April 9, 2018, Samuel, Kudruluk and I had been on a long-distance skidoo trip for four days in search of qavvik (wolverine) and amaġuq (wolf). About 172 miles from Barrow, our camp was set on the Colville River, intersecting with the Olamnagvik River. We had a 10×10 Arctic oven tent, two grub boxes of food, a wood stove (for heat), a propane stove (for cooking), sleeping bags, and caribou skins (to sleep on). Inside, daylight covered the tent. The smell of burning willows surrounded the area while the tent warmed up. Mouton parkas, winter boots, snow pants, socks, gloves, face masks, and fur hats were hanging on ropes, drying from the last ride. Outside, our sleds were opened and our skidoos covered. The sun was shining down on the glistening snow, giving off heat we hadn’t felt in months. It had to have been 10-20 degrees above zero. Being only 18 miles away from the mountains, the tips were visible where camp was set. With a great smile, Samuel said, “Let’s go find some animals.”
After eating fruit and cream oatmeal with bacon and then cleaning camp, we decided we were ready for the day. It was still morning. Samuel and Kudruluk fueled up and packed a sled with supplies to last us throughout the day and night if needed. Extra survival gear was also packed in the sled, just in case anything happened. Strapped to our skidoos were personal gear, finger foods, and water. We were ready to take on the adventure.
The time was now past noon. Leaving the camp site, we had a plan to make a quarter-circle run (avoiding areas we’d already been) towards the mountains. First, we left towards the Olamnagvik River. To be on the safe side, I was riding in the middle. With a skidoo in front of me and behind me, I felt safer. Bright skies allowed us to see everything in the area. Long willows covered the river banks; they were so big, they almost looked like trees without leaves. Continuing onto the East fork of the Olamnagvik River, we stopped to take pictures with the mountains in the background. Captivated by the view, we sat on our skidoos for a few minutes starring at the mountains. Facing south, I saw mountains as far as I could see east and west.
After taking pictures with the mountainous background, we continued drawing a quarter-circle, heading south towards Pingaluligit Mountain. The sun was still up and shining but was getting lower and lower as the minutes went by. It was my first time driving a skidoo from Barrow to a mountain and then onto a mountain. I didn’t drive my skidoo all the way to the top; I parked about 300-yards away and started walking. I heard Samuel yelling from the top of the mountain, “Haley! Come up here, you can see everything!” However, I couldn’t walk any further with my heavy gear on. Samuel and Kudruluk captured pictures and took videos at the top of the mountain while I took mine from the side facing north. They spotted six moose walking in the same area. Before leaving, the guys picked rocks to take home. Kudruluk stated, “A trip of a lifetime, I’ll keep this rock in memory of it.”
It was 10:00 pm then; it was starting to get dark. Once we had enough time on top of the mountain and enough pictures and videos, we got back on our skidoos and drove down. It was smooth and fast. I was warm and ready to continue driving for a few more hours, or what I thought my body could handle. I wanted to see more of the mountains while we were there. I was having a great time.
Next, we drove east between the Itqaliġruitch Ridges and then onto Sunday Ridge. Sitting atop Sunday Ridge, we were facing south looking at Killik River as it split the mountains. It was a beautiful sight. We decided to take more pictures. The time stamp on the last photo taken read 10:10 pm.
As it was getting darker and darker, we debated on riding longer or going straight back to camp. Driving straight to camp was our plan. We began driving back north. Over the shoulder of Sunday Ridge, we ran into a pack of wolves. They were small but very fast. The terrain was rough and there wasn’t much snow. Adrenaline began running through our veins. Without any communication, we drove as fast as we could towards the wolves. They split and so did we. Not sure of what I should do (it was my first time), I drove towards Samuel going about 30+mph. I wanted to grab my gun that was tied down to my skidoo. I began driving towards the top of the ridge. Once there, Samuel and Kudruluk would be able to see my skidoo headlight if they went further without me. As I was driving to the top, I hit two big pieces of frozen tundra. I cut my lip open from my windshield. Blood poured out of my mouth for a few minutes as I tried to catch up to the guys. Looking in the mirror screwed onto my windshield, it was frustrating as I tried to keep the blood from touching my parka. I couldn’t catch up to both of the guys for about 10 minutes. Finally, I caught up to Samuel after he had seen the first wolf. “I hit my windshield! I think I cut my lip open, it’s really bleeding!” I said. Samuel retorted, “What! Are you okay?” and without trying to ruin the fun, I said I would be okay. He went onto catching up to the wolves.
