♪ lively mandolin and bass Brandy: I'm a journalist, and I'm traveling across my home country - Canada.

On this journey, I'll be visiting some amazing signature experiences.

My next stop is in the home of Canada's Inuit people, in the Territory of Nunavut.

♪ piano (aircraft engines) Brandy: I'm in Nunavut and I've come here on an Arctic expedition cruise.

While I'm here, I'll be exploring some of Canada's national parks.

We'll be also going to Inuit villages and seeing some remnants of the Franklin expedition.

♪ piano continues ♪ stately symphonic music Brandy: I'm here in the bridge, onboard the Ocean Endeavour, and I'm with Expedition Leader, MJ.

What exactly is the Northwest Passage?

The Northwest Passage, so this is a body of water that goes from Greenland all the way over to Alaska and it is a very tricky waterway to navigate through.

It stumbled a lot of explorers for hundreds and hundreds of years.

And as the ice continues to melt it is opening up for cargo vessels and for passenger vessels such as ourself.

Brandy: How do you navigate ice and weather conditions?

How much of a role does that play in where you can actually land every day?

MJ: We approach with caution, we approach with knowledge so we're getting information from the Canadian Ice Services and we approach with a very skilled team of captains and ice navigators that have years and years and years of experience in navigating through ice.

Brandy: The ice was fatal fo the doomed Franklin expedition.

Sir John Franklin was an English Royal Navy officer and explorer of the Arctic.

In 1845 he left England with two ships looking for the famous Northwest Passage.

The Franklin Expedition and all its crew disappeared in 1848.

Recently, Franklin's ships HMS Erebus and HMS Terror were discovered at the bottom of two separate Arctic bays in Nunavut.

Three graves of the first men to die on the expedition were found long ago on Beechey Island near Resolute Bay.

For those who love history, our stop at Beechey Island really brings you back to the Northwest Passage Expedition when Franklin came here with his crew hoping to find that route.

There are three graves here of the crew members who died and you can visit those graves and imagine what their last days were like - and the bleakness of this environment, the grey sky, the snow all around and its really, really cold.

Just stirs up your imagination and makes you think a lot about what they may have faced on their final days.

And who are the three people that died?

Well there's three sailors off the ship: Braine, Torrington and Hartnell.

Young men... in their twenties, and one of them in his thirties.

And what do they think happened to those men?

McGoogan: Well that's been part of the mystery.

They've all had tuberculosis and they were emaciated.

We've been... we've been wrestling with that question for about thirty years.

Lead poisoning may have played a part.

The question then becomes: "How did they contract that?"

But what I'm happy to report is, that we're kind of starting a whole new chapter because until now this has been the major site, but with the Erebus and the Terror, we're going to be discovering a whole new world of information and that is, that is quite exciting.

♪ slow symphonic with woodwind Dawson: So we just came over from gravesites over on the other side of the island and now we're here at Northumberland House.

This house was built in 1852 by the British Admiralty.

And they sent five ships over here.

So, enormous expedition and it was in search of Franklin.

And what I think is really interesting about this... this house and this search is that we managed to map more of the Canadian Arctic in our search for Franklin than Franklin actually did when he was here, searching for the Northwest Passage.

So we have the disaster of Franklin to thank for the mapping of this entire region.

♪ faster-paced orchestral Brandy: One of the most exciting parts of this arctic expedition is visiting Canada's national parks.

On this voyage, we explored three parks, Sirmilik, Auyuittuq and Qausuittuq.

These remote northern national parks are incredibly difficult to reach.

From our expedition ship we need to ride Zodiacs to reach shore.

Auyuittuq National Park is the most accessible national park in Nunavut.

Each year about two to three hundred people visit here.

We're here in Auyuittuq National Park, in Nunavut and that means "land that never melts" in Inuktitut.

And you can come here and explore but there's little vegetation, so your chances of seeing wildlife are very low.

But this place is famous for its glaciers, fjords and beautiful ice fields.

♪ quiet, stately orchestral I'm in Qausuittuq National Park and it's so exciting to be here because only a handful of people have ever come upon these shores.

We're the first expedition vessel that's ever been to the National Park since it opened in 2015 and there's also polar bears here.

And I know this because right above me are polar bear prints.

So you brought a hundred and ninety eight people to a park that only had four visitors before.

What are you going to do with all the data that you have today from our footprints, from our experience?

What is Parks Canada going to do with that?

Well, this whole trip with Adventure Canada is really a pilot project to try and help us figure out how we can, or if we can, bring groups this size into protected areas like this that in many cases are very fragile.

