Page 43 of The Trip of a Lifetime

The tracker beeped and I took a breath before reading the screen. Every part of my body felt stiff and useless but I knew that I was going to have to try and run.

Head straight down Selkirk Street to the Itsanitaq museum

‘Right,’ I said as I looked wildly about. ‘I have no idea which is the right way to go.’

Of course, I’d never been to Churchill before but it felt so disorientating because of the snow covering everything. You couldn’t tell road from pavement and the couple of cars parked outside the station didn’t look as if they were going anywhere.

Erin was rummaging frantically in her rucksack. ‘Where is it,’ she said. ‘I had a map in a leaflet. I think I’ve left it on the train.’

‘Where did you get that?’ I asked her, wondering if it was against the rules.

‘Doesn’t matter now, I can’t find it. Nana, we have to run!’ she said, taking off away from the railway station.

I followed as quickly as I could, slipping on the snow, not daring to look over my shoulder to see if anyone was following us. It was all a bit pointless anyway. We’d all arrived on the same train. There would only be a few minutes between us at most.

Erin’s initial sprint quickly turned to a jog and then to a fast walk, so I soon caught her up as we made our way into the town of Churchill. It was a place that felt sparse despite the houses that lined the street. We’d seen a lot of vegetation across Canada but here, apart from a few small firs, there wasn’t any, although it was a little hard to tell with the current weather conditions. And then, when we reached the end of the street, I could see Hudson Bay but there wasn’t any water.

‘The sea is ice,’ I stated. ‘Actual ice. In May.’

‘Well, that’s the Arctic for you,’ Erin said.

We traversed the streets looking for the museum and then saw Priya and Tara rushing in the opposite direction from us. Priya had what looked like a map in her hand.

‘I think that explains where your leaflet went,’ I said, and Erin looked appalled.

‘I shared a bit of information with Tara. I didn’t expect her to steal it from me.’

We then did what any self-respecting person would do – we followed them.

Next to a church that looked as if it were made of timber was the museum, and we were up the steps and through the door in moments.

The first thing we were faced with was a giant polar bear, a huge wolf and a large walrus, not to mention the horned bison-looking thing which was quite alarming, but they were all stuffed and in glass cabinets. The rest of the room was full of interesting-looking artefacts but more importantly, there was a man standing behind a glass-topped desk with a book in front of him. Priya and Tara were signing their names and their crew were catching their win. We hung back to wait our turn. Tara gave Erin an apologetic smile as they walked past us and back out of the building.

‘Let it go for now,’ I whispered to Erin, my hand on her arm. ‘The camera.’

‘Hello,’ the man behind the desk said as we stepped up. ‘Welcome to Churchill.’

Erin turned the page and we both signed it, then I dropped my bag to the floor and sagged against the desk. I was exhausted, a bit grubby and a lot hungry, but we were here, and if my calculations were correct, we wouldn’t be leaving until the next train going back south the day after tomorrow.

‘We are delighted to be here,’ I said to the man whose name badge said ‘Mika’. ‘Thank you.’

The door opened as we were getting ready to leave and Harrison and Femi piled in with their partners to get their names in the book. Harrison smiled at me and without really thinking about it I smiled back. Maybe it was time to bury the bad feeling. Or perhaps I was just feeling generous at getting my name in the book before his, again.

Our accommodation was a series of chalet-style bungalows this time. Very different from our hotel in Banff but somehow more cosy. The kitchenette was stocked with all good things to eat for breakfast and lunch, and we’d been invited out to a restaurant for a meal together this evening.

‘We’ve officially made it halfway through the race now,’ I said to Erin as I sank down onto the sofa. ‘How are you feeling about it?’

‘I’m feeling like knocking on Tara’s door and giving her a slap.’

‘Did she actually take the leaflet from you or did you leave it on the table?’

‘I might have left it but that’s not the point. She knew it was mine.’

‘What would you have done in the same situation?’ I asked her.

‘I would have bloody looked at it, memorised it, taken a photo of it even and then given it back.’

‘Yeah, I’d have done the same,’ I said.