Date: 2.15.04

Getting Moving Again

Journal 40

Day 47

We traveled today. It cleared off overnight, when the storm died down. Our tent was quite buried in a hard packed snow drift, sealing off our vents. In the morning, while heating water for tea, our candle slowly died out. We couldn’t get the matches to light, a sign of oxygen depletion. We had to open up the doors and let the cold air in to get things back in order.

It was very cold all day. The high was minus 38 degrees Fahrenheit, with a south-southwest wind. Many delays with the heavy sleds getting stuck on large snowdrifts, which cut across our path. On led on skis, using the GPS and compass to navigate. It was very deceiving low topography, where land and lakes were hard to distinguish. It was most important to pick a good route, to avoid rocks and have a good alignment against the drifts. Dogs and drivers had a tiring day.

Despite the toil, it was a beautiful day. In the mid-afternoon sun, I felt a twinge of heat for the first time. I faced the sun many times today during the various delays, sure I felt heat. It was crystal clear all day, and at sunset the snow drifts turned red like the orb of the sun, well-defined as it san below the horizon.

It was very cold making camp. The stars came out above us, and the northern lights cast veils of white light to the south, covering Orion and Sirus, the dog star, which twinkled bright greens and blues as it rose from the cold earth. There is heavy frost on the inside of the tent, a sign of intense cold outside. We switched over to Central Time this evening.

Hugh and I relaxed together after the long day. Our favorite time of the day is evening tea, when we get settled in. We chat, as usual, about the dogs. On expeditions like this, dogs are the central conversation currency. At any informal team gathering, they are the centerpiece of our discussions. Dogsled expeditions are a society in themselves. The individual people and the 31 dogs interact within each other.

It was sure great to get moving again. We’ve had to sit out four of the last eight days. It now seems to be typical post-blizzard weather, clear, cold and stable, some winds during the day. The only thing different is that we are getting southwest winds again. I’ve never seen such continual southwest winds in the winter. When the weather changes, I always thing the winds will return to the prevailing northwest, but it keeps returning to the southwest. This is perfectly fine with us, because the wind is at our backs. There are no weather records for this region, so no one knows for sure what the prevailing winds are, though they should be from the northwest and southeast. We got in trouble a few days back in the storm when we aligned our tent to the southwest and northeast. And the standard blizzard came in from the northwest, hitting us broadside. Last night we aligned the tent to the southwest and northeast, and then used guylines on the sides to protect us in case things turned normal again.

Date: 2.16.04

The Deceptive Barrenlands

Journal 41

Day 48

The Barrenlands’ terrain is the most deceiving topography I have ever traveled in. This has to do with the very low relief, the fact that everything is all white, and the combination of these distorted perceptions. Also, about 70% of the time it is whited-out or blowing snow. But even in clear weather the deception is striking. There are rarely any dominant land forms like steep cliffs or sharp hills that can be seen from afar. At times there are large rocks, which first appear to be in the distance, but they are always closer than they seem. There is a constant tendency to think what we are viewing is father away than it is. For example, when we come to a lake that might be a mile or so away, we will top a hill, expecting to see it. But instead, we see endless rolling terrain, that seems to go on forever. With the GPS and the map we can determine exactly where we are, and we do know there is a lake ahead. So we keep on the proper bearing and continue to travel. Often, they only way we know we’ve reached the lake is that we see ice.

Snowdrifts on lakes with low lighting will often appear to either rise or descend slightly, which makes it seem like land. In the last 120 miles, there has only been one spot that we have been able to positively identify on the map, if we didn’t have the GPS. If we actually lived in the country, I’m sure we would be able to figure out the local terrain better, but for the passerby, it is amazingly deceptive country.

We are 200 miles from our next destination, the village of Baker Lake. Presently, we are traveling on Dubawnt Lake, which I think is the largest lake in the Barrenlands, about 40 by 60 miles. The traveling out on the lake is now easier, with fewer drifts and more certainty. After the big lake, we will be traveling mostly on frozen rivers and several smaller lakes.

We are in the middle of the mid-winter cold right now. Recently, lows have been in the minus 40 below zero, with highs in the mid-30’s below. The high sun in the afternoon spreads some optimism, if not warmth. Days are getting noticeably longer, especially in the mornings, but we are still having 14 hours of pitch black night. Hugh and I have lived with candles since the beginning of the trip. The others use small Coleman lanterns. One of the lamps had a faulty generator, so now that camp is dealing with candles, so they are more aware of the night than before. I like the homelike glow of the candles, but you do need your headlight for detailed work like writing. I find lanterns to be too bright and annoying, and I am accustomed to using headlamps. We carry a small generator for the education needs, so for the most part we use rechargeable batteries for everything. Rechargeable AA’s are quite practical, and eliminate the need for disposable batteries, which are extra weight and a trash problem.

