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Arctic Trip 2010, Muktuk - Inuvik - Herschel Island

There’s everything else, then there is the Arctic.


For sheer beauty of expansiveness and landscape the Arctic is practically beyond description.


Two years ago Muktuk organized a trip from Inuvik to Herschel Island on the Arctic Ocean. It was not through lack off effort, but rather prevailing conditions (unusually deep snow and cold temperatures) that the trip did not reach the intended end. It was the journey.

This April another trip was organized. David and Gina (original members of previous attempt) and Rob and Barb were the “clients”. The primary guide was my good friend Gerry Kisoun. Gerry’s Inuvialuit heritage added  an incredibly important cultural dimension. Yusuke, a young fellow from Japan (he has been at Muktuk the past 3 winters) was support guide. Then there was moi who did logistics and stuff like that.


All the dogs and gear had to be mobilized from Muktuk to Inuvik, a distance of approximately 700 miles (1200 km). This was made possible by Rob and Barb driving one of the trucks. Dave and Gina flew to Inuvik from Edmonton.
The Reader’s Digest version of the trip is as follows: the weather could not have been better (13 days and 12 nights), no extreme cold ( perhaps -20 C for a few days), approximately 18 hours of light. OK, there was a bit of big winds and low visibility to add some excitement. A little bit of jumble ice and deep crevasses between Shingle Point and Herschel. And several dogs had to be treated for snow blindness (fortunately I was prepared with some opthamatic ointment). Overall it could not have been better.


Along the way we all sampled caribou stew, muskrat and muktuk, all provided by Gerry’s wife Rosa’s Uncle Edward and Aunt Jeannie. We also stayed at Edward’s and Jeannie’s cabin for 2 nights. The hospitality was outstanding and I know we would all say this was a very special part of the trip. In fact, David stayed behind in Inuvik after the rest of us left and attended a real Northern 50-year Anniversary party. Many friends were made.


On the trip we saw muskox and caribou and frequent sign of wolf, wolverine and fox. Several eagles were also observed.
Overall the conditions were manageable while at times it demanded special effort from the mushers.
This trip is by invitation only. For me it was important to have confidence that all the participants had the requisite skills and knowledge to take care of dogs and themselves. And just as importantly – have a strong positive attitude, did not fret over uncertainty and had demonstrated a strong commitment to promoting teamwork. I’ll pat myself on the back for making the right assessment. This is not to say there weren’t challenging moments, there were. But it was the ability to effectively manage these moments that made this trip so rewarding .
Rob will be putting together a DVD of the trip – coming to your local computer sometime this late fall (after rafting, canoeing and hiking trips are concluded). We will certainly post this on our website and let everyone know when ready to go.
After having just a great trip it’s hard not to think about doing another next year. I’ll talk with Gerry..
Every trip is a new experience and I learned a lot during this one.


Frank

 

P.S. 30 dogs started out in harness and 30 dogs finished in harness (560 km). This says it all about how the mushers took care of their dogs. Just SUPER!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


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