Position: N 77° 01', W 93° 01'
Distance Traveled: 13 mi/ 20.6 km

So we just hit the two week mark. All is going good so far. There is a slight concern that, with the rough sea ice slowing us up, we might not be able to make the northwest coast of Ellesmere.

We've been discussing different options. One would be to leave caches of food in bear-proof barrels along the coast. This would make us much lighter and give us the chance we need to make the miles it would take. We will have to see what will work best.

The last two days have been pretty exhausting. The dogs have been working hard and have done a good job getting us this far. Today they were really tough to run and trying to motivate them can be quite tiring. Constant shouting of "ready...hike,hike,hike." Pushing the sled up ice boulders, running in front of the dogs in the deep snow and sometimes having to flip over a sled! They truly are amazing creatures. They seem born to run and even though they get tired, they love it.

It s a short one for me tonight. Need some rest, so for now, over and out from Falcon.

Sam

Additional Info:

Canadian Inuit Dog

With us on Ellesmere Island are 30 Canadian Inuit dogs. Known as Qimmiq in Inuktitut, they are one of the last indigenous dog breads to North America and now one of the rarest.

The Canadian Inuit dogs are amazingly adapted to the harsh climate and conditions of the North. They are strong and tough, with a thick coat of fur that keeps them warm even through the coldest nights.

When the Inuit migrated to the High Arctic, they brought the dog with them as they depended on it for survival. They were used for centuries for dogsledding, carrying packs and hunting.

After the introduction of the snowmobile in the Arctic, the need for the dogs ceased and the breed decreased almost to extinction. They are still used today for hunting, tourism, and sport.