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NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY The definitive source for information on plastics and the environment.
National Geographic Magazine October 1996
Traversing Baffin Island
 
Baffin IMAGE They were seeking a wilderness experience. But during the first few weeks of their 1,880-mile (3,025-kilometer) trek across Canada’s largest island, which began in March 1994, John Dunn and his companions were as concerned about keeping warm as with appreciating the Arctic landscape. Facing stiff winds and temperatures as cold as minus 42°F (minus 41°C), they focused on skiing, setting up camp, eating, and sleeping. To make quick progress and for sheer fun, they raised sails on their sleds and skimmed across the ice through the canyon-like fjords of the northeastern coast. For 192 days they pushed on, switching from skis to kayaks when the ice melted, then finally hiking on foot. By the time they reached their goal at the southern tip of Baffin, they had been recharged by the freedom and vitality of the far north.
 

    
Confident that melting sea ice will still hold their weight in late June, the team crosses Baffin Island’s Home Bay in ankle-deep meltwater. Halfway through their 1,880-mile (3,025-kilometer) journey, they have already skied for three months, seeking renewal of their restless spirits in the Canadian Arctic.

Article and photographs by John Dunn

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