Right now the candles are lit, and a slight wind is rhythmically blowing the guylines. It is quite peaceful. Frosted walls inside.

Date: 2.17.04

The Expedition Clothing System

Journal 42

Day 49

The key to survival out here is proper clothing. My body is fairly wiry, on the lean side, and I don’t have many ounces of body fat to spare. I normally come into an expedition like this weighing 140 pounds, and usually weigh about that at the end. This means I have very little insulation, and while I do have good tolerance of the cold, I get cold very easily. My body type is actually an advantage, as long as I am dressed properly, because I don’t overheat. Proper dress in these conditions is always a combination of dressing up for the cold, and dressing down for the activity.

My main piece of clothing is an insulated one-piece suit, that seals me in at the ankles, wrists, and has a hood with a fur ruff. The one-piece design has evolved over the last 20 years, thanks to my designer, Maria, who owns the clothing company called Wild Things. In my mind, Wild Things is the best technical clothing company out there [see www.wildthingsgear.com]. Marie designs for high altitude climbers, Iditarod mushers and the like, and her designs are functional. I have worked with her on the design of clothing systems for 20 years. The suit is essentially covered with eVENT fabric, a great waterproof, breathable material, which protects the 3M insulation underneath. The eVENT keeps snow and water out, while at the same time allowing body moisture to pass through.

Three weeks ago, I fell into a sizable hole of overflow, which is water that flows under the ice, and pools up under the snow. The snow acts as an insulator, and keeps the water from freezing. The snow camouflages these traps, often making them difficult to see. I fell backward into a bathtub of water and slush. I had a difficult time getting out, and when I did my clothing was caked with frozen slush. It was minus 45 degrees Fahrenheit at the time, and this could have been a problem. But the eVENT did not allow the moisture to penetrate my insulation. I essentially stayed dry and safe. The selection of the outer material is thus the first critical decision is designing a piece of clothing.

My one-piece has two long zippers that go all the way from the cuff of the pants, up the leg, waist, torso, and under the arm, ending just under the elbow. There are two sets of zipper pulls. I can unzip at the cuff, or under the elbow. There is a second zipper in between, so that I can unzip anywhere along the body, for as large or small an opening as I want. This allows me to ventilate as necessary, and is highly versatile. Normally when I am skiing, I vent the inside zipper from the calf to the waist.

There is another zipper that goes down the front, from the neck to the inseam and underneath to the back, which allows for bathroom situations, as well as venting heat. The zipper on the suit allows for a wide range of conditions, from very cold and inactive, to very active and warm. The ankles are sealed off with stretch neoprene, which has a velcro closure. This seals the ankles off from blowing and drifting snow.

The hood is very specifically designed. It has elastic drawstrings, which allow it to tailor fit it to your head and hat system, as well as the opening. We use fur ruffs, which are essential for preventing our faces from freezing.

When I am inactive, like during lunch breaks or while setting up camp in 100 below windchills, I will use my insulated parka over the suit. The parka is also made by Wild Things, and has a great long fit, good pockets, a hood and has eVENT fabric covering a thick layer of 3M insulation.

The combination of the suit and parka allow me to maintain an event temperature throughout the day, regardless of activity or temperature or windchills. It takes some practical use to adapt this system to your body type. There is a bit of an art to it. I seldom allow my body to overheat, or get the slightest chill. In long distance travel like this, it is important to keep a steady equilibrium and body temperature. Constant overheat or chills will wear your body down.

Food is also an important part of the equation, which I will write about in coming journals.

Date: 2.18.04

Keeping Feet, Hands & Head Warm

Journal 43

Day 50

We seldom have any problem with our feet getting cold, thanks to the Steger mukluk [www.mukluk.com]. This is a commercially made mukluk worn by most people in our northern area of Minnesota. It is a high quality mukluk like the traditional ones of the northern peoples, except there is a latex sole on the bottom. The latex makes the boot versatile, something that can be worn as street wear or in the snow. The traditional mukluk is all moosehide, and is very limited in its use, because the moosehide sole gets wet easily, and is thus only good when temperatures are below zero degrees Fahrenheit.

