Visit melting glaciers

Scott Turner, his glacier, my dogs, and I

Early morning at the Trapper’s Station, preparing for a day-trip with the Basecamp huskies. Wind-driven snow and ice crystals whirl across the frozen tundra. Its mighty cold, but harnessing and tethering the dogs in our insulated suits keeps us nice and toasty. This expedition involves some hard work! But I love it. It feels right. I’ve learned most of the dogs’ names and their personalities;  Osama, Pepita, Tusker... . Femina, the ‘alpha’ female, smart and dominant, goes up front. Brutes like Tusker follow her lead.

Then, the guide’s team is off  - and we have the go-ahead!  My adrenaline surges. I yank the anchor and with a jolt my dogs and I are out of camp and on the trail. My dogs! Who would have thought? Last night I was a newcomer to the Arctic, enjoying hot cider at the Basecamp Trapper’s Hotel. Now here I am; King of the Tundra!

Then, suddenly, its smooth and quiet. The dogs find a steady, efficient trot, and all I hear is the rush of snow under the runners and the dogs’ rhythmic panting. I look around and find I have time – and oh so much space - to contemplate. I think back to last night’s stories of Scott Turner, to the namesake of the glacier up ahead. The last director of the ‘Arctic Coal Company’, which started here in 1906, Turner ran the company from 1911 until it was sold in 1916. He spent months up here prospecting and surveying, developing new coal fields to fuel the growing economies of Europe and America. To Turner, coal was the future.

I picture Turner dog-sledding here, back when the glacier was thick and massive, stretching more than a kilometer further down the valley than it does today. We now know it is melting, due to global warming –caused in part by the burning of coal...

This trip has changed my life. My dogs and I have succeeded – with old Scott Turner looking on from above. I feel a part of this scene, and I will bring this feeling with me when I leave. As I float quietly over this frozen wild, white wonderland, I am grateful for my dogs, for what I have seen and learned, and – oohh – for my warm mittens!