Up-n-showered, fueled on Tim Horton’s coffee & 3 hours sleep.  Ding, ding, ding.  WhatsApp chat begins.  Party-line for all folks traveling to Arctic Watch today.  We’d fly from Yellowknife but from a local airstrip serving helicopters, float planes & private aircraft.  Yellowknife, most Arctic I’d ever been.  Today’s flight: 4 hours further NORTH — inside the Circle, past Resolute Bay.  WOW!

Explorer Hotel lobby with my bag.  Started introducing myself to others.  Guide from Churchill (Canada’s polar bear capitol) corralled us together, tagged luggage, helped us board a bus.

4-hour delay… similar to my Vancouver fate nite prior.  Hurry up & wait — but today, notta weather issue.  Sizable # of folks never saw their bags — now 2+ days.  Guess it’s common for Air Canada & because limited flights to/from NWT’s capitol, ya don’t necessarily retrieve them right away.

So first… an impromptu shopping spree at Overlander Sports.  Coats, boots, spikes, poles, run shoes, fleeces — this store made a killin’!  LOL>  EVERYTHING needed/used/desired would be carried on today’s aircraft.  Food, water, wine, fancy bourbons, cheeses.  Huh?  Appears I tagged a trip with the world’s über wealthy.  Britain, Canada, Australia, Asia, Italy, Mexico.  NO ONE concerned with card limits.  Not your typical marathon crowd.  Honestly, few were even aware of the run.  Would take couple days to make mates.  Travelling solo & of course, being American.  USA, loud & proud 🇺🇸

Airstrip warehouse/terminal arrival.  One last detail: COVID test.  No medical on the island — & no masks!  Whoop whoop!  Boarded back of the plane.  Sack lunch.  Couple folks moved for weight distribution.  And… I slept.  Out cold.  Bouncy rumbling dirt landing.  Touchdown, ARCTIC!

Snow pack.  Wind a blowin’.  COLD.  Reminiscent of Antarctica.  Group of ATVs awaiting.  Kayak crossing & a mile hike to Camp.

Arctic Watch.  Without words.  Absolutely incredible.  Top of the world!

Touchdown ARCTIC