Posts Tagged ‘northwest passage’
Fatal Passage Turns 25 Years Old
An Open Letter to Explorer John Rae Dear Doctor Rae: Would you believe that Fatal Passage is now twenty-five years old? I write from the future to remind you that the book appeared in 2001, bringing your extraordinary life and times into the 21st century. You may recall that I met your ghost in 1998,…
Read MoreArctic adventurers recreate trek to Rae Strait
The Arctic Return Expedition is all systems go. A reconfigured four-man team will set out March 25, 2019 to recreate the most successful Arctic overland expedition of the 19th century. On his 1854 surveying adventure, accompanied by an Inuk and an Ojibway, Orcadian explorer John Rae discovered both the terrible fate of the lost Franklin…
Read MoreLovely paperback edition lists under $20
The paperback is here! A single author’s copy anyway, with countless others flowing into bookstores next week. Hats off to the folks at HarperCollins Canada! What a lovely package! This edition is slightly smaller than the hardcover . . . the perfect size!And it contains new and improved maps! And here on the back cover, a reviewer…
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 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…
Read MoreWrestling Visions of Climate Change in the Northwest Passage
Sailing Out of the Passage with Adventure Canada Day 12: Aujuittuq National Park Katabatic winds came roaring down off the mountains of the fjord. By some estimates, they were gusting up to 80 km, carrying higher-density air under the influence of gravity. Just before noon, the winds forced a brief closure of all decks for…
Read MoreBeechey Island whiteout inspires Dead Reckoning video
Scenes from September, voyaging Out of the Northwest Passage with Adventure Canada. Day 8: Beechey Island For visiting Beechey Island, the best-known historical site in the Arctic, the day was perfect: cool and overcast. We went ashore in zodiacs and climbed the rocky, snow-swept slope to the graves of the first three sailors to die…
Read MoreGjoa Haven features Amundsen, Kamookak, Martin Bergmann
Voyaging Out of the Northwest Passage with Adventure Canada, September 2018: Day 4: Gjoa Haven The little kids stole the show. Five to seven years old, they emerged in pairs, jigging out into the centre of the high school gymnasium. Within seconds, we visitors were dabbing at our eyes. These innocents were dancing so intently,…
Read MoreLighting the Kudlik in the Northwest Passage
As a rule, when we sail in the Northwest Passage with Adventure Canada, I end up writing the “official” logbook that goes out to passengers as an illustrated booklet. Towards the end of the year, I like to post a few excerpts. It gets me remembering . . . and excites me about next year.…
Read MoreArctic Return Expedition will seek Northwest Passage in the footsteps of John Rae
“A snow storm of great violence raged during the whole of [April] 14th, which did not prevent us from making an attempt to get forward; after persevering two and a half hours, and gaining a mile and a half distance, we were again forced to take shelter.” — John Rae on his 1854 expedition In…
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