Circumnavigating Ellesmere Island: Adventure Complete!

Last week I posted an update on Jon Turk and Erik Boomer's attempt to circumnavigate Ellesmere Island and at the time, they were nearing the end of their journey. In fact, when I wrote that story, the feeling was that they would finish that day, but strong winds and navigating through ice, slowed their progress and the boys didn't reach their end point, located in Grise Fiord until the following day.

When they did finally finish, they showed the toll that the expedition took on their bodies. According to Jon's blog, he could hardly walk by the time they had reached their final destination on Friday, and Erik's feet had swollen to the point that they were two shoe sizes larger than normal. Despite all of that, they were reportedly in good spirits, but ready to come home.

In the end, their expedition really was quite an adventure. The two men spent 104 days skiing and kayaking around Ellesmere, a remote island that falls in the Arctic Ocean to the north of Canada. In all, they covered 1485 very challenging miles to become the first men to circumnavigate the island.

There hasn't been much in the way of updates since last week, and I can only assume that Erik and Jon are now on their way home and looking forward to a much deserved rest. I'm sure we'll get more information about their journey once they've had time to decompress and recover some. Until then, we'll just have to send them a hearty congratulations, and hope that all is well.

Circumnavigating Ellesmere Island: Nearly Done!

Way back in May, Jon Turk and Erik Boomer set off on a 2390km (1485 mile) expedition to circumnavigate Ellesmere Island. Since that time, they've been paddling and trekking their way through the icy Arctic Ocean and remote tracts of land that have seldom been visited by humans. Their journey may be coming to an end at last however, as according to Jon's blog, they expect to complete their expedition sometime today.

Located above the Arctic Circle in Canada's Queen Elizabeth chain of islands, Ellesmere presents a considerable challenge for any adventurer, even in the warmer summer months. But it seems Jon and Erik have gotten more than they expected, encountering harsh weather, polar bears, and thick pack ice. Those conditions have conspired to slow their progress and make this an amazing adventure in one of the most difficult environments on the planet.

An entry on Jon's blog from yesterday says that the two men are now about 35 miles from their planned finish point in Grise Fiord. That's still a long way to paddle, especially since they expect to face 10 knot winds throughout the day, but they are anticipating finishing up the expedition today. Needless to say, it won't be an easy day for them.

It seems the boys have had more than their fair share of bear encounters along the way. Just a few days ago the awoke to find that one of them had bitten holes in their tent, while five others prowled around the camp. Pretty scary stuff. I'm sure these guys have a lot of tales to tell once they're home. Can't wait to read them!

Circumnavigating Ellesmere Island Update: Slow Going In Thick Ice

Adventurers Jon Turk and Erik Boomer continue their epic expedition to circumnavigate Ellesmere Island by kayak. The two men set out last month with the hopes of becoming the first team to accomplish that feat, and while they continue to make good progress, the remote Canadian island has lived up to its reputation for being one of the harshest and most challenging environments on the planet.

In late May, Jon and Erik reached the Eureka Weather Station after covering 338 nautical miles in just 23 days. At that point, they were on schedule and well situated to continue their journey. Now, a couple of weeks later, their experiencing the harsher conditions of the arctic, as the cold weather has kept the pack-ice from breaking up, and slowed their progress significantly. In fact, in their latest blog update, we're told that progress could slow to as little as 1/2 mile per day, thanks to the very thick and dense ice that refuses to break-up thus far this year.

The expedition has reached a critical point, as the two men have rounded the northwest corner of the island in what is considered the most treacherous leg of the journey. Because of the conditions there, and the fact that they expect progress to be slow, Jon and Erik are now carrying 50 days worth of food with them, just in case it is some time before they can restock their supplies. They're hoping that the warmer weather will arrive soon however, opening up the passages through the ice and speeding their progress.

Ellesmere is part of the the Queen Elizabeth Islands and is located in the Canadian territory of Nunavut. In order to successfully circumnavigate the island, Jon and Erik will need to cover 1485 miles, which is expected to take them roughly 100 days to complete.

Circumnavigating Ellesmere Island

Ellesmere Island is one of the most remote places on Earth, located above the arctic circle, and falling into the chain of the Queen Elizabeth Islands in the  Canadian territory of Nunavut. It is a cold, icy, mountainous place that is seldom visited due to its rugged and challenging nature. It is also the site of a spring expedition in which Jon Turk and Erik Boomer will be attempting to circumnavigate the island by kayak.

The expedition officially got underway a few days back, with Jon and Erik setting out from Resolute Bay last Thursday, and taking a series of short flights on "puddle jumpers" to eventually reach their starting point. The weather forecast had been good for their first week out on the water, but according to Jon's blog,  which was updated two days ago, that has changed some. The blog posts reports heavy snow in the region, and that the duo were holed up in a small cabin at the time of their last check-in.

They also report that the paddling has been hard going through the ice fields that surround the island, but when they move in closer to shore, the fjords have been smooth as glass. They've encountered quite a few polar bear tracks as well and even spotted a mother bear with her cub. The creatures are fairly common on Ellesmere, and of course they would like to avoid them as much as possible.

The journey will cover 1485 miles (2390 km) and is expected to take upwards of 100 days to complete. At the moment, they're just 75 miles into the expedition, and despite the fact that it is spring there, they are experiencing bitterly cold, sub-zero temperatures. Even in the height of summer, the place never really gets all that warm, so this will be a long, slow, challenging journey to complete, to say the least.

To check out the official expedition website, click here and for blog updates click here. This should be another interesting expedition to follow as it unfolds.