July 14, 2009
CALEDON RADIO INTERVIEW: from Tanquary Fiord, Quttinirpaaq National Park
Click here to listen to the interview
July 14, 2009
Change of Plans
Having been very pleased with finding such great scenes to paint yesterday, I was ready to head further into the mountains for more. We had only planned for three nights on this outing. We decided to hike a few more hours, and to spend the night by Red Rock Glacier, maybe even touch the glacier, and fill our water bottles from it. The weather has continued to be amazing, almost 20ºc, and not a cloud in the sky for two days. One might even say it was perfect, but not us. Though it was an above average heat for this part of the world, we still had a large river to cross to get back to the Tanquary Camp, with the heat and the warm winds, the river just had to be rising, and rising fast. Judging by the surrounding glaciers, the Macdonald River could quickly become impassible. Carl and I looked around, and couldn’t find a single speck of cloud on the horizon. We knew what we had to do. We packed away the map and made our way back to the river as soon as possible with our last night of food. A few hours later we found ourselves standing at the edge of a roaring, swelled, river. Not a chance. We were not crossing today.
One of the greatest dangers of traveling the arctic is crossing icy rivers. A fall in deep, fast currents could mean losing your gear, extreme cold, hypothermia, or even worse. To try and cross this river now, even with warmer air temperature, would be foolish. So we have taken our only option: we pitched our camp next to the river and hoped the water level would drop as the sun lowered even so slightly through the night.
July 13, 2009
A Place With a View
We took time to explore the other side of Omega lake this morning, just beyond the ridges it opens up a dramatically large vista. On one side, a massive braided system of the airport and rolling rock rivers, and around the bend a ways, the scenery offered a huge birds-eye view of Tanquary Fiord. In the foreground, were some of the ridges we climbed yesterday, and on the right, the rivers feed the bay. On each side are mountains rising out of the ocean, the water was a mix of ice and various shades of blue. But the backdrop to it all, at least a hundred kilometres away, were ice-topped mountains, taking on shades of blue-grey seen through the clear air and a perfectly clear light blue arctic sky. As we took time to take in this phenomenal sight, we felt very small and insignificant. We decided to go back to camp to have lunch and rest up in hopes of recharging for the evening turn to paint the awesome vista. All went according to plan, and soon I found myself battling strong winds while painting on the mountainside. Such a fantastic vista, this will be on a larger canvas when I return. Later back at our tent the breeze cooled things down nicely. After filming a few of the delicate flora covering the ground, we turned in at 1:30 a.m.
July 12, 2009
Heading for the Hills
Geared up this morning for a few nights on the land. Park Staff, Oasis Film Crew, and Carl and I were all heading in the same direction. We got up and ventured out together. One of the biggest obstacles in the way was the Macdonald River. It wasn’t flowing too high, and other than the fact that it was extremely cold on our feet, we crossed with no problems. Things did get tough as we started to climb, even though we had trimmed our packs down, it was still a struggle. The reward came nine kilometers later, as we stumbled upon a gorgeous little lake tucked into the mountains, situated about 350 metres in elevation. It was a little remotely frozen oasis of clean, arctic water and ice. With the sun beating down at about 20ºc, we pitched our tent near the lake, hoping the ice would cool the breeze a bit. As the others set up camp elsewhere, we settled in for the day, had supper, and had some time to re-cooperate.
July 11, 2009
A Change of Pace
Woke up through the night thanks to the wind hammering at the tarp that covered the emergency shelter we were sleeping in. A couple of extra cots were available when we arrived, saving us the need to pitch the tent for a night or two, then a welcome break. The shelter sleeps six, and the other cots had park staff and a two-person film crew from oasis television. They were here to film an episode of a new HD series about our Canadian Parks. As part of their Quttinirpaaq National Park show, they wanted to film Carl and I as I painted in the park. With the arctic winds howling, and the cold weather that blew in overnight, I didn’t know how things were going to work out. The afternoon brought a bit of sun to the scene, and as I painted, the interview and filming got done. We’ll see how it turns out next year when the show airs. We tried to get to bed a little earlier tonight, we’re heading for the mountains tomorrow.
