The 2nd Annual IR Vacation to Hell- The Baffin to Ellesmere Challenge

Charting a course.

"A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving." LaoTzu(570-490 BC)

Photo;Loading kayaks on The Northern Ranger,Goose Bay,Labrador,July 2005.

 

Well I finally received Nautical Charts for the area where we are headed. The charts show large areas of icecaps,many glaciers that end in the sea,(that means lots of ice in the water), some tidal races,deep water between the islands, and to me something I have never seen on a chart before. A compass rose with no variance noted, instead it says,"The Magnetic compass is useless in this area." Well thats just great.
   That really hits home with me as to just how far north we will really be. So far north that the Magnetic North Pole will be west of us! Holy Crap!
    I have always used charts and compass, never used a GPS, Now I am wondering if they make a GPS that will stand up to the rigors of this challenge.Its not just cold up there but also damp.Its soaks the heat out of you and the batteries. Moisture gets into everything.
    Although when the sky is clear you can see much farther than you can in more southern climes, we will have fog and rainy days to deal with so, we won't always be able to see where we are going.
    If we decide to cross Devon Island on the Ice Cap, there is the chance of having white outs.So some bullet proof way of navigating will have to be sorted out.
    We have low level air charts on the way.These charts will give up some idea of the topography of the area with some detail and info that a regular topo map won't.
    With nautical charts,air charts,and topographical maps we will then collate all the information onto one map/chart and use that here to plan and up there on the ground to guide us. We will also add any local knowledge we get and mark that on the master chart as needed.
    In the past when we have been in the field I make notations on my chart as we go for future reference.
    Chart work in the planning stage will save us a lot of time and work in the field...although its a plan you can't be married to it, you must be able in your mind to deviate as needed.
    The trip is the trip, its not about getting to the end of the trip its about  being in the present during the trip.And enjoying the trip as the destination.
                                                                                                                                          Russell

   

Rock and Roll and Kayaking

Shock and awe....that's what I felt when I got word that our team won the Vacation to Hell grant. Shock, because I thought we for sure wouldn't win. It was a shot in the dark, a crazy happenstance, like when you drop your toothbrush, and it magically finds its way to the toilet. Plunk.
Awe, because once I saw the location on satellite, I realized we, the buffalo soldiers, were going to a place that is seldom seen, rarely walked on, and most likely will never be the same 5, 10, 20 years from now.
Once I picked my bollocks up off the floor, I started to think about why I do this. Why do I take my kit and my boat to some place in the middle of f*** all, and put myself, many times over in some life-threatening venue, only to want to do it again? Stupidity comes to mind straight away, but there's more to it than that. I think the gist of it is, it's the great unknown. I find it pretty thrilling knowing that for all the planning, packing, worrying, crying, kicking and screaming, curling up in the fetal position for days on end in the dark, that I ultimately don't really know what's going to happen. It's like Space Mountain. For people who have never been on it (huh?), Space Mountain is a kick-ass rollercoaster, in a cheesy space-like setting - are you ready for this? - IN THE DARK! That's the most badass thing about it. You're certain if you pick your head up one more inch, you're going to be decapitated, or worse, embarassed, because you're screaming like a little girl. And once the terror is over, you want to go again. See what I mean?
So, after the shock and awe wore off, we - Team Sweetwater (called Team Sweetwater only because the guys wouldn't accept my submission for a name - Team Geezer), felt we should start planning. Firstly, getting 4 people, with kit, is a pricey proposition for travel. Throw in 4 sea kayaks, and people just laugh at you. I'm not kidding. And travel in the high arctic? Let's put it this way: In our correspondence with certain "entities" regarding the exhorbitant shipping rates in that area (which we knew about months ago, and passed that info along), the words "Wow!", and more importantly, "Yikes!" were actually used. Bottom line is, it's expensive. Hence the sponsorship angle. Works for me. So, they tell us not to worry. But I worry. I harken back to the time in Heathrow airport, before the last show of my 2005 European tour with Sebastian Bach. We were in transit to some hellhole venue in Italy, I think, and turns out, we're on standby. Do you know what standby means? I means you stand there at the airport and wave "Bye!" to everyone else on your flight. Anyway, did I mention the artist I was on tour with is managed by his wife? Oh, and get this..her mom is a travel agent! How convenient! So, as the tour manager (the artists personal valet) and the artist go walking by us, (all hungover and half dead), they literally - and I'm not making this up - throw our tickets at us and say: "see you in Italy!". Fortunately for us, our soundman "Skitch" is also a tour manager, and got us through security and on our flights to the last show. He rules. Funny thing about Heathrow airport, the standby area is cordoned off for some reason....probably so it's easier for people with regular confirmed flights to single you out, point, and laugh. So, you see why I worry about stuff they tell you not to worry about.
My 11 month old son requires my attention, and I'll be going now. More to follow..............

Mark "Beast" Prator

Mark on the deck of Cape Rouge II somewhere south of Gulch Cape,Labrador,2005.

       I have known Mark for 20-something years...we have played in bands together, paddled , camped seen each others highs and lows in life through the years.
       I have said in the past , "if I were in jail in a third world country , Mark would be the guy that would figure a way to get me out'. He is tenacious, crafty and thinks on his feet , pliable to change on the move.
       And his wry sense of humor crops up in some of the most unlikely but best times.
      When things get tough is when he really shines, I have seen him in 12 foot seas 100 miles from the nearest town, wind blowing force 6-7 , the rest of working to keep going and there's Mark , revelling in the moment! The joy on his face as he slides down those big black swells, wind pushing us around like leaves in the street, but he was there when a tow was called for ..towing two of us for a couple of hours until we could find a place to land. Fog on the sea, ice bergs beached off shore,nothing but cliffs and rebounding
waves for miles.
     Marko owns a recording studio, Red Room Recorders in Tampa ,Florida. He has worked with many well known artists over the years either as a drummer or as an engineer.
     Being on the road in a band is a lot like being on an expedition...long days,living in close quarters under duress...you either wilt or thrive. Prator thrives.
    Mark got married to a lovely woman a couple of years ago and now has a little boy in his life as well,(you can see Nicholas on our entry video). So we all do have regular lives , but beyond that we all have dreams , dreams of seeing whats around the next headland,dreams of seeing the High Artic before its gone.
    Mark recently told me,"I want to see Ellesmere and Devon while there is still ice up there because when my son is an adult it will all be gone".

Russell