I feel like we're pretty lucky today because the landscape is frozen and a frozen landscape is way less delicate than if it was wet and mucky which would've meant we would've ripped up a lot more vegetation, so we're taking before-and-after photos of the visit and we'll pass those off to our impact assessment team and we'll see what they have to say about the visit today.

Brandy: In the Inuit language Inuktitut - "Qausuittuq" means “place where the sun doesn't rise” because the sun stays below the horizon for several months in the winter.

The Park is a traditional hunting and fishing area for the Inuit.

Brandy: So Billy has been working with Parks Canada here in Nunavut for sixteen years and this is quite an exciting park to be at because there's some strong Inuit connections.

Can you talk about the relationship here with the Inuit and Parks Canada to make this park?

Yes, its quite simple, with Parks there's hardly any change with the Inuit.

We are still allowed to hunt and it's a bonus for us, for the Inuit because the park is protecting the land from mineral exploration, or any damages, keeping the way, it's natural, the environment.

Brandy: And what about the Peary Caribou?

They're in this region, right?

And that's a main part of why you wanted to protect the land, the Inuit people.

Is that right?

Billy: That is correct, not only the Peary Caribou, any wildlife in the park, inside the park, we like to protect.

You can see the Peary Caribou right across.

We can see the Muskox on the side and we have polar bear on this side, so it's good.

This park is full of wildlife.

♪ slow rhythmic tubular bell It's so exciting to be here in Sirmilik National Park in Nunavut.

It's known as "the place of the glaciers" in Inuktitut.

And it's exciting to be here because there's lots of snow all around us.

There's glaciers in the background and mountains, two icebergs behind us and you can just walk around in the fresh snow and enjoy the environment.

As the season gets colder, the snow is going to get harder and it'll be even easier to hike around.

Brandy: How many people, do you think come to this park every year?

Jamie Enook: About at least a couple hundred are visiting the park every year now.

We are picking up new guests to the park.

Brandy: And how common is it fo big cruise or a vessel like this to come into the park?

Jamie: Y'know, it's very common now.

We are seeing more cruise ships come through Eclipse Sound and through Lancaster Sound.

It is now very common.

Brandy: S o when you come to the national park here you're kind of, in a very remote area so some people might be worried about polar bears or if they fell... what would happen to them?

So how does that work if you want to make sure that you're safe?

Yes, we are living in the polar bear country.

This is why we do the orientation and registration for all guests and visitors and we teach them about polar bear safety and behavior of the polar bear and we always advise and recommend to hire local guides to be with them.

(waves splashing) Bear tracks!

Brandy: As we hike with Billy, we see polar bear footprints and two bear dens in the distance.

The opening of the den.

Brandy: And have you seen a lot of polar bears?

Billy: Quite a few.

Brandy: Five?

Billy: No, more than that.

Twenty?

More than that.

A hundred?

Close to one hundred, put it this way.

In your life?

There was one after we went whale hunting we came back to the same spot where all the carcass were and there were twelve in one spot, all feeding on the whale that we caught.

Brandy: Are you frightened of them?

Billy: Not when I have a gun.

Without a gun, I would be.

Like any other person would be.

Largest carnivore in the world so you got to be scared of them.

Would you camp here?

No, there's bear there.

Brandy: The best part of the trip for me was meeting the Inuit people.

On our voyage we visited three communities, Gjoa Haven, Pond Inlet and Qikiqtarjuaq.

Today we're exploring Pond Inlet.

There's only one thousand six hundred people that live here and it's on the northeastern shore of Baffin Island.

We were greeted with big smiles from our tour guides and they've been telling us how expensive the housing and food is here.

Tourism is helping to stimulate the economy when the prices are so high.

Rosie Katsak is my guide today.

She has three children.

Besides going to residential school in Iqaluit for three months, Rosie has lived in Pond Inlet her whole life.

Sometimes we struggle, we go through it.

Brandy: Why are you struggling here?

Rosie: Low income and the high price of the groceries.

Brandy: What do you do here as a job?

Rosie: I'm a daycare giver at the Naurainnuk daycare.

Brandy: And are there a lot of young people here?

Rosie: Yes.

Brandy: Yeah, I heard that i Nunavut the population is quite young.

Rosie: Yes.

Brandy: Do you think it's a good thing there there are so many young people?

Yeah... more... populate more the Inuit.

Yes, more population right, to keep your culture...

Alive.

Alive and healthy.

Yes.

Brandy: So how do you feel about these visitors coming to Pond Inlet on these big cruise ships?

Rosie: Um, we would like to educate them and it's a benefit to our income.

And what do you think about living here?

Are you happy in Pond Inlet?

Yes.

How come?

It's beautiful out here!

Rosie: I like it!

I was born and raised here.

