Last minute packing on the day of departure. (image 1 of 22)
Thawing hydraulics and breaks before taking off. (image 2 of 22)
Hour and a half flight from Thompson with 1800 pounds of gear in tow. (image 3 of 22)
The only thing you see for the hour and a half flight - pure wilderness. (image 4 of 22)
15 minutes to unload our gear before the plane started freezing up. (image 5 of 22)
Parting shot of us with our gear. (image 6 of 22)
Waving goodbye to the last person we would see for the next 4 months. (image 7 of 22)
A very powerful moment. Watching the plane disappear and realizing we are truly alone. (image 9 of 22)
A grueling hike through the frozen muskeg. (image 9 of 22)
Arriving at the river with no cabin in site. (image 10 of 22)
Searching for another 2 hours before finally succumbing to the cold, exhaustion, dehydration, and hunger. (image 11 of 22)
Surviving our first night in a makeshift bivouac in temperatures exceeding -40ºF. This photo was taken 4 months after that first night. (image 12 of 22)
Uncertain if we'd survive through that first night, the sunrise was an incredible sight. (image 13 of 22)
Back to the lake and all of our to regroup. We set up a canvas tent and began melting snow. We were extremely dehydrated at this point. (image 14 of 22)
A tent fire prevented us from hydrating. Our only source of warmth was our frustration. Our tent was beaten by the wind being so exposed on the frozen lake. (image 15 of 22)
Day 3. Back to the river with a more modern tent. Unfortunately at -30ºF the elastic cords holding the poles together loose their elasticity and we were forced to remove our gloves and cut each shock cord free from the poles. (image 16 of 22)
Our view from inside the tent - looking directly at our bivouac which easily could (and probably should) have been our final resting spot. (image 17 of 22)
A coleman 1 burner backpacking stove saved our lives. We finally had heat, food, and water. For the first time we could shed some of our heavy winter gear. (image 18 of 22)
That evening was spent reviewing the maps and trying to determine where we were and where the cabin was located. (image 19 of 22)
Day 4. Waking up in the morning only to discover Scott had frostbite. Now a 2 man team is cut down to 1 as we can't risk refreezing his frozen extremities. I returned to the lake to retrieve more food and medical supplies. (image 20 of 22)
Day 5. I hiked a mile or so upstream and while I didn't find the cabin, I did find a stand of huge spruce trees. Despite the risk, I decided to climb one to see if any landmarks were visible from a higher vantage point. I spotted this tiny lake which no one had ever mentioned. If the lake was on our map, I'd be able to locate our position. (image 21 of 22)
Day 6. Sure enough, located the lake on the map let us know were about a mile upstream from the cabins location. The following morning I found it. After inspecting everything, I took this photo before heading back to our tent camp. Now our adventure could actually begin. (image 22 of 22)
“Have you known the Great White Silence, not a snow-gemmed twig aquiver?
(Eternal truths that shame our soothing lies).
Have you broken trail on snowshoes? mushed your huskies up the river,
Dared the unknown, led the way, and clutched the prize?”