MOUNTAIN LIFE - Coast Mountains | Fall Winter 2018

64 MLCM FALL/WINTER 2018 F i n i s h On day 14 of our journey we ski into Pangnirtung. In order to spare ourselves the baggage overages on the flight out, we decide to strip all the hardware from our pulks and give the bare orange sleds to some worthy recipients. As it happens, a group of kids have been spending the entire day sledding on a small hill in front of the house we’re staying at. Their sled mimics the ubiquitous snowmobiles of their elders — a homemade, steerable three-ski contraption that they battle each other to use. I offer them one of our plastic sleds and all four kids excitedly hop in and glide twice as far as their other ride. They quickly abandon the old sled in favour of the superior pulk. Like their forefathers choosing a rifle over a spear, these young Inuit adapt easily to this new technology. In this case though, it isn’t for survival — it’s simply for fun. Frank Wolf recently released his first book, Lines on a Map. He lives in North Vancouver, BC and his Instagram @frankwolf70 is worth checking out. ABOVE Defrosting in the morning sun on the Coronation Glacier. MIDDLE Bear fence. Dave Garrow arms the perimeter fence at one of the sea ice camps. BOTTOM Kids in Pangnirtung posing with their sled, newly acquired from the traverse team.