July 10, 2009
Tanquary Fiord
Stunning weather today, 18ºc and sunny! Back home, that may not sound like much for the peak of summer, but here, it’s definitely T-shirt weather. I guess it’s like the first warm day of spring after the snow is gone. Carl and I hiked behind the Parks Canada Camp for five or six hours to get acquainted with the surroundings. Tanquary Fiord is surrounded by mountains and is fed by a few huge river valleys. The consolidating of these creates a massive, flat, land; and a criss-crossing of thousands of river braids. This means there will be a lot of rivers to cross before we reach the mountains. A view of interest was the Ad Aster Icecap. It sits atop a large mountain rising up impressively to the north of the camp. Although it seems like one could walk over there easily, the distances are very deceptive. I don’t know if it’s the clean air, or the sheer scale, or the combination of the two, but a study of our map showed it to be 12 kilometers away. Hardly an afternoon jog, and that doesn’t include the multiple river crossings. I did find a view a couple of kilometers away from camp, and began a new painting. We finally turned in at camp at 2:30 a.m. It’s tough to get to bed early when you have a 24-hour sun.
July 9, 2009
Moving Day
Time to say good-bye to Lake Hazen, today we are flying to Tanquary Fiord, about 100 kilometers south of here. Packing up this time means making sure we leave absolutely nothing behind, this is a long way from home. We had everything ready by noon for the one o’ clock flight, but last minute changes caused our flight to go somewhere else. There are no official schedules up here. You have to have yourself ready and be on standby. It gave us a chance to relax a little, and to look at John’s island again. I finally did a sketch which will be a painting back in the studio. Five O’clock rolled around and we were in the air for an amazing flight to Tankory. We could see the route Carl and I hiked from the air, and realized just how little of Henrietta Glacier that we actually explored in our time there. Endless miles of glaciers, rivers, and frozen peaks passed by in that half hour. Such a enormous and magnificent land. The vastness is breathtaking.
July 8, 2009
Parked
Stayed around the Parks Canada camp today, resting our sore feet. Had our tents set up to the side, got caught up with the less glamourous parts of the trip. Laundry, backing up media, and writing journals, etcetera. I also eyed up John Island in front of the camp on Lake Hazen, for a possible small painting. It is a simple looking land mass which has great beauty when lights strikes it, the ice in front of it also adds to the composition.
July 7, 2009
CALEDON RADIO INTERVIEW: from Lake Hazen, Quttinirpaaq National Park
Click here to listen to the interview
July 7, 2009
Down the Stretch
Covered more ground on our way back to park camp yesterday. We woke up hoping this would be last fully-loaded hike for a bit. We knew the odds were good because the acting park super-intendant Monty Yanks and one of his staff members Kevin, had offered to join us along the way and help us with some of the filming gear. As we met up with them, another wolf dropped by for a visit. Our filming gear was packed, so this gave me a chance to pull out my still camera. The wolf hung around for quite some time before heading further up the shore to lay down on where Carl and I had camped the night before. What a photo-shoot! Full-frame head shots of amazing animals. Several hours later, we dragged our feet into camp at last. Monty and Kevin had been there for some time. Stew was on in the park kitchen, what a welcoming smell for a couple of guys who had just been camping for nine days.
July 6, 2009
Wake-Up Call
An alarm clock was not needed to wake us up this morning. Carl nudged me and whispered, “There’s a wolf outside the tent.” Sure enough, I could see just his big paws prowling past under the tent fly. By the time I sat up, he had made his way to the back of the tent, looking past Carl’s shoulder, all I could was the wolf’s head filling the back vestibule as he stared at us through the screen door. Still half in our sleeping bags, we felt pretty vulnerable knowing the only thing between us and this mystical creature was a flimsy piece of netting. As he moved around the tent he ventured towards our packs. I grabbed the camera and stumbled out of the tent in my underwear, that would be a sight for sure (fresh meat). I raised my voice a few times, and after his curiosity was satisfied, he moved on, and so did we.
July 5, 2009
The Long Hike Back
The dreaded day has arrived, breaking camp, and fully reloading our gear, to begin our way back to the camp, twenty kilometers away. Dreaded, because, even though we have been eating enough to shave our weight down a bit, our packs are still way over limit. A couple of hours later, Carl and I were still strapping on the last items as we struggled to our feet. Even though we split our gear into two trips on the way in, we wanted to go as far as possible in one load. Once we stepped away, we didn’t want to be coming back. Five hours passed, and with many stops along the way, we set up camp along Lake Hazen. We had covered good ground and were satisfied. As we where preparing to turn in, Carl’s eye caught something at the base of the bluff. An arctic wolf staring at us and our yellow tent, no more than a hundred feet away. He was quickly joined by a second and a third wolf. As they approached us and split to each side of the tent, I grabbed the camera while Carl grabbed whatever defenses we had. They moved silently, sniffing, stopping, coming to the tent, trying to figure us out. We were filled with a sensation of mixed fear and wonder. Beauty and beast all in one, they moved on as if never here. What an experience, Carl and I stood quietly for a while, soaking it in. After a while, when the elations subdued, we figured we had better turn in. But not yet! One more show before bed. A lone wolf cruised in to check us out. As she was leaving I tried a feeble howl directed towards the large wolf. She stopped, looked back at us, and answered with four majestic howls that echoed off the mountain walls. Then silence… she padded away through the arctic terrain. As we turned in for the night, we lay in our sleeping bags, finding it difficult to sleep, after such an unbelievable encounter.