The latex on the Steger mukluk has been its success, along with its quality and style. It is a flexible, breathable boot, which accommodates a warm felt liner inside. It has the advantage of being very light, keeping the soles of the feet flexible, which insures good circulation. The standard winter boots, with rubber soles and leather uppers, don’t breathe, are heavy, and become moist and uncomfortable after several hours. Once people wear the mukluk in the winter, they become immediately sold on it, because feet recognize comfort and warmth.

For the present expedition, I have renovated the liner, using 3M insulation, and eVENT fabric on the outside. This keeps my feet very dry, and eliminated moisture problems totally. During the coldest days, while waiting around, we might get cold feet. But all that is needed is to walk around for a bit, and the circulating blood warms the feet. I also have insulation in the legs of my one-piece suit, which assures circulating blood going to my feet and returning, helping keep my feet warm.

Keeping the hands warm is the only real challenge, mainly because we have to do intricate tasks in the cold that require bare hands, such as lashing sleds, harnessing dogs, etc. I have a good system worked out that consists of two pairs of five fingered gloves, made by Columbia, and one pair of insulated mitts. These all have 3M Thinsulate insulation, and the liners of the mitts are made by a local company in Ely called KMR Designs. I wear the one pair of five fingered gloves to break camp in the morning. They get very frosted, especially during my least favorite job of folding and stuffing the nylon tent. During the day, I switch to the big mitts, which have a large cuff, that comes up to the mid-forearm. The inside of the outermost part of the cuff is lined with fur to keep snow and wind out. For the most part, my hands stay quite warm in the mitts, and I can do quick jobs like untangling dog lines with bare fingers. Then, at the end of the day, I wear the second pair of gloves for setting up camp. I then dry the gloves and mitt liners on a net over the stove. They drying net, which extends across the ceiling of the tent, is used to dry mukluk liners and hand gear and hats. There is just enough extra heat to dry this gear.

Hardships occurs on these expeditions when you are low on fuel, and unable to dry things properly. In this case, you have to sleep with everything to dry it. We have plenty of fuel so far on this trip. If fuel is short, there is a tendency of weeding out those who will not return on the next arctic expedition.

Hats are a matter of personal preference. We have fur ruffs on our hoods, so we don’t wear heavy head gear. I wear a light fleece helmet, covered by a balaclava, which is like a head sock, with a hole cut out for the face. This protects the neck and the chin. I also use a Patagonia neck gaiter. I use this for added protection in the neck, or to pull up over my face. This is a versatile system, that allows me to totally cover my face except my eyes in 100 below windchills, or take some pieces off if I begin to overheat from exertion.

One other small item I use on my hands are wristlets. These are like cutoff sleeves with holes in them so that the thumbs go through. This arrangement keeps the palm and the wrist covered, and keeps the circulating blood warm. I wear my wristlets 24/7.

Date: 2.19.04

Layering

Journal 44

Day 51

Keeping warm is a two-way street. First, you need insulation that keeps body heat in and keeps cold out. The other side of the coin is that an active body gives off heat, often too much heat, and this has to be allowed to dissipate. Dressing up with insulation is easy, but it is regulating the heat from exercise that is tricky.

We are presently dressed for the extreme cold, temperatures in the minus 50 degree Fahrenheit range, with winds. The insulated one-piece suit that I talked about a few days ago is my outermost layer, regulated by zippers. On the inside of this, I achieve equilibrium by dressing in layers.

Dressing in layers has been the standard procedure in cold weather for almost 30 years. We use a system by Patagonia called their Regulator System, with clothing designed with varying thickness. The outermost layer is the thickest, number 3, and it goes down to 2, 1.5 and 1. Patagonia clothing is well designed with the best materials, and their pieces are well worth the investment because you won’t wear them out for the most part in a good 20 years.

In the Patagonia Regulator System, you start with the layer right next to the skin - long underwear - which is Number 1. There is the choice of Capiline, a long time tried and tested material, or other fabrics in several weights. The main purpose of the next to skin layer is to wick moisture immediately away from the skin and push it out into the next layer.

Since transfer of moisture is the most important aspect of the layering system, the choice of materials is important. You want to move the moisture as efficiently as possible to the outer layers, where it will eventually meet the eVENT fabric, and be pushed into the air. The body’s heat is what pushes the moisture from the inner layers out. The closer to the body, the quicker the moisture will be transferred out.