Brandy: Walking around the community, I had the chance to meet some locals who gave me a glimpse into their lives, living in the Arctic.

I'm here with Mike and Lecy and they live in Pond Inlet.

Tell me about the seal that's hanging here.

His mother just took out the fat, the fat layer with her uluk.

She went like this.

And she started from the top and bottom.

When she finished it, she put it here so that the yellow stuff will go away.

And it's gonna get little bit wider and brighter and... you know... these.

You can tell it's kind of a bit oily.

That too will kinda get... dry up too.

And what will you be doing with the seal fur?

First we're going to have to like, kind of like, going like this to make it a little bit more flexible.

Are you going to stamp on it?

Yes.

And then after stamping it she would go stretch it with a thing-a-ma-jig.

Okay.

And then when she finished it, she rewashes it again, dry it again and when its done she can start making kamuts or whatever she wants to make, mitts.

It's beautiful.

Can I touch it?

Sure.

Wow, whoa.

Leci: It's still wet.

Brandy: It's still wet.

She just finished them this morning.

This morning?

So its three different seals?

Yes.

And what kind of seal is it?

Mike: Ringed seal.

Leci: Oh, ringed seal.

Brandy: Have you ever gone seal hunting before?

Yes.

And were you successful?

M-hm.

Uh ha.

How many did you get?

I couldn't count, I lost the count.

A lot.

You got a lot.

So you grew up, eating seal and stuff.

Wow.

Leci: You grew up eating cows and... pork chops.

Yeah, so this is your "cow and pork chops?"

Leci: Yes.

I've had such a wonderful time here in Nunavut.

It's been very educational and I've learned so much about the Inuit people, what their lives were like before, and how they're doing today.

I've also seen wonderful national parks that I never thought I'd have an opportunity to see.

And as more people come here and the temperatures continue to get warmer, I just hope that it's possible to keep this place so pristine.

My next journey takes me west across the country to Yukon Territory.

Yukon is famous for its vast wilderness.

And what better way to experience it than from the sky in a floatplane?

(engine firing) (engine roars) (chime) Andrew (intercom) We're right here in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, on our way down to the Chilkoot Mountain Range to see the Chilkoot Icefields above the Chilkoot pass where the gold stampeders came up over the pass and the mountains to get into the Yukon River watershed and on down into Dawson.

Brandy: From 1896 to 1899, 30,000 people climbed the golden stairs on the Chilkoot Trail on their way to Dawson City.

They were looking for gold in what became known as the Klondike Gold Rush.

Bennett is the end of the Chilkoot trail and where we are flying to today.

Andrew: Everybody is fascinate with the history of the goldrush here in the Yukon and up in the Klondike but we have a lot of nature as well.

Brandy: Is it possible to still find gold here?

Andrrew: It certainly is, yes.

There's still gold in the Yukon.

Brandy: What kind of animals do you see from up here?

Andrew: The sheep are up here.

The caribou will come up here as well and then the bears.

The bears will wander up in the alpine looking for berries, digging for roots.

Brandy: This is gorgeous, with the mountains all around us here.

Andrew: Yes, it is.

This is a great area to watch for caribou so keep your eyes peeled for caribou.

They are pretty hard to spot because they blen in well with the, with the grey and grassy hillsides here.

Brandy: Camouflaged.

Andrew: Camouflage.

Brandy: Oh, I see them, one, two, three, four, five... Oh, there's one sitting down in the grass...six.

Oh, hi, Mr. Caribou!

That is a first for me!

I've never seen caribou before.

Very cool.

Brandy: Yukon is larger than California.

Its landscape is rugged and its nature pristine.

The Arctic Circle crosses through Yukon and in the summer, it's famous for its Midnight Sun.

♪ chiming melody (aircraft engine) That was quite the ride here to the town of Bennett.

We are just going to have a little time to explore and see what's been left here from the Gold Rush.

It's beautiful here.

Andrrew: I guess... here we are on the actual Chilkoot Trail itself.

This is the endpoint to the trail basically.

Here at Bennett is where they came over the pass and finished their journey on foot.

From here, they would have had to boat the rest of the way down to the Klondike.

This is so neat.

You can actually see the garbage that was left here during the gold rush.

Right here you have a dustpan that somebody brought and al these different cans and stuff.

How much do you think they had to bring with them when they came over the Chilkoot Trail?

At the summit of the Chilkoot Trail it was mandated that every person travelling into the goldfield would bring a ton of supplies.

That's 2,000 pounds of flour, canned food... it would have been picks and shovels, some bedding.

All this stuff, over the pass in order for them to be allowed into Canada.

Brandy: I wonder how old this church is?

Andrew: It was completed in 1900.

1900.

Andrew: Look at some of the detail they put into it.