July 4, 2009
Catching the Light
Stayed a little closer to base camp because of our long day yesterday, also, tomorrow, we begin our hike back to parks Canada camp at Lake Hazen. We will definitely need fresh legs for that. Staying closer to camp also allowed us to hike to the foot of the glacier where I got to explore Henrietta, face to face. Patchy clouds filled in as I searched for painting possibilities along the varied and undulating surfaces of ice. While doing so, the light broke through momentarily, and caught the top rim of the glacier and sparkled in the river below. I grabbed a few quick photos to cease the light for reference, and then it was gone. I carried on, searching for composition and at last sat down on the rocks to begin. I figured the light would come out again, so I began painting. After an hour of two, the sky did not relent. I was glad to snap a few photos when I did. Now I can merge that with the artwork underway in the studio, to finish the piece the way I would like to.
July 3, 2009
Muskox, Arctic Hare, and Snow
Today Carl and I headed out to hike up to Weasel Lake, by following the edge of the glacier then cutting up a steep valley and meandering through further valleys and peaks. Past all this this, one can finally see the small lake that backs up against Henrietta herself. Before we got too far, we came across three muskox. Great chance for some filming! We carefully stopped within a safe distance and got some footage. Back to the hike, not twenty minutes later, we stumbled upon a napping arctic hare. He didn’t seem to be worried as he woke up, stretched, and hopped away. Almost an hour later, we were finally on our way again. These hares were so friendly, we just couldn’t stop filming them. We were about twelve feet from them, they they just sat there, obviously sensing that we weren’t a threat. Even with lighter packs, the steep terrain was a workout. As we rose in elevation, the weather turned foul. Snow, rain, and wind caused us to rethink our plans. We tucked into some rocks, threw on our down vests, and bundled up for lunch. This as far as we would go. no need to get stuck in nasty mountain weather in the arctic, no telling how bad it would get. We had left at 2 p.m. and finally returned at 2 a.m. It felt great to take our boots off, eat, and fall into our sleeping bags.
July 2, 2009
Sleep
Slept in a bit this morning, stuck my head outside and all was grey. Seems like afternoon light works better up here, so I’m adjusting my schedule accordingly. Late afternoon brought some breaks in the clouds and shone fantastic light onto the glacier. I set up my easel with a high vantage point overlooking this immense spectacle that is over three kilometers wide at it’s leading edge. A myriad of streams braid their way to Lake Hazen from the icy mass, they formed beautiful patterns as the sun reflected here and there. Battling the blowing sand on my palette, and in the painting itself, I managed to start what will certainly become a much, much larger painting back in my studio.
July 1, 2009
First Painting Begins… Finally
Carl and I headed out from base camp to explore up the side of Henrietta glacier, what a break to travel with a lighter load. My hope was to finally begin the first painting of the trip. It’s the ongoing challenge to each painting I do! Balancing the time it takes to get into the landscape, then exploring it long enough to get a sense of it, then actually settling down and painting something. While the grass isn’t always greener on the other side, I still always want to see it. A certain kind of frustration overcomes me if I don’t get something on canvas after a few days of travel. But this was averted as Carl and I descended down near the glacier for lunch. While Carl pulled out the stove, I looked around, surrounded by the high ice walls, waterfalls, a river running alongside, and the sun beaming down, I found a great composition. I painted as the sun shifted and the cold took over. We got back to camp, had supper, and turned in at 2 a.m. Even though the sun doesn’t set at this time of year, it’s still getting cold.
June 30, 2009
CALEDON RADIO INTERVIEW: from Resolute Bay to Lake Hazen
Click here to listen to the interview
June 30, 2009
Base Camp
Arctic hares greeted us this morning as we unzipped the tent door, we had breakfast, then called into Caledon radio for our weekly interview and broke camp to move closer to the big glacier. Leaving the tent and a few other things behind, we left with our half-loads to find a new camping spot. Half-hour into our hike, the arctic winds hit us with rain and snow. The high arctic at the peak of summer, you just never know. We trudged on, eventually hauling all our stuff over. That was far enough, this was going to be base camp.
