It was late spring, not too late for travel by dog team, although carrying a heavy load was out of the question in the soft snow. Fox traps, and heavy equipment, were left behind. It was all they could do for the dogs to pull the sleds loaded with the boats the men knew would be needed once the ice melted. The boats were piled high with tents, caribou-skin bedding, hunting equipment, the box of HBC supplies, and young children. Looking like a band of old-time Inuit families, on the move with all their worldly possessions, the nomadic group made their way slowly across the sea ice along the Queen Maud coast, headed east into uncertainty. While southern Canada readied itself for centennial celebrations and Expo 67, these people were facing the biggest challenge of their lives.
