On the shuttle from the airport in Edmonton, I met an lady who was a stewardess for MacKenzie Airlines, a long-defunct and nearly forgotten airline that served the northern oil fields. As part of that, she was once stewardess on a trip to the North Pole! The plane landed on skis, of course.
She told me the thing that really struck her about traveling to remote areas up north was the silence – a kind of silence you never find in our busy modern world. She said she hopes I get to experience it. I hope I do, too. This morning, I leave on a 3 hour, 40 minute flight north. It’s the farthest north I’ve ever gone.
Mind you, Yellowknife is already pretty far north by my reckoning. The sun was shining when I closed my window shades at 11:00 last night. The sun was shining when I opened my window shades at 5:30 am.
By the way, I highly recommend the Explorer Hotel in Yellowknife to anybody. It’s a great hotel, helpful staff, good internet access, excellent food, and very comfy beds.
And if you’re flying around Canada, First Air gets my vote for best airline food and friendliest staff. The breakfast they served yesterday was great. And the woman sitting behind me asked if she could move to the back seat because she had to feed her daughter through a tube. The stewardess said no, move to the front and I’ll help you. Now THAT’s service. Kudos to First Air.
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