In the Patagonia Regulator System, Layer 2 is the next layer. This is a thicker material, usually a 200 fleece weight. There is a choice of full zip or partial zip or crewneck style. For layer 2, I like the partial zip. I leave this on 24/7, and like it to be a pullover, but I also want the option of unzipping some in order to vent heat. The next layer, number 3, is like a jacket, usually a 300 fleece weight. This is a full zip, and I take it off at night and use it as my pillow. It has good pockets, and in the spring I often use this as a stand alone outer jacket, if the wind is not blowing.

The main trick is regulating the body’s heat and moisture is to avoid sweating at all costs, especially when showers (except for “snow” showers) are 60 days apart. When dressing in layers, I always carefully anticipate my activity. Our days are so routine, that I know that breaking camp, lunch, and setting up camp are going to be cold times. During the day, we are on the move and active. During the really cold and inactive times, I put on my 3M insulated parka. The other times I regulate my body heat by using the zippers on my one-piece suit or, in warmer times, simply by taking layers on or off.

Most of the time, my hands are a barometer of my core temperature. When they are getting cold, I zip up. When they are getting warm, I zip down. Using layering, with some experience, you can achieve a constant core temperature in these extremes, similar to a heated building. This allows you to be comfortable and enjoy the beauty, while preventing sweating which can soak your clothing, cutting down on its insulation value. By keeping dry I am always comfortable, and it is amazing how you well you can survive even in the harshest cold.

Date: 2.20.04

Cold Weather Diet

Journal 45

Day 52

In the next several days, I will be writing about cold weather diet and nutrition. First, I want to talk about my personal diet, and then work on expedition diet.

I was brought up on the meat and potato, three square meals a day diet. My mother was raised on a farm with ten kids, three girls and seven boys. They did everything the old fashioned way, cooking with a wood range, etc. When electricity came in and she married my father, they moved from North St. Paul to Minneapolis. And my mother never looked back at “the good old days.” She loved the electric range and the washer and dryer and later the dishwasher.

She made all the meals for the nine of us, three girls and six boys in our family. She had a milk machine, the kind you might see in a restaurant, to help feed our growing family. I thrived on this diet. In high school, I took up wrestling as a sport. I was naturally active, never had the inclination to smoke, and wrestling introduced me to a disciplined athletic routine, including weight lifting. I did well, taking state titles in high school and college.

Wrestling also got me into dieting. Shedding weight was key, and in the process I learned a lot about calories and energy input. I moved into the wilderness when I was 25, and at the time change my three squares a day diet to one of more organic and live foods. It was a radical change at the time for me, and I ended up losing a lot of weight and changing my body type, going from 140 pounds down to 124. I came to grips with my addictions to sugar and sweets and salt, which today I eat very little of. I pay attention to food combinations.

In the 1970’s I raised a large garden, because at the time there was very little access to organic produce. I reduced my intake of meat and fried foods, and eliminated all artificial colors and preservatives. I made these changes with a couple of other people. It was difficult, and the one thing I didn’t consider at the time was that it made me somewhat different from the average person.

A lot of our social life revolves around food. It is somewhat different today as organic food is accepted and there are even organic restaurants. My transition was done over several years. It took a lot of discipline, but finally my body started to crave live foods. At the time I also fasted, and during the decade of the 70’s, I also spent time in the California wilderness, especially in the Sierras and the desert, where we fasted near hot springs that also had access to cold water. Most people thought we were crazy hippies at the time, but I definitely had the purpose of achieving and maintaining good health, and this process brought out greater awareness. In a way it was something of a quest, akin to the expeditions I have been doing most of my life.

So the background on my diet has been somewhat thoughtful for my personal situation. I changed my diet and it consumed my life at the time - too much so. Today I don’t think much about it. I enjoy eating, can go without food without being preoccupied with it. But I know what good diet is for myself.

On cold weather expeditions, diets are two stages, depending on temperature. Right now, in the cold of the minus 40’s Fahrenheit, we eat fat calories to keep warm. There is little getting around this. In the spring, when the temperatures rise to about 20 below, I eat less fat and more starch or carbohydrate. The warmer period of the the spring travel covers a large period of time on this expedition, from April 1 to July 1. More than half of my expedition travels have been in this warmer time.

I will first start covering the severe cold weather diet. When it is minus 40 or lower, often with strong winds, I eat a significant amount of fat. This seems to go against all the principles of nutrition, but first think of the situation. Your body has to produce its own heat 24/7. There is no ducking into a building to warm up. I put my sleeping bag at night, and my body has to heat the bag up from its temperature of minus 40.