drinking in the spirits on the rocks
cheap moncler outlet The Torngat Mountains have been home to the Inuit and their predecessors for almost 7,000 years, and their descendants still hunt, fish and travel discount moncler outlet here throughout the year. The name is derived from the Inuktitut word Torngait, meaning “place of spirits”. And as we walked around the stone built graves on Rose Island, Gary, our affable Inuit guide, told us about some of the spiritual beliefs of his ancestors.
moncler sale outlet “Torngarsoak was the spirit of the seals and whales and took the form of a huge polar bear. When the Inuit went moncler outlet mall hunting, the shamans would communicate with Torngarsoak to ask for moncler jackets toronto good luck. If the rituals weren’t followed correctly, disaster would follow.”
moncler outlet We had no moncler outlet kids difficulty believing Rose Island was a home to spirits. It is, after all, a sacred burial ground in a bay home to whales, belugas, walruses moncler outlet uk and seals that has been inhabited for thousands of years. More moncler outlet location than 600 Inuit were buried here in ritual fashion, many Cheap moncler jacket with their possessions, including kayaks and kakivak fishing spears. More recent offerings include bullets (for hunting), tobacco (enjoyment) and coins (riches).
cheap moncler sale Gary showed us the sod huts where his ancestors once lived. “They used whale bones and ribs for structural support and mostly lived here on the outer islands, travelling inland to hunt caribou. Igloos were only built for temporary accommodation when they were on the move.”
Farther moncler outlets usa along the beach we found pieces of chert, a sharp, glass like rock rich in silicon, which was used to butcher whales and traded as far south as Maine. More surprising moncler jackets on sale were the pieces of pottery glazed with images of Chinese pagodas that were left behind by the European traders who came here in moncler jackets the 17th century.
monlcer down jackets But best of all was the appearance of the Inuit spirits themselves. The first moncler jackets kids came in moncler coats the form of an Arctic moncler chicago hare, whose ears we spotted bobbing along behind a fold in a nearby ridge. So shy was he, we barely had time to register moncler outlet ny his grey summer coat and Alice in Wonderland pose before he spotted us and bounded away.
moncler outlet store And then, suddenly and magnificently, we were greeted by Torngarsoak himself. He came striding along the shoreline just as our longliner a converted fishing vessel swung around the bay heading for home. Enjoying the safety of the deck, our Inuit bear monitors slung their rifles over their shoulders as we all revelled in the mesmerising sight of a snow white polar bear strolling along a beach stained the colour of blood by the garnet stone moncler jackets for women deposited here after the moncler jackets men last Ice Age. It was to moncler jacket online be the first of many sightings.
moncler outlet online Next day, moncler jackets mens flying north over the mountains on a heli hiking expedition into the park, we gazed down on landscapes that were like a moncler outlet usa window moncler coats sale to the world’s geological past. These mountains contain some of the oldest rock formations on the planet, stretching back over 80 per cent of the Earth’s history. That’s a small matter of four billion years, and titanic upheavals were plain to see in the contorted waves of sedimentary rock that unfolded alongside us as we flew alongside the valley walls.
moncler https://www.hotmoncleroutlet.com sale Beneath us, shimmering lakes dissolved from dark blue through to turquoise and moncler outlet store aquamarine as cloud shadows crossed moncler coats for men the hills and valleys. We could trace the flow of water from the highest peaks, across the glaciated uplands and then down through ravines and runnels to the cheap moncler jackets valleys below. The effect was like looking down on a network of Moncler Factory Outlet capillaries and veins flowing in reverse into the moncler coats for women arterial rivers.
moncler outlet sale Remoteness is a relative term, moncler outlet online but moncler coats outlet by any moncler outlet standards, these mountains are remote. Until 2007, when Kangidluasuk Base Camp was established, getting here required deep pockets and expedition style resources. But now the camp is home to more than 40 researchers.
cheap moncler jackets As moncler outlets uk well as its scientific community, the camp welcomes a small number of tourists. I was with a group of six, mostly Canadians and Americans. Taking daily excursions on Zodiacs and longliners, as well as hiking and heli hiking into the mountains, many visitors also come to learn about Inuit heritage and moncler coats for kids to visit archaeological sites.
The camp overlooks St John’s Bay and is organised like a permanent expedition base camp, centred on a canteen style kitchen with adjacent dining and meeting room areas. This is surrounded by the largest solar panel complex in Labrador, while electrically alarmed fencing and armed bear guards on 24 hour watch protect the perimeter moncler jackets outlet of the camp. Tourists stay in comfortable yurt style tents with wood burning stoves.
moncler mens jackets A couple of hours south by longliner is the Moravian settlement of Hebron, one of the big attractions of a stay at Kangidluasuk. The Moravians were a German missionary movement who built a settlement here in 1831. Although the settlement often fell prey to outbreaks of tuberculosis and flu, over the years it became an important Inuit community.
buy moncler jackets But disaster struck in 1959 when the 58 families who lived there were relocated farther south against their will. Separated from their traditional way of life, they fell prey to alcoholism. Today, the stark beauty of the settlement’s location moncler outlet canada is tempered by the air of melancholy that hangs over the deserted buildings.
cheap moncler On our last day, Gary escorted us on the Official Moncler Outlet longliner to North Arm, perhaps the most awe inspiring of the nearby fjords. Towering over us were 3,000ft cliffs, as he recounted the Inuit legend of a giant who, finding the fjord too narrow to walk through, sat down and pushed the moncler jacket outlet mountains apart with his feet. Sure enough, his footprints were plain to see high on the cliffs above us.
cheap moncler coats At the end of the fjord is moncler coats for cheap a small tented camp for overnight stays on the beach. Nearby are the excavations of 5,000 year old food caches used by the Inuit during the winter moncler jackets canada months. In the hills beyond is a 200ft waterfall flowing into a turquoise coloured lake where Gary used to roam as a boy. But for me, the experience will always be memorable for the 10lb Arctic char I landed on the beach with my first buy moncler jackets toronto cast. Torngarsoak must have been watching over me. Prices include return flights from London to Goose Bay; two nights’ accommodation, room only, at Goose Bay (one at the beginning and one at the end of the holiday); flights from Goose Bay to Torngat moncler coats cheap Mountains National Park and either four or seven nights at the Torngat Base Camp on full board. Also included are visits to mountain top cheap moncler lakes and coastal fjords; a chance cheap moncler jackets outlet to share the traditional ways of the cheap moncler coats for women Inuit; polar bear watching; whale watching; and sightseeing by helicopter. Departures take place from mid June to the end of August, 2013. A trip to Torngat can be combined with visits to other parts of Newfoundland, Labrador and Canada.