Quick Summary
Leaving Pond Inlet, Henry and Caleb crossed Baffin Island's tundra, enjoying caribou sightings, abundant bilberries, and a visit to the massive Baffinland iron mine, where workers gifted them food and briefly showed off the operation's scale. They then paddled the coast of Foxe Basin, crossed Fury and Hecla Strait, and reached Igloolik—their first laundry stop in 11 weeks. With fall setting in and snow forecast, they've packed seven weeks of provisions for their final leg south to Iqaluit.
Words and Photos by Caleb McDaniels @calebjmcdaniels and Henry Penfold @hpenfold
Leaving Pond, we paddled for a few days, working our way towards the tundra that dominates the western side of Baffin. It was hard to bid farewell to the peaks and fjords of the east coast after 2.5 months of traveling through their majesty, but we soon began to enjoy the tundra’s particular charm.
Trumpeting sandhill cranes and cackling snow geese were ever-present, and we began seeing caribou for the first time in weeks. Bilberries were bountiful, and at times our progress slowed to a literal crawl as we grazed from bush to bush on hands and knees. Meandering rivers and wide, shallow lakes offered frequent opportunities to swim on warm days.
We passed the Baffinland mine about halfway through this section. An extremely rich deposit of iron ore is worked 24/7, year-round, with over 800 people on-site at any one time! We were very impressed with the operation—massive ore-hauling trucks, helicopters short-hauling equipment to and from exploration sites, and a small city of buildings. The mine was built in 2015 on Inuit-owned lands, and as part of the land use agreement, it provides food, fuel, and transportation assistance to locals hunting or traveling in the area. Some very kind mine workers gave us a mountain of food, which provided a welcome respite from our rather monotonous diet.
During the final stretch of this section, we returned to the water, paddling the rocky shores of Foxe Basin and crossing Fury and Hecla Strait. During a 500-foot portage across a narrow promontory, we briefly set foot on mainland North America.
A few crossings later, we reached the bustling town of Igloolik. Shortly after arriving, we did machine laundry for the first time since passing through Pangnirtung 11 weeks ago—a wonderful event!
It feels like fall is upon us; the midnight sun is long gone, and the equinox is just three weeks away. Next week’s forecast calls for snow, so we’re eager to begin our final section. This time, we’ll head to Iqaluit, with enough food for seven weeks. We just finished packing our provisions: 33 pounds of oats, 27.5 pounds of granola, 16 pounds of dried cranberries, and 10.6 pounds of chocolate! Whenever the wind allows, we’ll begin paddling south.
All the best,
Henry and Caleb
We're proud to support Caleb and Henry on this incredible trip and honored they trust our gear to help make it a reality. Read Part 1 HERE, Part 2 HERE, Part 3 HERE, Part 4 HERE, Part 5 HERE, and more about Caleb's style of adventure and research HERE.
