Friday, March 26. 2010
Mush Mush! By Carol Heppenstall
T
he makings of a perfect vacation: beautiful weather; exciting programs; great food and yes great company! Such was the case on our recent voyage to Whitehorse for the Yukon Quest.
Debbie and Fred Last did an excellent job as resource hosts, particularly opening their beautiful ranch - Windy Ridge - for our final dinner a la bar b qued char!
Highlights included Sam McGee's cabin, searching through the archives for gold diggers and Pierre Burton's relatives. The day at Frank Turner's (22 time winner of the Quest) Muk Tuk Kennels where after brief instruction our four teams raced to the Yukon River and mushed for three hours! It was exhilarating to say the least and kudos goes to Mary Hunter, long time Adventure Canada traveller, who had her own team! The mushers' banquet included great food and the stories of
all 22 Quest teams. The race is 1000 miles in length and there were high and low moments for everyone. My favorite part was the awarding of steaks to the winning dogs who loved being on stage with their leader, Hans Gatt. And did I mention alpaca hobnobbing?
The Yukon is a magnificent place to visit and I for one want to return perhaps to capture the fall colour or another Yukon Quest. Sandra introduced us to Haiku poetry and we all wrote feverously all week. Here is the winner:
Waiting for the glow
In the dark and cold we pace
Finally, its here.
By Mike Holloway
Check out my blog for a taste of the Yukon!
PS thanks for a fabulous Birthday party folks!
Carol is guiding two other intimate departures to the Arctic this summer:
Silent Messengers
Santa Fe: 400 Years Young
Climate Change and the Musk Oxen
Musk oxen once were plentiful across the entire Northern Hemisphere, but they now exist almost solely in Greenland and Canada's high Arctic. A dramatic decline in populations began about 12,000 years ago and was often credited to human hunting patterns. However a new study, by international scientists, suggests that the decline was due to a warming climate rather than to human hunting. This is the first study to use ancient musk oxen DNA collected from across the animal's former geographic range to test for human impacts on musk oxen populations. The late Pleistocene period was marked by rapid environmental change as well as the beginning of the spread of humans across the Northern Hemisphere. The team has studied the genetic diversity and population decline of a number of species and concludes that because of the wide-ranging fluctuations between species,
changes in the arctic environment are much more likely to account for fluctuations in populations as each species will adapt to climate changes in different ways.
For more information on this study please click here.
Interested in seeing musk oxen? Head to the Arctic one of our three Arctic Expeditions:
Arctic Quest
Tusaqtuut project makes Tides Top Ten List!
Many of your will remember the dynamic Meeka Mike and her
passion for preserving and encouraging the use of Inuit Traditional Knowledge. Her ongoing project, Tusaqtuut, has caught the attention of Tides Canada, an organization that promotes opportunities for people in Canada and around the world to escape poverty, strengthen their communities and live on a healthy planet. Each year Tides Canada selects ten organizations
that are making enormous inroads in building a more just and sustainable world.
The Tusuatuut project documents indigenous Inuit knowledge by working together with the last generation of traditionally-raised elders and works to enable Nunavut youth to regain and
retain their sense of identity, heritage and responsibilities. Meeka and her father Jamasee were special guests on our 2008 High Arctic Adventure.
Travel with our cultural ambassadors on any of our 2010 Arctic programming and gain a greater understanding and appreciation for the Inuit culture.View our 2010 Canada and the North Brochure online.
Would you like a paper
copy? Send your mailing address to info@adventurecanada.com
From Newfoundland to New Delhi
Good luck to AC staffer and Newfoundland's own MichaelCrummey as he advances to the finals of the Commonwealth Writers Prize for his
novel Galore. Depicting multiple generations of two outport families divided by wealth, status and religion, Galore is described as a seamless melding of myth and history, "an epic masterpiece that is grounded in the folklore of a unique part of Canada". Galore will compete with books from other Commonwealth regions April 12
at the finals in New Delhi.
Read more about the Commonwealth Writer's Prize by clicking here.
Michael joined Adventure Canada on our last Newfoundland Circumnavigation. For more information on our 2010
Circumnavigation please click here. Enjoy more of Canada's wonderful Maritime Provinces on our Maritime Explorer: Islands of the Gulf
Expedition.
Michael recently published an article on the 2008 Newfoundland Circumnavigation in Saltscapes Magazine. Click here to read all about it!
