Temperature: -35F
Location: Olesen's Homestead Hoarfrost River

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This is our second day at the homestead of Dave and Christina on the Great Slave Lake. I’m near the dog yard outside. I don’t know if you can here them, but I have to shout over the ruckus. There are 30 dogs right beside me. The reason I am outside is that satellite phones do not work in cabins. They are fine in nylon tents, but here I have to do the calls outside, which is a little cold, and is hard with the dogs.

It is probably about 35-40 below, beautiful, calm, clear arctic evening. There is a band of northern lights around the Big Dipper. I’m looking straight north here, and see the silhouette of Dave and Christina’s three-story cabin. It’s not a large cabin, area-wise. Their living room is on the second floor, and the first floor is kind of a mudroom and pantry. Their main stove is also on the first floor, and that keeps the floor of the second floor warm - you can actually go barefoot. This is a very good idea here in the arctic. I’m looking at their frosted windows, with the green northern lights in the background.

The dogs are calming down a little. Their dog yard is almost like a barn yard, with a wooden fence all around. Then each dogs has its own house, with its name tag on it. There are a number of other building here. There is a sauna that is going. Our first night here we had a really great, hot sauna. I rolled in the snow three time, in usual Finnlander style. There is a cache, which is like a food storage cabin on stilts, which keeps the animals away from the food.

Looking out over the lake, Orion is up, as is Sirus, the brightest star, which is flaming red and green. It’s really just a pristine evening here. It’s about 8 o’clock our time, pitch black, of course. The last few days have been really wonderful. We’ve done the usual expedition things of sewing our gear, sewing dog harness that have ripped, as well as clothing and so forth. Most of the time we’ve sat with the family, really enjoying the two kids. Liv is four years old and Anika is seven. Anika is quite a dog musher. She went out on a dog run all on her own today. Their lives are kind of centered around the dogs. They are home schooled in the morning, and then have the afternoon to play with the dogs. They are really into this type of life. It’s really great to see two kids so social and so well-adjusted. They are hoping against odds that a big storm will come up tomorrow and we will have to stay longer. They are going to be sad to see us leave. We’ve been a big part of their life here, and the family has been alone since Christmas.

But we’ll have to hit the trail again tomorrow, back to reality. We have another five hundred miles before our next village. Probably the longest crossing in Canada between villages, up to Baker Lake, population 1,000. Looking up again, the northern lights are swaying, and the pines are covered with snow. It’s just a really beautiful evening, and I wish I could share it with everyone visually.

Temperature: -30F
Location: Great Slave Lake
Latitude: 62deg 43’ 42’’ N
Longitude: 109deg 10 56’’ W
Distance Traveled: 12 Miles

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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.

Temperature: -40F
Location: Pike’s Portage Great Slave Lake
Latitude: 62deg 41’ 53’’ N
Longitude: 108deg 57’ 10’’ W
Distance Traveled: 7 Miles

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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.

Temperature: -48F
Location: Pike’s Portage Great Slave Lake
Latitude: 62deg 41’ 21’’ N
Longitude: 108deg 54’ 3’’ W
Distance Traveled: 2 Miles

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It was an extremely cold day. Yesterday, when we made camp, it was 40 below, and this morning when we exited the tent it was 48 below. There are a couple of ways you can tell when it is extremely cold. Last night, when I was handling the stove, an filling it with gas, I noticed my fingers were freezing really fast. Normally I can work and touch metal and pour gas from aluminum gas cans quite easily at 30 below, but it gets down into the 40 belows like this it gets almost burning, like it’s hot to the touch. Like handling frozen CO2.

When we left today, we were on a very high knoll, which was actually a warm spot. When we got down into the valleys - we unfortunately had a lot of steep decents on Pike’s portage - it must have been in the 40 , below range, even 50 below. When it reaches the 50 below range, your eyelashes freeze up, though nothing very serious. The day was very clear and calm, so it didn’t actually feel all that cold. But when you stopped, the cold was quite penetrating. It warmed up to 36 below, and when we made camp it was about 41 below. So tonight it will probably be 45-50 below.

We’re on a lake, we finally made it to the first lake on the portage. And in these depressions the cold air tends to gather, so it’s actually colder sleeping on a lake than up high. We had an excellent day of travel. We only made it a few miles, but many hundreds of feet up and down. It was a lot of work for the dogs and the people. A lot of times all six of us were pushing one sled to get it up these hills, so it was a workout all day long. Morale is very good, the dogs are running well, everyone likes this cold weather.

The big catch is that there is no wind at all, hasn’t been for the last few days, which makes it easy to dress. You can unzip and take off a few layers when you are working and then add a few during lunch. So it’s very easy to stay warm and maintain your body’s equilibrium.

We’re on a small lake, and the lake is actually cracking, which is a sign the temperature is going down. There was a beautiful twilight here around 4:30, and we saw our first sliver of the moon, with the planet Venus right above that. And when it got a little bit darker the northern lights started raying up in the sky.

