August 7th - 14th, 2007  - By John Gunter   
      
Elu Inlet Lodge is centrally located near the northern-most coast of the North American continent at the foot of a babbling brook of a river called the Itibiak. The Itibiak River empties into a branch off of Dease Strait, part of the Arctic Ocean. The landscape is difficult to capture in words or with images; simply put, it's immense.      
      
The Elu region is home to an unknown number of free roaming musk ox herds. These ancient-looking ungulates have been designed to blend in well to their surroundings, so well in fact that on this trip I made many sightings of one of their close relatives which we jokingly referred to as musk rocks ;-)      
      
Other wildlife that call this hilly tundra their home include barren ground grizzly bears, Arctic wolves, caribou, Arctic ground squirrels, rough legged hawk, eagles and falcons.      
      
Although the Lodge is set-up to accommodate cultural enthusiasts as well as photography specialists, our group of adventurers was comprised mainly of photographer-types. As a result, our time in the Arctic Circle was spent working hard to acquire wildlife, culture and landscape images.      
      
Working against us was what was identified as the longest duration of cloudy, rainy days experienced at Elu Lodge in years. Past year's Frontiers North guests at Elu Lodge and our Inuit hosts at the Lodge have communicated that brisk, breezy, sunny days are more typical to the region during the Arctic summer.      
      
Lodge operators Peter and Martina are expert hosts. Myself having spent a considerable amount of time in the north, upon our arrival it was clear that my next week would consist of a full belly and restful sleeps. I came prepared to rough-it, but soon settled into my comfy two bedroom, heated cabin equipped with its own three piece bathroom, quaint lounge area and ample hooks and parts of caribou antler that function as hooks. Each of the three guest cabins has a screen porch large enough for gear such as tripods and outside footwear. To set the tone, our first meal started off with a well-presented shrimp appetizer. My favourite meals included Arctic char chowder and Martina's almost-daily baked breads, muffins and desert cakes. Of note, drinking water for the Lodge, amongst the cleanest, most refreshing water I've ever consumed, comes from the Itibiak River, directly behind the Lodge.      
      
When our weather did permit boat outings, we explored islands in the area to photograph nesting ruff-legged hawks and a gull rookery often visited by a determined Peregrine falcon.      
      
One day we hiked to a nearby lake, hopped in a boat and searched for musk ox and other wildlife. The adventurous day gave us an opportunity to discover one of the region's unique geographic features, beaches comprised entirely of tiny sea shells. Having climbed a hill to scan the horizons for wildlife I was able to confirm that, in-fact, it really is difficult to gauge distance and size in the Arctic. After my sweaty dissent back to the group I determined that was the last time I'd volunteered for hill-top musk ox reconnaissance missions!      
      
On one lunch break during a boat outing, from the top of a nearby hill we spotted a musk ox herd in the distance and hiked the few kilometers to get a closer look. Fortunately for us we were able to approach the herd of approximately 30 animals down from an elevated rock outcrop. Over the next couple hours, the clouds did part and the sun poked through. It was a great photography experience with musk ox, young and old, male and female exhibiting different behaviours.      
      
On account of the weather our departure from Elu Lodge was delayed about 24 hours. In that extra day we were fortunate enough to have a barren ground grizzly pass by the Lodge. What we determined to be the equivalent of a teenager, the bear was quite persistent in his intentions to scour the Itibiak River for a meal. The river acted as a natural barrier between us and the bear, allowing us to safely photograph it for a couple hours.      
      
Once airborne, the float-plane flight back to Cambridge Bay was uneventful, which is a good thing. Due to weather, again, we missed our connecting flight out of Cambridge Bay. The good news is that we had an evening and morning to explore the hamlet before our return to the south.