Marshall Dane on iTunes
AC Musician Marshal Dane released his latest single Love and Alcohol on itunes. The
first from his highly anticipated album Running Stop
Signs, Love and Alcohol
is sure to be a chart topper!
Click here to download your copy!
Pre-publication Available now
Long time Adventure Canada patron Shelagh Grant's labour of love, Polar Imperative: A history of Arctic Sovereignty in North America is
off to the press. Both Chapters Indigo and Amazon are offering pre-publication specials of 35% off the cover price. Click here to get your copy!
Interested
in the issues surrounding Arctic sovereignty? Join the conversation on our Into and Out of the Northwest Passage Expeditions.
Houston North Gallery's New Website
John Houston joins our Into and Out of the Northwest Passage expeditions this summer.
For more information on Into the Northwest Passage, please click here.
For more information on Out of the Northwest Passage, please click here.
You can email your questions to Loretta, loretta@adventurecanada.com
Thursday, March 18. 2010
Silent Messengers: Wilderness Camping in a Spiritual Landscape
A small group of women will have the opportunity to spend up to five days in one of Nunavut's sacred and mysterious landmarks, Inuksuit Point. Based out of Kinngait (Cape Dorset), the centre of Inuit Art, our group will travel
by small boat to the Northern tip of the Foxe Peninsula on Baffin Island. Here
we find over one hundred inuksuit - there is no written history, no one knows who created or why these sanding stones were erected in such great numbers. The land here is celestial and yet humbling. Our days will be spent exploring nearby Thule and Dorset sites, looking for marine mammals, light hiking and enjoying the solitude. Painters, photographers and writers (whether a professional or creating ones own personal journal) will find inspiration in the land and the skies. Back in Kinngait we will meet with the community's famous artists, chat with elders and community leaders. You can end your journey here, or extend your time in the north on our South Baffin Art Adventure.
There are only four spaces left on this incredible adventure. Please note that Silent Messengers is limited to women only. For more information on this tour please click here.
Greenland and Wild Labrador: September 12-25, 2010
Simply put this journey is a discovery of divine landscape and sublime natural wonders. Flying into the stunning town of Ilulissat, the imposing Greenlandic Icecap awaits us. Greenland is a serenely beautiful place; lush green vegetation, jagged rock faces, brightly coloured houses, iridescent blues and the ice! Ahead of sailing to Canada, and the Torngat Mountains we will call in at Nuuk, the world's smallest capital
city.
You've seen the latest release from Newfoundland and Labrador tourism - well the Torngats really are like that, only better. By combining Greenland and Labrador we can experience the highlights of the north; glaciers, icebergs, walrus, polar bears and whales.
The backdrop to all of this is towering peaks and robust fjords. Fall is the most glorious time to travel in Northern Labrador, the rugged landscape blazing with the deep reds, oranges and yellows of autumn. Truly a photographer's paradise. Making our way down to Corner Brook in Newfoundland we will visit important historic sites, natural habitat and friendly communities.
For a complete itinerary
please click here or email Sheryl
at Sheryl@adventurecanada.com
Arctic Quest: July 23 - August 2, 2010
in most cabin categories... for now!
The timeless lure of the North has drawn many to the upward reaches of our planet. The aurora borealis, the ice, the marvelous creatures, the midnight sun, the endless landscape are all a part of the magneticism that beckon us, calls us forward on our quest.
Our classic Arctic expedition, Arctic Quest, connects areas of great cultural, historical and natural significance. Beginning in Greenland we sail as far north as Ilulissat, before crossing over to Nunavut, Canada. Here we will have ample
time to explore the massive fjord complexes, rolling tundra and hospitable communities that dot the coastline. The waters will only recently have undergone the break up of the
winter ice. This natural phenomenon presents outstanding opportunities for viewing wildlife - marine mammals, polar bears and walrus in particular. Birders and botanists alike will be thrilled by populations and species at their peak.
address to matt.james@adventurecanada.com to receive a paper
copy.
Monday, January 18. 2010
Early Booking Bonus - CDN dollar approaching parity!
take advantage of our Early Booking Bonus offer!
If you book on any of our 2010 Canada and the North shipboard itineraries and pay in full by January 30, 2010 you will receive a 5% reduction on the berth cost.
With the Canadian dollar approaching parity, there is no better time to take advantage of this offer! Hurry - there are only 18 days left.
View our 2010 Canada and the North brochure online by clicking here or email your mailing address to info@adventurecanada.com to receive a paper copy.
Staff Announcement: Ukulele Chief Joins the Magical Mystery Tour
Sept 20 - 25, 2010 on Clipper Adventurer.
