Over the past week the community of Tsiigehtchic officially went into Isolation. This happens twice per year: once in fall, and once in spring. Once ice starts forming on the Mackenzie River, the ferry can’t cross anymore, and the ice is too week to support cars and snowmobiles. We have to wait for the ice to become thick enough that it can be turned into an ice road. Once that happens, we’ll be reconnected by an ice bridge to the Dempster Highway.

Over the last few days, the ferry was pushing several inches of ice to break through the river. The captain sent some footage of what it looked like from the bridge.

The Ferry made its last departure from Tsiigehtchic last Sunday. On it, was our principal who needed to get out of Tsiigehtchic for urgent medical care. Another of our teachers has a medical appointment later in the week. She’ll be flying out by helicopter. We are hoping things go well for both of them, and that they’ll be back before too long.

During isolation we will get weekly shipments of food and mail by helicopter. The 15-minute helicopter ride from here to Inuvik, all of fifteen minutes, costs in the range of $1500-3000. Slightly more than the $450 cab ride I was used to.

Aside from the fact that we’re “in isolation,” and that a few times a day you can hear a helicopter landing down by the ferry landing, it doesn’t feel all too different. Aside from one weekend in October when I travelled out of town, I’ve been here each weekend. I provisioned all my dehydrated and dried food for the year, and consequently, I’ve hardly needed to purchase any food, beyond fresh or frozen vegetables.

It feels more silent by the river now. Just days after the ferry stopped running, the ferry landing had frozen in. The distant rumble of the diesel marine engines has gone silent. There’s just a rush of wind blowing over the icy Mackenzie. Moments like this make me feel like I’m in the Arctic. Then I remember it’s barely November, I’m wearing a Parka, and squatting beside a three-foot pile of ice.

Over on the Tsiigentjik River, the ice is already solid enough that people are out setting under-ice fish nets. I’ve even seen skidoo tracks out there. It’s called “isolation,”” but it doesn’t really feel isolating at all.