Posts tagged with ‘northwest passage’ (8)
Posted by Jimmy Thomson
on Tuesday, May 14, 2013
The Arctic Council flag outside the Haparanda Stadshotell, Sweden. (Photo: Arctic Council)
The Northwest Passage was one of the most coveted geographical prizes of the 19th
century. Dozens of ships attempted to find it, and most, like the doomed Franklin expedition, failed. Times have changed, however; ever-growing numbers of cruise ships and freighters make the transit each year with the benefit of modern charts, satellite navigation and thinning ice.
This week, Canada is taking the reins of the Arctic Council as the Northwest Passage literally and figuratively heats up. Canada claims rights to the route, although that has been disputed by other nations - but that is far from the only disputed claim in the Arctic. Debates over mineral rights, territorial boundaries and Aboriginal rights have been ongoing for centuries.
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Nicolas Peissel is part of a Royal Canadian Geographical Society-supported expedition to cross the Northwest Passage. Click here to read more about the Passage Through Ice journey and read more posts about the expedition on CG Compass.
We were poised in Prince of Wales Strait on the East side of Banks Island when we received the email we had been waiting for:
Good afternoon,
It not recommended to go into M'Clure Strait, but there is a window open north of Banks. There is a lead developing ...
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After paddling solo 1,300 kilometres and reaching the Arctic Circle, I finished my wilderness trek retracing the Klondike gold rush. What a trip!
It began at the Pacific Ocean near the foot of the Chilkoot and White Passes, and ended at Fort Yukon, Alaska, a major Arctic resupply point for 19th century Klondike miners. In total I travelled 1,500 kilometres by canoe, historic train and hiking boots.
During almost five weeks of paddling the Yukon River mostly in flood conditions, I took roughly ...
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Nicolas Peissel is part of a Royal Canadian Geographical Society-supported expedition to cross the Northwest Passage. Click here to read more about the Passage Through Ice journey and read more posts about the expedition on CG Compass.
Fair winds took us from Greenland around the last remaining pack ice in Baffin Bay and into Canadian waters. We had not yet decided on a route since cloud cover over the Canadian Arctic cluttered up the satellite images.
To bide our time and get further information ...
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The temperature dropped to two degrees Celsius and the light from the midnight sun brightened gradually as we reached the northernmost point of the expedition. The GPS showed that we were at 78 degrees North and just beyond the horizon was a wall of ice stopping us only 720 nautical miles from the North Pole.
From there we headed to Thule; Greenland’s northernmost settlement. The name, which originates in Greek mythology, means “the end of the world.”
The surrounding landscape was harsh. Small ...
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