T MINUS Six Months
Gearing up: I’ll be photographing a team of extreme adventurers mountain biking across the frozen Arctic Ocean in Canada. I’ll be on a snowmobile, which is still hard work, so I need to get in good shape. A few months before, I start running and doing core workouts. In the Arctic you can’t sit down if you’re tired—you have to keep moving or get in your sleeping bag. I also put in a request to my sponsors for some gear: a down-filled sleeping mat and gloves I can shoot with.
T MINUS Two Weeks
Essential packing list: Our camp in Auyuittuq is 50 miles from civilization in any direction, so I take everything I need for the 2.5-day February trip.
- Emergency beacon
- A satellite phone (which will be on for only two hours a day, so I go over safety protocols with my family beforehand)
- Macadamia nuts (they have the highest fat content)
- A toothbrush with pre-applied toothpaste
- A dozen camera batteries. The cold zaps their power, so I keep them in my vest or sleeping bag.
- Two sets of long underwear
T MINUS Two Days
Ready for launch: I get excited in various stages, but it doesn’t feel real until I get on the plane in Virginia. When we land in Qikiqtarjuaq, I go to our Inuit guide’s mom’s house to repack. The team members set up their bikes, and we go over hand signals so I can direct them into the camera’s frame while they ride. Before we head out, I put my stuff into a dry sack in case the snowmobile goes through the ice. The devil’s in the details. I don’t deviate from the plan.
By the Numbers:
2,100
Total miles traveled
-25°F
Average low in February
-9°F
Average high in February
