There were several children. Two of the women were pregnant. The season was advanced and travel was becoming difficult. Emotionally too, it was heart-rending for some who had parted from close relatives. Annie Magaknak remembers her feelings clearly: “I started from Perry River when I was 19. I was pregnant. I was quite young. I was leaving my parents. So I was crying when I was traveling.”
Despite all the hardships, they made steady progress initially. But as they approached Tulguqtitiivik, near the mouth of Simpson River, after an advance of about 80 kilometres, the ice had deteriorated to the point where Kupluguk and Ullikattaq felt it was unsafe to continue. The group made camp to await open water, so their journey could continue by boat.
