Hello, While it is getting late, I am for partners as my partner just canceled for critical family issues. If you can’t this year and would like to do it next year, August 2018, let me know as my fallback is to go next year and, if not, I would be happy to give you my intelligence.
At this late stage, I have two options and I am flexible on what to do.
!) Climb Baffin Highest Peak (Mt. Odin, 2150 m) over a not very technical route and, possibly, hike to Mt. Asgard Basecamp as well as backpack a wonderful valley for 2 days with a few river crossings and rough terrain in the shadow of jagged peaks and big walls such as the highest uninterrupted cliff in the word (Mt Thor) Regarding the Odin climb, it should involve mostly class fourth scrambling and a short alpine climb on the summit but we should be prepared with gears. On Asgard basecamp, the itinerary is on a dry glacier where crevasses can be easily spotted (I went there last year). The setting of this trip is unique as it is in a wonderful arctic glacier-edged valley surrounded by big walls. In fact, it is a fjord that was recently vacated by glaciers and has been used by Inuit as a traditional route where glaciers line the edges of the valley. While nothing of this magnitude can really be compared, I believe that it is a place similar to Yosemite in California with one notable difference: you replace the crowd with numerous glaciers. In 2004 Outside Magazine voted the Auyuittuq Backpacking trip one of the top « Trips Of A Lifetime ». Without doubt, this is an amazing place with the majority of the trip above the Arctic Circle. Auyuittuq means « The Land That Never Melts » in Inuit and this National Park has two mountains very famous around the world that draw a few world-class climbers every year. Mount Asgard consists of two flat-topped and cylindrical rock towers that may have seen in a James Bond movie (“A spy who loved me”) when a stuntman performed a BASE jump, skiing off the mountain with a parachute for the opening sequence of the film. Mount Thor features the greatest vertical drop in the world (i.e., 1,250 m or 4,101 ft), with the cliff overhanging at an average angle of 15 degrees from vertical. To illustrate, climbing this cliff, visible for days during the trip, takes about 30 days on the most technical routes.
- Backpack a wonderful peninsula for about 75 m/ 120 k with a few river crossings and rough terrain starting on a plateau and ending in the valley of a big river, with sides averaging 800 feet / 500 m. This is taking place in the Meta Incognita peninsula, often referred as Baffin’s Florida, in Katannilik Territorial Park… The Itijjagiaq Trail follows a traditional pathway from Iqaluit to Kimmirut. It is item 18 in Canada’s longest hiking trails (see http://www.explore-mag.com/35_of_Canadas_Longest_Hiking_Trails . The highlights of this remote and challenging trail include the ecosystem fed by the Soper Heritage River, ancient geology, the high plateau of Meta Incognita Peninsula and the glacier-scarred valleys beyond. Wildlife includes wolves, foxes, caribou and perhaps even polar bears (For polar bears, we would bring bear bangers.) Flora includes dwarf birch, willow, Labrador tea, Arctic heather and grassland tundra. Hike in July and August to see the vibrant Arctic blooms; truly an unforgettable experience in Canada’s far north.
I went many times to Baffin, mostly for backpacking but also for kayaking and my research is all done. I could also get 50% discount on the airfare.
These are arctic trip that are reasonably affordable, safe and logistically manageable as you can get there with scheduled flights and the parks maintain emergency shelters.
The required budget could be as follows:
-
Approximately 200$ boat ride(s).
-
Accommodations costs can be avoided completely by camping in communities as hotels are, otherwise, very expensive. This is what I am going to do.
-
Lightweight and rich food.
-
Leaving aside the gears, the most expensive thing is the airfare. For example, the return flight from Ottawa is approximately 3000$ Canadian (First Air to Iqaluit for the way up and Kimmirut to Ottawa, via Iqaluit, for the way down) but, as said, I can get discount. However, it is still a lot cheaper than other arctic trip as you don’t need to add the cost of a charter plane
As the packs would be heavy (approximately 30 kg or 65 pounds), a few weather-bound days are possible and well-though planning for weeks of autonomy respecting food and gears is critical, the composition of the group is very important. It is therefore important that interested persons be willing to demonstrate their skills, abilities and experiences as well as disclose gears to make sure that participants are compatible, capable, well equipped and fit enough.
If you are interested, the next steps would be to send me a personal message with your skype id or phone number as well as your age, weight and height with a description of your relevant experience for this trip (backpacking or other similar trip) and whether the airfare is an issue. As you can expect, participation to this event would be subject to future decisions by the team leader in consultation with participants that have been accepted up to that point.
Thanks
Stephen from Ottawa, Canada
p.s. I am sea kayaing from July 1st to 17th and I may not respond quickly