A Sachs Harbour resident told me Reddi lake was named after his grandfather. It is one of the largest lakes on the island and hosts five different types of fish. Reddi lake empties into the Sachs river.
Manning (XXXX) wrote that the easiest path from Reddi lake to Sachs Harbour is to follow the foothills of the steep slopes just north of the Sachs River. This was certainly a fast and easy route, although it keeps you in Polar Bear country as the Beaufort set is within view throughout the journey. There were small undulating hills and generally hard ground, although at times I walked across fields of marshy green grasses.
There were many ponds along the route, and these were sometimes homes to geese raising their new families. The young goslings, who are not yet able to fly, are especially at risk from wolves and arctic fox.
While the weather was warmer, the winds were even fiercer. Around 3am on Day 17 I awoke to what sounded like bombs and gunfire. In fact it was just strong gusts of wind followed by the violent flapping of my tent. After waiting and realising this was not going to stop, I decided to start hiking. I climbed out of my tent only to see it almost immediately rise up and flip in a 360, with much equipment still inside. I climbed back in to hold it down and packed up all my equipment. That evening I camped in a dry river bed with 8 foot walls for protection.
On Day 18 I finally got a glimpse of Sachs Harbour. I came to an ATV path that took me up onto the hills above the river, overlooking the hamlet. As I drew closer I could make out a cemetery with white crosses on a small bluff overlooking the town. (Later I visited this cemetery and found graves of some of the founders of the community.) Beyond that were many neat looking pastel coloured buildings, arranged in rows parallel to the shore. It had a Scandinavian feel. I watched as a plane took off from the airport.
I walked towards the empty airport and eventually knocked on a door where I heard noises. A young man with long black hair – the first person I had seen in 18 days – advised me to go to the “Co-op” in order to find the hotel manager. At the co-op an RCMP officer offered to drive me to the hotel. When I eventually found the manager, she told me she was expecting me two days later (I had emailed her that I may arrive on the 20th). She was remarkably accommodating and wouldn’t let me pay her for the room. She told me I was lucky to have survived – she thought the wolves would try to eat me. Apparently the wolves have chased hunters on their skidoos and ATVs but there has never been a human attack.
Sachs Harbour was a joy to visit. Many of the older people came up to me when I was walking on the street and asked if I was “The Hiker”. They then told me stories of the days when they, or their parents, used to live and hunt around the island. All this has now changed – young people stay in the community, and they no longer hunt/trap for a living, although they do continue to hunt.
Two polar bears were carried in on ice flows just outside Sachs Harbour, and they appeared curious to visit the hamlet. Several people drove me out to look at the bears, and they talked about their experiences. The elderly people did not seem afraid of the bears – they suggested you need to be cautious but they had lived close to bears and understood the risks - but younger people were more afraid.
On the afternoon of July 19 I walked up to the airport and took the commercial flight, with five passengers on board, back to Inuvik.
