He adds that in the North's cold, dry climate, history stays on the land. It was late spring at their home in the bush near Markdale, Ont., northwest of Toronto. By midsummer they were in the Arctic, by early fall their boat is expected to be locked in the ice off Ellesmere Island. The food is largely vegetarian, dried beans and loads of flour, plus dried meats and cheese and appropriate amounts of wine and chocolate. Sverdrup's parties led by dog sleighs to explore Ellesmore.
Bears are the biggest threat up there.
When you're hiking, you get up high enough, you get a panorama and that's always exciting. In the Arctic, you get that all the time. There are no trees, just dramatic landscapes and rugged beauty. He adds that in the North's cold, dry climate, history stays on the land. You can see the path where a glacier went, or a circle of stones from a pre-Dorset camp 3,500 years ago or, for that matter, a pile of wine bottles left by Otto Sverdrup.