At the bottom of the ridge, about half a mile away, I saw Kudruluk chasing a wolf that was only feet away from the front-end of his skidoo. Driving into a little crevice in the ridge, I couldn’t see any headlights around me. I continued following skidoo tracks, taking any shortcuts whenever I could. About a quarter mile away, I finally caught up to Samuel. He was close enough to shoot the medium-grey wolf when I pulled over. He shot and the wolf dropped. Samuel had caught his first wolf! Leaving it where it was and marking its location on the GPS, we kept moving. Half a mile away, another wolf was in Samuel’s headlights. I caught up in time to watch him shoot it. This one was a black one. “Dang! Another one! That was cool!” I yelled but I don’t think he heard me. I was parked 30 yards away.
Kudruluk was now with us. “Did you catch that one you were on?” Samuel asked. “No, my gun jammed! It went over the ridge,” Kudruluk replied. Without asking where it could’ve gone to, the three of us rushed towards the direction we thought the pack was running. It was dark and the temperature was dropping rapidly. The top of the ridge didn’t have much snow; it was terribly rough for our bodies and machines. The wolves were getting away, though. We continued on and tried to find them. About half a mile away, we saw a grey wolf running. Samuel, Kurduluk, and I quickly drove towards it. I remember watching Samuels headlight bouncing up and down as he raced over the rough grounds.
We caught up to the grey wolf and Samuel was in range to shoot it. After putting up a long fight, the wolf finally died. “Congratulations on catching your third wolf in one day!” I said, as I was very surprised.
We began searching for more tracks in the area. We drove around the ridge trying to find them but couldn’t find any signs of them. At the time, we came to an agreement to stop hunting. Excited about the events that had taken place today, we wanted to take even more pictures, especially with Samuel’s first wolf. We started driving to their locations and picking them up, going in the order of the kill.
Reaching the first wolf, we were thrilled by the color and size of it. The wolf was young. It was short and had medium-grey fur with minimal brown streaks; it must’ve been growing into a black coat. I said to Samuel, “Let’s take your picture! Pick it up.” Samuel picked it up and we took pictures. It was now 11 pm, dark, and cold. After packing the wolf into the sled, we went onto finding the next one. It was down in a low area. The second wolf was black and young; the fur wasn’t too thick. Still in awe, I said, “Man, you just caught three dogs!” Samuel then tied it into the sled next to the first one. A sight I will never forget. Another half a mile away, was the third and final wolf. It was grey and small, alike with the other two. Joking around, Samuel stated, “They’re young; no wonder we caught them!” Kudruluk replied, “Maybe they were just learning how to hunt on their own.”
Once all three wolves were tied down in the sled, it was time for us to head back to camp. Since we were driving back to camp, I decided I’d listen to music using noise-cancelling earphones. With the volume turned up high, I couldn’t hear anything other than my music. Heading north on the Killik River, I couldn’t wait to reach the arctic oven tent to warm up and check out my lip. We occasionally stopped to check the sled. About an hour or so later, we safely made it back to the Colville River.
We completed our 88.9 mile run in 6 hours and 14 minutes. Samuel was very happy with the ride towards the mountains because he caught his first three wolves. This was something I’ve always wanted to witness but never thought the time would come so soon. It was also a great learning experience for me. I drove to the mountains for the first time on a skidoo, I watched and learned how to hunt a wolf, and I also got to maneuver my skidoo in new ways, keeping myself safe in dangerous situations.