Just the way they placed the wood to give it some design, right?

They didn't have much but they had a little.

It obviously meant a lot to them.

Wow, I bet I can guess what they were praying for.

Ha-ha.

What's that?

Get me the gold, please God!

Help me find it.

That's what I'd be praying for.

Yup.

Probably they were praying for their lives that the harsh climate of the Yukon would not... take them.

Yep.

♪ classic violins Brandy: Yukon Territory is a blend of the old and the new.

It's steeped in Gold Rush history and attracts people on the edge of boreal cooking.

In Whitehorse, at the annual Yukon Culinary Festival, chefs celebrate local ingredients that are growing in abundance.

Eric: The North is such a fabulous growing region.

Like in, they get that extended daylight hours up here because you're that much farther north, some of the best produce I've ever had.

Biggest vegetables?

Biggest vegetables.

Seriously not joking, best tomato I ever had anywhere in the world was from Dawson City a few hours north.

Eric: For me, markets are really all about the vegetables.

It's all about the produce, so here, you're coming up for lettuces, tomatoes, cucumbers, fresh herbs - all those things that just kind of, speak to the season.

I mean, they may get long growing days up here but they're growing season is generally relatively short.

Brandy: We're at a farmer's market, how is this connected to the festival?

So the farmer's market is always the best place to come in any community to find out, when you talk about local, seasonal, sustainable, this is it.

This is where all your products come from so you come out here to meet the farmers, the vendors, the purveyors of all these amazing products, and for me as a chef this is where we come buy all of our ingredients for the Yukon Culinary Festival.

So we do cooking demonstrations here at the market.

We run a huge seafood feast with all these great local bounty of product.

We do a historical dinner on the S.S. Klondike where everyone dresses up in period costumes.

This is where vendors are telling their food story and this is where someone like me as a chef comes and wants to grab all of the great product.

(Brandy laughing) Eric: Just a few carrots, so...

Brandy: Another part of the foodie scene in Yukon is beer.

Yukon Brewing has been wining awards with its craft beer for years.

♪ rhythmic acoustic guitar I don't wanna break anything!

Oh you're a natural, you're fallin' behind... but you're a natural.

Bob: Well, we are turning twenty years old this year so we have a whole bunch of different beers.

Some core brands...

I think we have nine of them now but we also have seasonal brands that we rotate through, uh... really, once a month or so, something new, that we haven't done before, comes out.

In 2009, we started making spirits as well.

We bought a still, put it in the back, started making single malt whiskey.

So, we cover pretty well the full gamut.

I picked these beers out because they're very different and they're kind of - one on the lighter end of the scale and one that's very full bodied, made with locally roasted coffee.

So, so, pretty strong flavors.

But, um, we'll start with the lighter one first.

It's Yukon Gold.

Let me pour you a wee sample.

Thank you.

OK cheers.

Cheers, it smells really good.

Now something that's a little bit novel about this beer is that it's made with quite a bit of malted wheat, and malted wheat brings almost citrusy kind of notes to a beer.

So we're looking for something that was a good summer thirst quencher and thought that the citrus note would be, would be a strong asset to that.

It must have worked.

This is the number-one- selling draft beer in the Yukon including the big brewers.

So maybe the only place in the country that big brewers get outsold, who knows?

So... cheers.

♪ harp and orchestra Brandy: Someone else making their mark on the Yukon scene is Michele Genest.

She is known as "The Boreal Chef" and has written several cookbooks on the subject.

Michele tries to find new ways to cook with northern ingredients and I was lucky enough to be invited to her house to try some moose terrine, which is a rough-country pate.

Michele: So the bacon doesn't look cooked but it is cooked, everything cooked for two hours at a low temperature.

So there is ground moose, pork fat, moose backstrap, which is a very luxurious kind of meat and cranberries.

Wow.

A little bit of cognac for flavouring.

Wow, wow, wow.

I like cooking with booze.

Mmm.

What do you like about it?

I think I like the texture.

The texture is great.

It's delicious but, its really chewy and, it's just delicious.

I don't know.

I just like the texture.

It's like, really meaty and it feels good when you eat it.

I know this may sound like a strange thing to say about.

No, it doesn't sound strange at all.

I like the texture, too, and I love the little bits of pork fat especially since I know that this is a local pork, that lived a happy life, before it became the pork fat in our beautiful terrine.

Mmm.

So I am going to have some with a little bit of High Bush Cranberry jam on it.

Brandy: M y time in the Yukon has been wonderful.

I've so enjoyed the culinary scene.

My belly is full with local ingredients and I've enjoyed learning a lot about the history but I think I could learn so much more and I could do with a lot more time here.

♪ chimes and strings