nature that is extremely appealing to my soul.

Well written Peter.

This past summer I moved from the Northwest Territories to California, and describing the beauty of that untouched tundra with its enormous sky is challenging, to say the least. Most Americans I meet can't get over the frigid temperatures long enough to hear about the unrelenting beauty of this otherworldly territory. I used to watch the aurora dance at night out my bedroom window. I lived in Yellowknife for four years, and as much as I am loving a 60ºF winter in California, my heart will always ache for the sunsets, the culture, the landscape and the people of the Northwest Territories.
Thank you for this beautifully written article.

An excellent article! Thank you for writing in such a positive and honest way about one of the most unique and special places in the world. I spent a few months in the Far North many years ago and I mirror your sentiments. It left a lasting life-long impression. They say that once you visit the North you have to go back. It's an amazing place and it's going to open up over the next few decades due to global warming and the subsequent ice melt.

I have been lucky enough to make the summer trek from Whitehorse north to Dawson City and then up the Dempster Highway to Inuvik twice.

With the road to Tuk coming, I excitedly await another opportunity to return.

Words will never be able to do the beauty and tranquility of the Arctic and Subarctic justice: it is only to be seen to be understood.

I've been lucky enough to travel all over the world, and lived in wonderful, majestic cities like New York... but few places on this planet compare to the stunning landscapes and deafening silence the wilds of this area allow you to be a part of.

I would recommend it to any traveller.

Thank you for your very interesting article. I have spent quite a lot of time in the NWT and even once made it as far as Inuvik. What a nice surprise it was to see an article about "Tuk" in the NY Times.