TUKTOYAKTUK
Kolbi Bernhardt says a newfound love of exploration was sparked by her trip to Ivvavik National Park earlier this month.

Kolbi Bernhardt, Grade 10 student at Mangilaluk School in Tuktoyaktuk, traveled to Ivvavik National Park earlier this month as part of a Biology 20 class trip. Bernhardt is taking the class through the e-learning program partnership with East Three Secondary School in Inuvik. - photo courtesy of Breanna Wolki

The Grade 10 student at Mangilaluk School in Tuktoyaktuk said while she had been thinking about becoming a doctor, the trip already has her thinking of other career options.

"I thought about being a doctor and after going there, I kind of wanted to work with Parks (Canada)," she said. "I could travel to different parks and work with people."

Bernhardt visited Ivvavik the week of June 8 along with two students from Fort Resolution and students from East Three Secondary School in Inuvik. The trip was part of the Biology 20 class at East Three, which Bernhardt is taking this year through the school's e-learning program.

The group gathered in Inuvik before flying into the park.

"We landed on a kind of a rough landing area," Bernhardt said. "The airstrip was rocky."

Students then spent a week camping together, which Bernhardt said she enjoyed.

"Because I'm sort of used to camping, I got used to it right away," she said.

Students went fishing, watched for animals and went hiking to see some of the park's natural wonders, such as the Firth River. That particular hike was one of Bernhardt's favourites, she said.

"It was very beautiful," she said. "It had nice and clear blue water."

They also hiked to a special spot, known as Halfway to Heaven, which features cliff-like landforms known as tors.

"There were a lot of mountains, it's high and rocky," Bernhardt said.

The land within Ivvavik was once part of Beringia, an area that didn't have any glaciers during the last Ice Age. That means many of the landscape features, such as the tors, were left untouched.

Many of the park's plant species are also unique.

Watching the porcupine caribou herd make its way from calving grounds on the coastal plains was a big highlight of her trip, Bernhardt added.

"We used binoculars because they were quite far," she said.

Bernhardt said her only disappointment was not seeing any grizzly bears. She had hoped to see at least one of the many bears known to roam the park.

But she's just using that regret as an excuse to go back.

"It's incredible," she said. "It's a place you need to go to."

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