Last night we camped in a forest in deep snow, knee deep. The dogs are very happy in the deep snow in the forest. They bed down and are very comfortable. They broke into several howls last night, and I can always tell the howls of dogs in clear skies when it’s calm. Their howls were very high-pitched, and sometimes they kind of blend in with the northern lights. I’ve traveled at least 10,000 miles in my days, in northern Minnesota and Canada, in the forest like we were in yesterday. And it takes a tremendous amount of work to get through the snow. Hugh was staking out the dogs last night, and had to bring them one by one to the stake-out chain through the deep snow. Everything is double, triple the work. The wind is actually often an ally, as when we get in The Barrens the going will be very smooth, very fast. Not a lot of work traveling like it was today in the deep snow. We had a very good day today, and everyone is in good spirits.

Due to technical problems with the satellite recording system, a dispatch was not recorded today. Please visit January 26/Day27 for a recap.

Due to technical problems with the satellite recording system, a dispatch was not recorded today. Please visit January 26/Day27 for a recap.

Temperature: -50F
Location: Pike's Portage

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First of all, an apology. We had technical problem the past few days, and haven’t been able to get through. But I will summarize for the last three days.

Actually, it was quite simple. We’ve been working on getting through the Pike’s portage, which is the long portage between Great Slave Lake and Artillery Lake. It is a little over 30 miles long. We had identical weather each day, it was cold, calm and clear. Temperatures averaged between 40 and 50 below. It was usually around 44-45 below, but the key here was that there was no wind. It was really quite beautiful. Beautiful camps.

I remember on our first day on the portage looking out and seeing the new crescent moon. When we are traveling like this, on an expedition, I always mark my months by the moon. You sort of lose track off the calendar. I know it is January 26, but I have no idea what day of the week it is. It is simply not relevant, the way we travel here. So I mark my months by the moon. An it was a magnificent sight, seeing the crescent moon in the blue-green twilight at 45 below, with Venus right above it, and rays of northern lights. It was a sign to me of good times ahead, and that in about six weeks we will have warm weather.

The portages were a little rough, as we had very heavy sleds and deep snow. We went up a lot of hills, and most of the time on these steep hills we had all six of us pushing on one sled at the same time. The routine was to bring four or five extra dogs per sled, so we were working with a team of 13-15 dogs, with six people pulling and pushing. We would get one sled up, and then we would all go down together and get the second and then the third sled up. It was a great time for us, actually it was a time of camaraderie and friendship. Often we are not together like this during the day. The only time we are together is during lunch. And lunch is a very cold ordeal. For me it is one of the worst times of the day. And there usually isn’t any in depth conversation, maybe only a little joking around. And during the day we are confined to three different sleds, and the sled drivers are always the same on each sled. For example, Eric, Aaron and I are sort of the go-betweens, working with different sleds, so I never get to spend time with Eric or Aaron during the day. And so it was great when we were pushing the sleds together, and quite an accomplishment, some of the things we did. I was very proud of the dogs.

Another thing that remains in my memory of the Pike’s portage is the vapor trail left behind by the dogs, mainly the heat of their body and breath. They look like steam engines crossing these small lakes. The lakes were in depressions, with high hills around. It almost reminded me of the Brooks Range. The vegetation and trees became sparse at the end of the portage, almost like gaining elevation, but we were simply getting further east into the Barrenlands country. At lot of times the vapor trails were so thick that when I looked back from the lead sled, I could hardly see the second and third sled at all. And sometimes it was so thick while running the dogs that the lead dog almost disappeared.

This is a very typical sign of really dead calm, clear, cold weather, having these vapor trails. A very, very beautiful sight. We also had very memorable campsites, very calm. Lots of stars, northern lights every night. Whenever it’s calm here we had northern lights.

I had one little event during this time. I was leading, and up ahead walking, trying to figure out the area. And there is a very dangerous thing called overflow. This is when a stream is flowing, and it freezes from the bottom up so the water is flowing on the top. A lot of time it flows under the snow, and the snow keeps it insulated so that even at 40-50 below there is a pool of water there. And in one of these areas where it didn’t look like there was any running water whatsoever, I walked onto an overflow, and the ice collapsed and I fell into it. It wasn’t like falling into water, but more like falling into a bathtub of slush. I fell up to my waist, and actually had a hard time getting out at first. But it was actually no problem at all, because all of our clothing from head to toe is eVENTR fabric. eVENTR is a waterproof/breathable fabric, and I have a one-piece suit made of this, and it protects the Thinsulate insulation underneath. So when I went in, the water didn’t penetrate the fabric. And the super-cold - minus 45 or 50 - actually protects you, because the water freezes immediately on contact, so it didn’t sink into the fabric. I was totally OK, and didn’t even have to dry off my clothing after that.

However, there is a real safety factor with six people. So even if someone had gone in with old-fashioned clothing, there would have been no danger, only a huge inconvenience. Even if, say, three people went in the water, we still have three tents, able bodies, and good stoves. It may be an inconvenience, perhaps stopping for a full day to get someone dried off, but we always have the safety margin. It is great safety to have six people.

