Distance traveled
June 9th: 11.2 km
June 10th: 27.49 km

Location: N72 36'14.7 W078 25'01.5

As we skied across Eclipse Sound, the views of Bylot Island's tall peaks and glaciers faded in and out of the fog. Strong head winds blew the clouds our way; it was soon raining heavily, so we took shelter from the stormy weather.

In the tent, we gazed over our maps: Pond Inlet was only 45 km away. Since we crossed onto Baffin Island, we've been using an old set of maps, scribbled with notes, that have a dotted line marking an expedition route my parents, Matty McNair and Paul Landry, and two friends accomplished twenty-one years ago.

The team of four left Iqaluit on February 14th , 1990 with two dog teams, attempting to circumnavigate Baffin island, the worlds fifth largest island, along the traditional Inuit dog sledding routes. After my parents completed their saga, they settled in Iqaluit (Nunavut), and started a dog sledding adventure tourism company called NorthWinds.

As NorthWinds grew, my parents set out on longer expeditions, eventually guiding in some of the most remote polar locations, including to both the South and North Pole. Our house became an expedition base camp, with gear and new ideas constantly being tested.

It was there that Sarah and I were raised, our home looking over the Arctic Ocean. Having no television, we spent our time dogs sledding and camping, our parents patiently teaching us the skills to travel in the Arctic. I still tried to refuse to wear sunglasses, as I didn't think they were cool, and Sarah hated to wear a winter jacket to school (that wasn't cool either), but they persisted and obviously some knowledge has been passed down.

Eric

[Via Pittarak: Northwest Passage Expedition]