Interesting Aspects World-First: Upon completion, we will make history as the first explorers ever to traverse Victoria Island, let alone unsupported, across its widest point. Two-man team, each hauling a self-designed & built sled/kayak loaded with 150 kgs of supplies. Led by 'Explorers Club' member & Australian Geographic's 'Young Adventurer of the Year' 2004, Chris Bray, with hiking partner Clark Carter. Chris will be 22 & Clark 21 when we set-off. Extraordinarily diverse adventure - dragging, wheeling, lowering, and paddling our supplies for 10 weeks, over 1,000 km of lakes, open tundra, white-water rapids, pack ice, cliffs, swampland, bare rock, permafrost & glacial moraine. Perpetual sunlight for the first 1000 hours. Text & photographic updates live from expedition, via Iridium satellite phone connected to a sub-notebook laptop. Bountiful wildlife: polar bears, grizzly bears, musk ox and caribou herds with accompanying wolf packs, arctic foxes, seals, beluga and bowhead whales. Filming the expedition on the latest high-definition wide-screen video cameras to create a documentary upon our return. The documentary aims to capture an honest insight into the harsh realities of expedition life, hardships, challenges, fears & hopes - also the fascinating landscape, wildlife, culture & tales recalled by traditional elders. Undertaking scientific data collection along the way for organizations including ‘Environment Canada’ and the ‘Canadian Wildlife Service’. The majority of our route is through unexplored regions due to its extreme isolation. Scientists, Archaeologists, and the local people are excited by the potential for discoveries and valuable cultural, biological and geological findings. "No one goes to the places you are headed, and as far as I know, no one’s been." The islands interior is shrouded in unknown - bizarre reports from pilots sighting whale skeletons hundreds of km inland and bones from species of bison that haven't lived on the island for 8,900 years. The island is tied to ancient Inuit cultures dating back over 4000 years, remnants of which we may discover. The island is also connected with exploration history - the famous Franklin Expedition in search of the Northwest Passage became lost in the area, leading to the loss of Sir Franklin, his 2 ships, and some 140 men, not discovered until 80 years later. There is a chance we may discover artefacts from this expedition. Back to Info Topics