Day 7 - July 10
Sunny, 20C

It's a very calm morning, hardly even a breeze in the air. We've looked at the map and our progress and we've decided that we'll have a layover day here. The weather is nice and it looks like there's some good hiking in the hills behind us.

The lack of wind is a mixed blessing. With all the sand around us, it nice not to have it blowing into everything - but there's a price to be paid - hordes of black flies and mosquitoes make it difficult to do much of anything without wearing the bug jackets. After cooking and eating french toast (the kid's favourite breakfast) we head out for a hike. We don't see much wildlife and there's not much evidence that the land is ever occupied. This is quite different than our last trip when the hills around us were alive with herds of caribou. The only hint that caribou ever walked the landscape were some discarded antlers, gone past being bleached and faded to gray.

On the hike, the sky gradually becomes overcast and the wind picks up. Thankfully, this keeps the bugs at bay. When we reach the tents, we're all tired and decide a nap might be in order. The eagle parents bring food to the nest while we watch. The food drop happens so quickly that we can't get the camera gear out before the adults are gone again.

Brendan and Kyle with The Gap in the background.

After our nap, we have a supper of chili and biscuits which we eat by the beach. The weather has worsened again and a storm rolls in. Dark clouds pile up in the north and light up the sky with lightning - followed soon by the distant rumble of thunder. Sheets of rain are obvious, but the storm is passing us to the north and most of the nasty stuff misses us. I'm glad we stayed here the second night, otherwise we might have been caught up in the foul weather.