It’s a long way to Tuktoyaktuk ! Starting at Calgary airport …
…….
When the plane is broken, hand out Timbits!
AirNorth is not Canada’s biggest airline but it has a big heart. President and Founder Joe Sparling can still be found flying Boeing 737s (maybe he’s in YEG sick bay with our plane?) and 1 in 15 Yukon residents either work for or own a piece of the airline. My adventure isn’t starting as planned but when you enter the north where Canada’s population is sparse (39% of the land, less than 1% of the population), things work differently. I’d prefer a working plane but so far I’m loving the personal touch.
Vuntut Gwitchin plane to the rescue
Never have I been so happy to see a plane ! The crew brought this over from Vancouver and at 2:50 am Air North announced random boarding. (After wandering the empty airport randomly it seemed appropriate) It’s more of a rescue bus than a fancy plane, but many people seem to know each other and the mood is surprisingly high.
Vuntut Gwitchin is a First Nation in the northern Yukon Territory in Canada. Its main population centre is Old Crow, Yukon. As the name indicates, the language originally spoken by the people is Gwich?in.