Day: 22

Sad to Leave The Olesen's

Temperature: -30F

Location: Great Slave Lake

Latitude: 62deg 43’ 42’’ N

Longitude: 109deg 10 56’’ W

Distance Traveled: 12 Miles

We traveled 12 miles today. We left the Olesen homestead on Hoarfrost River around 2 o’clock. During the morning we spent time working with the online project, send some stuff to the Star Tribune and also to the schools. Then it took us a while to get out of the homestead.

It was kind of sad last night, as both of the Olesen’s girls were crying about our departure. They would be missing us, but both of them had also fallen in love with different dogs on our team. And Anika had told her mom, “Mom, you can’t imagine what it’s like falling in love with a dog like this, and that dog is going to be leaving tomorrow.” Both kids had tears streaming down their face, just heartbroken.

In the morning they were a little happier, bouncing around, and showing us their dogs again for the second and third time. Again, there were a few tears from the kids as we were leaving, they really had a good time with us and the dogs. It was kind of sad saying goodbye.

The trail is often like this. You’re either united with old friends or you meet people for a few days who come to feel like lifelong friends. And it’s always sad because you have to leave in the morning or the next day, and the farewells are often melancholy. For myself it was really great to connect with Dave after 25 years, when we took our first expedition together. And I got to know his wife Christine, a really wonderful woman. They’re just a wonderful family, which is what was going through my heart and my mind today as we traveled. We traveled 12 miles and made camp at 5:30, in the dark.

Tomorrow the action really starts. We have about seven miles to go on the Great Slave Lake, and then about 20 miles of portages. We’ve heard that these portages are going to be quite tough, steep, and maybe deep snow. But you never know what you hear. But we’re preparing for a lot for tomorrow. And these portages will lead us up to a large lake called Artillery Lake, which is probably 35 miles long. Artillery Lake will then lead us to the open Canadian Barrens.