The real danger of overflow is if you are traveling solo. I’ve traveled many thousands of miles in the arctic alone, with dogs, and have always been aware of overflow. If you get wet, it can be very dangerous, as you can freeze up and find it impossible to get a tent up and a stove going.

So the overflow here was no big issue, only my big adventure on the Pike’s portage. We got onto Artillery Lake at the end of the portage. And I’ll call in tomorrow - it’s our day off - and fill you in on the two days we missed.

Temperature: -45F
Location: Artillery Lake

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Due to the technical difficulties we recently had, I’m going to cover two days. Today is our day off, not too much happening today. But yesterday we were traveling on Artillery Lake, and made about 18 miles, in a strong wind, with the temperature around 40-45 below all day. Fortunately, the wind was at our back, kind of a southwest wind, as we were traveling to the northeast. We have about another 10-15 miles to go on Artillery Lake.

Yesterday was clear but bitter, bitter cold. Lunch was an ordeal, and we all froze up almost immediately. We can tell that the weather is changing as we get closer to The Barrens. The temperature has been about the same since we were on Pike’s portage, but now the wind has been kicking up.

The night before the day off is always a festive occasion. There is no hurry to cook dinner or do our chores. Each tent team sort of sits around leisurely, has some tea. I had a bit of Scotch. It was 12 year old Scotch that a friend gave me, and it was frozen in the plastic bottle (we had transferred it from a glass bottle because we didn’t want to lug around the weight of the glass). But when Scotch is frozen, you know it’s 50 below. Our thermometer said 45, but the Scotch is a more accurate indicator than any kind of thermometer. We heated up our tea and cracked some of the ice out of the Scotch and made a kind of slurry, and we poured a bit of Scotch into our tea and had a kind of nightcap before we made dinner.

In my previous travels to the Arctic and the North Pole I used to always bring a plastic bottle of Scotch to kick off the expedition. In 1986 I took some Jack Daniels, and it was frozen of course on the first day. So I thought I would carry it with me until it thawed out, but after about two weeks of being in a solid state we couldn’t wait any longer.

In 1995 we left on the Russian side, and the temperature there was 55 below zero. And the Scotch was ice solid, so we cut out the plastic bottle and made ice cubes out of the Scotch, and just dumped the ice cubes into some water.

So it’s kind of a tradition in cold weather at the beginning of an expedition. We were toasting the beginning of The Barrens here last night.

Today was a very leisurely day. We spent a lot of time sewing and fixing our gear. In another eight days we will have a resupply, so we are sorting through our equipment, trying to figure out what we can send back. We want to drop weight, because we are coming to a serious part of the trip where there is only one way, and that is forward. There’s no option of going back through Pike’s portage; that’s been committed already. And we are all looking forward to the unknowns here, the weather and the terrain.

Today the weather was very similar to yesterday, 45 below and windy. But once you get moving, it is not too bad.

Temperature: -45F
Location: Artillery Lake

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A very cold day again. 45 below, with a strong wind. Wind chills in the 70’s below, although as we traveled it was clear weather, and the wind was at our back. It wasn’t until we stopped to adjust a ski binding or undo a knot or untangle a dog when we had to bear our fingers did we realize just how extremely cold the wind chills were.

But the travel was good, we had good visibility, which was the main thing. We traveled ten miles down Artillery Lake, and then we turned due east, onto the Barrenlands. We were in an area called the Land of the Little Sticks, which is a transitional area where the spruce trees start fading out, in fact there are only a few little spruces here and there, sometimes there might be a bunch of about 20 that manage to survive in a clump behind some rocks or something like that. This Land of Little Sticks is an area the Indians would rarely travel in. They are very uncomfortable in wide open spaces, and this was the northern perimeter of their travels. The Inuit, or Eskimo, people believed the trees had spirits, and they didn’t like camping among the trees. And the Land of Little Sticks is an area between the two cultures. It is always one of my favorite areas.

But it is pretty hostile. I’m outside right now doing this recording, and it is REALLY cold. But the moon’s out, the northern lights are out, a typical thing here on a clear night. We traveled about 18 miles, we’ve traveled a total of 321 miles on the expedition so far. And I’m going to sign off here, because it is so cold. I’m looking out here at the three tents silhouetted and the dog teams, but it is really brutal.

Location: East End Artillery Lake
Latitude: 63deg 08’ 00’’
Longitude: 107deg 14’ 10’’
Distance Traveled: Not reported

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There was a loss in Will's satellite connection during his daily sat-phone dispatch tonight, however, his journal entry transmission succeeded. Here is an audio sampling of his journal entry for Day 30. That's life in the Arctic at 50 below!

January 29, 2004

We headed east off the 60 mile long Artillery Lake into The Barrens. Artillery is boundary separating the forest to the west and barren lands to the east. We are now traveling in a thin transitional zone that I call The Land of the Little Sticks. Here, dwarf spruce, either separated or in small bonzai-like clumps dot the sparse landscape. Each on has its own personality, having survived the battling winds and cold.