Outward Bound Canada’s Magnetic North Pole Expedition

January 31, 2020 · 0 Comments

By Angus Murray

Imagine getting on a plane in Toronto and flying 3,500 kilometres north over two days. You would still be in Canada, at the farthest reaches of the country, in Resolute Bay, Nunavut.

This is what I did last May. While most folks were welcoming spring, I headed due north to Nunavut to lead a gruelling 100-km ski expedition to the Magnetic North Pole. This was a nine-day adventure, during which temperatures, intensified by brutal wind chill, plummeted to -30 C.

I admit this was one of the toughest expeditions I have guided. Having to endure the unrelenting cold and navigate in such challenging conditions required physical endurance and mental fortitude. I couldn’t help but admire the early polar explorers and realize how strong they must have been mentally and physically to endure similar conditions without the gear and equipment we have today.

Along with eight others, I took part in Outward Bound Canada’s 50th-anniversary expedition from April 26 to May 4, 2019. I coordinated the trek that also served as a fundraiser for the organization that aims to cultivate resilience, leadership, and compassion to youth and adults through inspiring and challenging journeys of self-discovery in the natural world.

The Magnetic North Pole is where the planet’s magnetic field points vertically downwards. Its exact location is always slowly moving; the spot we reached is the location of the Magnetic North Pole the last time it was near land.

Being so close to the Magnetic Pole made my compass useless and navigating using maps and a GPS proved challenging at times, especially during whiteout conditions. Fortunately, my co-guide, Scott Kress, and I were able to find the way.

The team skied six to eight one-hour blocks each day, covering about 15 kilometres a day while pulling 50-pound sleds.

We wore multiple layers of specialized clothing to ward off frostbite and consumed at least 5,000 calories a day — 250 to 500 calories per hour — to compensate for the intense exercise combined with the cold. Most of the food was freeze-dried: oatmeal, granola, maple syrup, and hot chocolate with butter for breakfast. For dinner, we enjoyed dishes such as beef stew, chicken and rice, and macaroni and cheese.

My favourite hourly snack was a chunk of cheese, a hunk of Kielbasa sausage, and a piece of Laura Secord chocolate, which I ate all at the same time because of the cold!

We could not stay still for more than ten minutes during breaks or our clothing and limbs would begin to freeze. As I told the group, half-jokingly, “If you sweat, you die,” because frozen moisture can contaminate all insulating layers.

One of the most considerable risks of the expedition was a polar bear encounter. To mitigate this danger, both Mr. Kress and I carried firearms that shot flare and banger projectiles to scare off any bears. But most importantly, we were accompanied by an Inuit sled dog named Puppy from Resolute Bay that would not only warn us of any bears but also help to chase them away.

It is uncertain how many people have ventured to the Magnetic North Pole. The first recorded European to visit the area was Gunnar Isachsen in 1901, and the most recent organized trip before ours was in 2014. It is unlikely there will be any more expeditions as the charter company that flies to the area from Resolute is reluctant to travel to such a remote area.

It is safe to say that few people have seen this place with their own eyes. Before moving to Aurora, I lived and worked in the Canadian Arctic for five years, and it has got to be one of the most beautiful places I have had the opportunity to visit. In the vastness of the far north, with the clear blue skies, the views were stunning. We don’t always appreciate the beauty that nature can offer, especially in the winter.

My next adventure will be climbing Mt. Aconcagua in Argentina, the highest mountain in South America and the final mountain I must climb to become a “Seven Summiteer,” someone who has climbed the highest peaks on each on the Earth’s seven continents. I plan to do this in December.

Angus Murray is the coordinator of outdoor education at St. Andrew’s College and enjoys sharing the beauty and challenge of winter travel to students at the school. The avid skier, climber, and intrepid traveller has worked in the field of outdoor education for 30 years.