It felt like we paddled into a different landscape today. As we headed south, Jf excitedly shouted “trees” and pointed at a few pockets of stunted conifers in a nearby valley. As we turned into the narrow confines of Moores island tickle, gentle slopes and a flat plateau were covered in lush green grass and bushes. It was quite a transition from the treeless tundra where low shrubs manage to cling onto the rocky tundra, barely a few inches above the ground.

The tickle bisects the Okak islands, barely 1km wide for most of its 17km length. I expected it to feel closed in and dramatic but the low flanks were shrouded in smoke from forest fires near Nain. I could barely make out the far shore. The forecast temperature today was 27 degrees Celsius and it certainly felt hot and muggy. What a contrast from wearing all my clothes and using two hot water bottles a week ago. A light warm wind gave some relief during the morning and after lunch became a persistent headwind that blasted at us the entire way down the channel. There were no Eddie’s to hide in, no choice but to put my head down and grind it out, watching the green hills slide slowly past, pushing on my feet for extra power. Two black bears scurrying along rocky slopes provided some diversion. That’s 10 polar bears and 10 black bears we’ve seen so far.

After 10km we came to the abandoned village of Nutak. A lone large building was boarded up. A neat line of 3 Plaques listed the names of people moved from the village by the Canadian government decades ago, and showed an apology and an acceptance of the apology from the Inuit people.

We carried on into the wind and an increasingly treed shoreline. “There’s white spruce, black spruce and tamarack”, Frank pointed out.

Landing near another cabin in a woody cove near the southern end of the tickle, Frank collected some green tamarack tips for tonight’s tea. We are about 150km from Nain. We’re not in a rush, we have 30 days food and it’s day 23.