A northern excursion marked a memorable experience for a group of local Girl Guides and their leaders.
A group of Interlake Girl Guides recently travelled to Churchill for an adventure that they likely won’t forget.
In total, three leaders and 13 youth embarked on their journey on July 22. They travelled by chartered bus to Thompson, where they began their 16-hour train ride to Churchill. They spent the night on the train and arrived at their destination the following morning.
They had pre-booked two vans to transport the girls and their belongings to a Girl Guides and Scouts camp located about 11 kilometres outside Churchill, where they spent five jam-packed days.
They slept in a building that also included an attached common room and kitchen. And they hired a bear guard who slept in a nearby cabin. The bathrooms were outside in another building — and anyone headed there always had to carry a horn to alert others if they saw a bear.
“We didn’t see any bears there, but it was for precaution’s sake that we had to hire a bear guard,” said Danelle Hanchar, a leader from Stony Mountain who went on the trip.
While they were in Churchill, the group was supposed to go kayaking but the weather didn’t co-operate. Instead, they went beluga whale watching in Zodiac boats.
“It was really cold and windy that day. The water was choppy, but we saw lots and lots of whales that came right by the boat,” Hanchar said.
“There are lots of picture of belugas up close on almost everybody’s phone. It was mesmerizing. I would go back just to see the belugas.”
Tribune Photos by Danelle Hanchar
The youth went beluga whale watching in Zodiac boats
The group also enjoyed a short dog-carting adventure around the boreal forest, complete with a presentation from the guide about his heritage and way of life with dogsledding.
They also went on a low-tide hike to see the Ithaka shipwreck and learn about the circumstances that led to it running aground in 1960.
“When the tide goes out, usually around in the evening, you go with bear guards and guides to walk out to this abandoned ship that got stuck and hasn’t moved in years,” she said. “It was really interesting.”
They also went looking for polar bears on a Tundra Buggy ride — and they even had the chance to drive the Tundra Buggy. They didn’t spot any polar bears that day, but they saw lots of other wildlife.
Back at their camp, an elder worked with the girls to make pins for their shirts, and she also made delicious homemade bannock for the group to enjoy.
On their last day, they had planned to visit the Prince of Wales fort; however, it was too foggy and the weather wasn’t great. So instead, they went whale watching again on a regular boat — and that’s when they spotted a polar bear.
“The girls were quite excited that they got to see belugas — and on their last day in Churchill, they got to see a bear.”
Tribune Photos by Danelle Hanchar
The youth went beluga whale watching in Zodiac boats
On July 27, they caught the train back to Thompson, where their charter bus picked them up. They spent a night at a Scout camp near Liz Lake and then headed back for home. For the group of travelling Guides and leaders, home includes the communities of Stony Mountain, Stonewall, Warren, Clandeboye, Winnipeg Beach, Fisher Branch and Winnipeg.
“There were so many different experiences for these girls,” Hanchar said. “I’ve never slept on a train before and we didn’t have the berths with rooms or beds. It was a different experience trying to get to sleep on the train, but we did it.”
The trip took more than three years to plan, and it got a bit side-tracked due to the pandemic, followed by increased costs for travel.
On behalf of the group, Hanchar expressed gratitude to everyone who supported their fundraising efforts over the years.
“We’re very thankful to all the communities. People were so generous buying cookies from us and supporting all our fundraisers,” she said.
“Some of the girls wouldn’t have been able to go without the community’s support. We want everyone to know that we are very thankful.”
Tribune Photos by Danelle Hanchar
