Kyle Kisoun Taylor Writes the 109'ers

HI KIDS. MY NAME IS KYLE KISOUN TAYLOR. I WORKED WITH DOUG IN INUVIK NORTHWEST TERRITORIES. I WAS THE ONE THAT MADE SURE THAT NONE OF THEM FROZE AND GOT THEM OUT WHEN THEY GOT STUCK. MY FAMILY HAS LIVED IN INUVIK SINCE THE BEGINING OF THE TOWN. MY GRANDMOTHER BERTHA ALLEN IS GWICHIN AND MY GRANDFATHER VICTOR ALLAN IS INUIVALUIT. THEY BOTH SPEAK THEIR NATIVE LANGUAGE. I WILL TRY TO ANWSER SOME OF YOUR QUESTIONS. WHAT TO DO IF YOU FALL THROUGH THE ICE? WELL, IF YOU FALL THROUGH THE ICE YOU MUST STAY CALM AND THINK THAT IS THE BEST WAY TO GET OUT OF THIS. YOU MUST GET YOUR SELF OUT AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE BECAUSE IT IS VERY COLD. WHEN YOU DO GET OUT IF YOU CAN MAKE IT TO SOMEPLACE WARM RIGHT AWAY GO THERE AND GET OUT OF YOU WET CLOTHES AND INTO SOME DRY ONES RIGHT AWAY. IF THERE IS NOT A WARM CABIN AROUND AND YOU HAVE A CHANGE OF CLOTHES YOU MUST CHANGE INTO THEM AS FAST AS YOU CAN BECAUSE YOUR CLOTHES WILL FREEZE ON YOU REALLY FAST AND YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO GET THEM OFF THEN START A FIRE. AFTER YOU ARE OKAY AND WARM AGAIN YOU MUST GO BACK AND MARK THE TRAIL WHERE YOU WENT THROUGH SO THAT OTHER PEOPLE KNOW THAT IT IS UNSAFE TO TRAVEL THERE. I HAVE GONE THROUGH THE ICE IN THE SPRING. LUCKILY I WAS CLOSE TO MY WARM CABIN SO I WAS ABLE TO MAKE IT THERE TO WARM UP. EVERY YEAR SOMEONE GOING THROUGH THE ICE AND DROWNS IN THE NWT. IT IS VERY DANGEROUSE UNFORTANATLEY MOST OF THE DEATHS COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED IF PEOPLE WOULD HAVE BEEN PREPARED AND DID NOT TAKE UNNECESSARY RISKS. I HAVE BEEN LUCKY ENOUGH TO SEE SOME POLAR BEARS WHEN I WAS ON AN ICE BREAKER CALLED THE AMUNDSEN ( HTTP://WWW.AMUNDSEN.QUEBEC-OCEAN.ULAVAL.CA/AMUNDSENENGLISH.HTM). POLAR BEARS DO NOT LIKE PEOPLE VERY MUCH SO THEY TRY TO AVOID US WHEN THEY CAN. SOMETIMES THEY WILL WANT TO SEE WHAT IS GOING ON AND COME IN CLOSE FOR A BETTER LOOK BUT FOR THE MOST PART THEY AVOID US. THEY MOSTLY EAT SEALS IN THE WINTER SO THEY ARE FAR OUT ON THE SEA ICE WHERE NOT TO MANY PEOPLE GO, SO WE DON’T SEE THEM MUCH.