Let’s take back Arctic history in Scotland
Faithful readers (hi, mom!) will recognize this image of Abbotsford from my book Celtic Lightning. The historical novelist Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832) created this castle-like residence, now a museum, 40 miles south of Edinburgh in the Scottish Borders. Sheena shot the photo a few years ago, when last we visited. End of March, I have…
Read MoreTeam set to retrace Rae’s 1854 expedition
The Arctic Return team is complete. Explorers Hugh Dale-Harris and Garry Tutte round out the four-man party that will set out in April 2019 to retrace John Rae’s legendary 1854 expedition. That’s the one on which, with William Ouligbuck and Thomas Mistegan, he solved the two great mysteries of 19th-century Arctic exploration, discovering both the…
Read MoreHow Jacobite heroine Flora MacDonald battled Patriots as a Nova Scotia Loyalist
I’m one day late remembering Flora MacDonald, who died on March 4, 1790, attended by the surgeon who had drawn up her marriage contract. The Jacobite heroine was buried at Kilmuir Cemetery on the north coast of Skye, less than two miles from where, in 1746, she had landed while escorting the Bonnie Prince Charlie…
Read MoreView from Alaska highlights indigenous contribution to Arctic discovery
DAVID JAMES (Fairbanks Daily News-Miner) Feb. 25, 2018 FAIRBANKS — For Arctic history enthusiasts, there’s never been a more exciting time. The recent findings of the two lost vessels of the Franklin Expedition, last seen sailing from Greenland in 1845 in search of the Northwest Passage, made global news. Meanwhile, historians have been producing an…
Read MoreVoyage to the Erebus meets Arctic reality
Snorkeling was back on the agenda. Last September, when we boarded the Ocean Endeavour to sail west Out of the Northwest Passage with Adventure Canada, we expected to don wetsuits and go snorkeling over the wreck of John Franklin’s Erebus. The Arctic had other ideas. Click on this link to see the article I wrote…
Read MoreDead Reckoning tracks Northwest Passage through Oakville
Faithful readers (hi, Mom!) will find the above photo vaguely familiar. That’s because a flipped version turns up on the cover of Dead Reckoning: The Untold Story of the Northwest Passage. It says here that the book’s author is heading for Oakville, and is not to be missed. More precisely, Our Ken will be presenting to the…
Read MoreHow Canadian Boomers Spirited the Sixties Into the 21st Century
Far be it from me to poke anybody’s bear. But I did have a lot of fun writing the short essay that turns up under the above title in the latest Canadian Issues. Here’s how it begins . . . . We oldest Canadian Boomers, born in the later 1940s, came of age in the…
Read MoreParks Canada meets Order of Canada in Arctic Return Expedition
Fifteen months and counting –to Departure, that is — and already the Arctic Return expedition is making headlines. First, partner Louie Kamookak was appointed to the Order of Canada. Awright, Louie! Well deserved! Then, adventurer Dave Garrow joined the team. Welcome aboard, Dave! Faithful readers got to meet Louie here. And we’re excited to bring…
Read More2017 Greatest Hits feature Scotland, Atwood, and the Arctic
Last day of the year, I find myself driven out of bed at 5 am to look back at 2017, and to say hey to readers who have been checking in here. We’re up over 20,000 views per month — a far cry from pop-culture blogging numbers, but I’ll take it. And I’ll defer to…
Read More2019 John Rae Arctic Return Expedition rockets into cyberspace
The website is live. The expedition is all systems go. The team is still growing. Sponsors are flocking to the cause. To learn all about the Arctic Return expedition, click on . . . this link! Meanwhile, see below for truncated introductions to some key players. Expedition Team: For over 20 years, expedition leader David…
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