Head of the Corktown Ukulele Jam, a weekly gathering of uke enthusiasts in
downtown Toronto, David's wry observations and spontaneous quips, make his stage patter a work of art in itself. David's show is equal parts melody,
comedy, and philosophy. David is an accomplished songwriter and performer with a wealth of diverse material: cowboy ballads, Maritime melodies, roots-rock anthems, sentimental songs and silly little ditties.
"I've been bringing music to people, and people to music for years. I've had the chance to travel widely across Canada and everywhere I've gone, it's stories in song that have given voice to my journeys. Whether I'm writing songs, performing for an audience, or helping create and support musical communities, I'm always conscious that this music is about bringing people
into awareness of each other and the moment. To share music beneath a truly northern sky is a dream come true for me and I look forward to the magic and the mystery!"
Information is trickling out slowly about what the two M's are planning for their special departure, which features a taste of Greenland, the Labrador Sea, a visit to two UNESCO World Heritage Sites at L'Anse aux Meadows and Gros Morne National Park and a rollicking Newfoundland Kitchen Party.
"It's going to be big, bigger than the Friendly Giant," says Matthew Swan. "Tremendous music and good times at Sea - and hey who knows, a Friendly Giant might show"
Click here to view a clip of David Newland introducing Nick Tustin, a fine Uke performer from the Corktown Uke Jam.
For more on the Corktown Ukulele Jam please click here.
For more on the Sept 20 - 25, 2010 M&M Magical Mystery Tour, please email Matthew James by clicking here.
The Captain of all Archaeological Sites!
during our Out of the Northwest Passage 2009
sailing!
Just east of scenic Lady Franklin point an extremely large site featuring wonderfully preserved fox traps, meat caches, tent rings,
hunting blinds, and caribou drive lanes was recorded by archaeologist Latonia Hartery.
The discovery of several pairs of snow goggles and other wooden artifacts possessing holes created by bow-drills, a technology diagnostic of Thule Inuit, reveals the identity of the people that used this beautiful site.
In honour of years of service to Adventure Canada and his supreme nautical skills, as well as 20 years of sailing through Arctic waters, the site has been named after AC's favourite captain, Captain Kenth Grankvist.
Although this site is the largest, several other new archaeological discoveries were made on our Arctic voyages further continuing our part in reconstructing the Arctic past and settlement patterns over the landscape.
To be a part of these exciting discoveries and to learn more about the ancient Arctic and its people joins us on Into the Northwest Passage with Latonia Hartery or Out of the Northwest Passage with Bob McGhee, or join Captain Kenth Grankvist on any of our 2010 expeditions aboard Clipper Adventurer.
Congrats Ken & Sheena!
In the accompanying photo, with some of Sheena's
Greenland paintings behind them, they receive the awards from Toronto lawyer Robert A. Maxwell. The medals were struck from the copper fittings of the first steamship to ply the west coast of North America. The first Beaver medal was awarded in 1963 to the father of Maxwell, who created a replica of the original paddlewheeler built in 1836 for Sir George Simpson, governor of the Hudson's Bay Company. Previous recipients of the honour include Winnipeg publisher Barbara Huck, Peter St. John (the Earl of Orkney), and politician Stockwell Day. Sheena has been painting scenes from sketches she did while sailing in the Northwest Passage, including these views of Greenland. Her next one-person show will be at Arts on Queen in March - stay tuned for details!
Both McGoogans will sail Into the Northwest Passage with Adventure Canada in August. For more information, please click here.
Updates from John Houston!
As our constant readers will know, John Houston has been busy in the editing room, finishing up his 6th film. Today he is delivering"The White Archer" to the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN). For John's first attempt at drama, he chose to adapt a children's book by his father, the late James Houston.
In this Inuit legend, a youth trains to become a great archer. Will Kanguq use this new power to avenge his family, or will he put an end to the cycle of violence?
APTN Broadcast Dates are: February 9, 2010 in Inuktitut AND April 7, 2010 in English.
John has dedicated this film to the memory of Thomasie Alikatuktuk (1953 - 2009)
Thomasie's talent and his hard work and his focus helped make Pangnirtung famous for printmaking. He was a true artist, and brought this dedication to everything he did, going on to become an Inuit leader, president of Qikiqtani Inuit Association, and a good family man - so proud of his children.
John will be joining us in 2010 on both NWP Expeditions and on our Greenland Explorer. For more information, please click here.