June 29, 2009
Moving Closer
Today we continued our haul down the lake. Carl reminded me that originally, there was going to be three of us doing this part of the trip. Unfortunately, I had not re-adjusted our gear for only two people. Now, we were paying the price. After a couple of hours of stop and go, we decided to split our load and carry on the rest of the way in two trips, more walking, but easier on the body. Henrietta had come into view in the distance, as we pitched camp again. Tomorrow, we move on to get closer.
June 28, 2009
One Step at a Time
Woke up this morning and began packing gear for a ten day hike to Henrietta Nesmith Glacier. Interrupted by our first encounter of arctic hares.. right in camp, boy, are they huge. Brought our stuff down to the edge of frozen Lake Hazen, where Patrolperson Doug Stern, was waiting. He greeted us with a snowmobile and a sled to haul Carl and I 20 kilometers down the lake, to give us a great start to accessing the big glacier. Everything secured, we hopped aboard the toboggan for the ride. This would save us two days of hiking as our packs were already a lot heavier than we liked. But, at about the half-way point, Carl smelled something burning, not good. Doug brought the machine to a stop. The hard, clean ice had no snow on it, and the runners were starting to melt. Stop and go a couple more times, and that was it. We were walking from here. With our load off, Doug was able to head back to camp slowly, while Carl and I sat on the shore with all our gear, at least we made it part way. We loaded it all up and heaved, wow, this was going to be very hard work. We had each trained with 90 pound packs, but this wasn’t even close. We began our march slowly down the lake, pitched camp, and passed out.
June 27, 2009
The Warm-Up
Today was a good warm-up, after orientation from Park superintendent Monty Yank, and sorting gear again. Carl and I headed out for a six and a half hour hike behind camp, with a partial load on our backs. There was a lot of stop and go along the way. We were both feeling it pretty good after the hike. Looking at the map again made us realize we’d better alter our plan. That big loop we were planning on doing just got a whole lot smaller. No matter how much planning and research I do, it never quite matches up for the real thing. The scale of this land is so enormous and vast. But I’ve learned from past trips that plans are merely guidelines, and up here you have to be very flexible. Finally we had supper at eleven, and got to sleep. The real adventure begins tomorrow, when we head out and leave camp behind.
June 26, 2009
First Day Out
Carl and I boarded the twin otter, the work horse of the North. With four others, park Canada staff, and volunteers. We began the flight to Quttinirpaaq National Park on Ellesmere Island. It was a mesmerizing three hour flight over massive and beautiful landscapes, full of mountains, glaciers, and ice. This brought us to the Park’s camp at Tanquary Fiord. As the plain lowered to land we spotted muskox, grazing on the hills, and later more on the ground not far from camp. Here, we stepped off to take in the awesome mountains that surround the camp, and the fresh arctic air. However, our destination was further yet. Another half hour later, we landed again, this time at the frozen Lake Hazen, ice still covering the entire lake in the end of June. Normally the ice would have been gone by now, but it’s presence and the lack of wind made for a tranquil silence. A small group of researchers are here from the UK and a few park staff. We sorted gear, we re-organized, and ran around with cameras for a while. What a place.
June 25, 2009
Polar Continental Shelf
Word this morning from Tim at Polar Continental Shelf is that the flight is being put off until our gear arrives. No-one goes into the field without their essential gear for safety. The PCS (Polar Continental Shelf) is the mother-ship up here, managing all flights in and out of the high arctic, and what a job that is. Researchers in remote camps, park staff, even artists once in a while, all separated by thousands of kilometers make for incredibly tough logistics, and even harder rescue operations if necessary. With a day in town to get acclimatized to the north, we headed into the settlement of Resolute Bay, to explore, do some filming, and chat with a few locals. Having this day off proved to be a blessing in disguise, allowing me to absorb the new environment in a way I would have missed, had our gear been here on time. By the end of the day, the gear did actually make it in.
June 24, 2009
CALEDON RADIO INTERVIEW: from Iqaluit, Nunavut
Click here to listen to the interview
June 08, 2009
CALEDON RADIO INTERVIEW: from Cory's Studio in Caledon
Click here to listen to the interview
May 21, 2009
NEW JOURNALS COMING SOON
