Hard blue ice blown free of snow. Unbelievable turquoise colour, a patch of blue in otherwise monochrome day. This blue pan has not been heaved up from the river proper. Looking hard you might notice the wind drift as it streaks across the grey ice. This was the 2nd coldest, windiest day - tomorrow was to be worse.
Kitchen central…after the tent went up, melting water was the next priority. The thin piece of plywood with a heat reflective circle (sewn on with metal thread!), wind shield around the burner, the heat exchanger around the pot and the weight saving (but easily dentable) titanium pots. We took only two pots, using the larger 2L pot exclusively for melting ice. In the background, the collapsible green plastic bucket was handy for transporting ice chips from the river back to the kitchen.
Near Thor, looking south towards Windy Lake. As Patrick rested in the tent, I wandered across to inspect the opposite shore. It’s only 3pm but looks later as the sun is fogged by snow haze. The variable weather added hugely to the camping experience – blue sky and calm conditions are sweet but even more appreciated when mixed with a little overcast and wind.
Traveling on the river all day, one could easily over look the low growing arctic vegetation. Tall tufts of broken grass spikes anchored by black moss hair balls and leggy grey lichen cling to granite. Snooping around the numerous nooks and crannies, I find the pellets from arctic hare strewn about, waiting to fertilize the summers growth.