Happy (almost) New Year

2014 has been interesting -- especially the last 41 days in which I've winnowed my friends down to those who really care versus those who expect things to conform to their own little world.

Just because (shirtless super heroes)

http://au.movies.yahoo.com/galleries/gallery/21732158/im-too-sexy-for-this-shirt-shirtless-super-heroes/

Auyuittuq National Park, Arctic Circle (1985)

August 1985. I wrangled an invitation out of MM (boyfriend at the time and eventually ex-husband #3) to accompany him and his two University of Pittsburgh college friends on this amazing 20-mile hike within Baffin Island's Auyuittuq National Park. MM spent two of the summer months at a language immersion class in Middlebury, VT so I flew up there for our road trip to Montreal.

But first, I had to buy a butt-load of backpacking equipment and appropriate hiking gear for a week-long trek which didn't include air travel days. I am sure the Outdoor store assistant saw dollar signs dancing above my head when I told him I needed 'everything for a trip to the Arctic Circle'. Plus getting a bunch of portable food stuff -- I have no idea how I packed all of this for the flight to Vermont!

During the plane change at Philadelphia, I saw this tall, BIG, blonde dude striding down the hallway.

I thought 'hmmmm, he does look like Hulk Hogan but come on, really?' I remember he had a bandaid on his forehead. Seemed he really WAS the wrestler as he boarded my plane and was immediately pestered for autographs -- hee!

MM had this gargantuan 1980 Buick LeSabre, which was a real gas-hog but that mattered little as we had to be in Montreal for our flight to the Northwest Territories the next day... Took off from Vermont after his graduation and spent the night with his friends at a Travelodge (or something like that) near the Montreal airport as we bundled up food (and alcohol) in plastic bags and containers. I brought peach brandy as my go-to alcohol of choice, one guy had Jack Daniels, MM brought Courvoisier cognac, and I forget what the other guy brought ;) Anything that didn't fit in our backpacks was stored in the cavernous trunk of MM's car.

Plane from Montreal to a small airport on Frobisher Bay -- then an even smaller prop plane to


Pangnirtung Airport

Pangnirtung, Baffin Island. Checked that our boarding house (the only one in the town) reservations were good to go for our return to civilization after five days of trekking. Boarded the 'concrete' canoe for the trip to the mouth of Auyuittuq National Park and disembarked at Overlord with a Canadian tourist who was only hiking for two days.

We camped early in the afternoon in a valley area between a river and towering mountains. I don't think we had any idea of how remote and beautiful this Arctic area was -- and oh so quiet! Amazing view of the Milky Way due to absolutely no light pollution -- gorgeous!

The next morning, we broke camp and wended our way through moraines  (definition) following the Inuit inukshuks (gallery) to our next campsite. This was my first experience with an intense fear of heights as a mere two-plank bridge crossed a deep cravasse and required our passage. MM had to tease me with my bottle of brandy on the other side as I literally crawled across the rough boards on my hands and knees. I hate heights. The suspension bridge above the river (you have 10 seconds to survive if you fall in according the Royal Mountie) wasn't quite as bad. But still -- I don't like heights to this day.

Group picture at the sign for the Arctic Circle (note bandage on left knee due to slight injury during aerobics).

Our final destination was Summit Lake a little past Thor Peak which required 2.5 days of hiking. A nearby glacier was also explored and afforded MM the opportunity to sip Courvisier on glacial ice. I did discover that washing long hair in a flue of glacial runoff water will generate the most intense 'ice cream' headache ever.

Also, spilling cooked elbow macaroni for our Kraft mac and cheese dinner onto the ground means nothing to four hungry hikers. Just wash off the macaroni and mix with the powdered cheese whilst cruelly haranguing the guy who dropped the pan. Fun times! Despite my Greenpeace t-shirt proudly displaying my animal protection status, I was noticed sitting on the steps crooning 'here, bunny, bunny, bunny' whenever a hare came into view. I wouldn't have killed the pretty bunny anyway! We used these park ranger shelters as a common area and actually hosted an Inuit park ranger one night. He made quite a dent in the Jack Daniels.