Follow The Climbs - Nunavut:
Barbeau Peak & Ellesmere Island Traverse

SUMMIT SCRAPBOOK Click the buttons below to view a variety of multi-media items from the climb and/or related to the climb and the area or region.

Barbeau Peak Agenda/Itinerary

This year's adventure learning trip includes an Ellesmere Island Traverse and Barbeau Peak Summit Expedition, and is scheduled to take place from:
June 16 - June 29, 2017

Expedition Schedule
June 14 - All team members have arrived in Resolute
June 15 - Buffer/preparation day / gear check
June 16 - The team takes flight by ski plane to the ice cap very close to Barbeau
June 17-20 - Approach and Summit of Barbeau Peak
June 20-29 - Descend from the ice cap and trek out to Tanquary Fjord or Lake Hazen landing strips (each about 50-60 miles away, mostly on glacier, but some tundra)
June 30 - Flight back to Resolute
July 1 - Flights home from Resolute

As usual, team progress can be viewed via the Maps & Route page (for live position tracking) as well as the Journal page (for current details and status updates).

About Quttinirpaaq National Park

The following provides a snapshot of interesting details regarding Quttinirpaaq National Park and the iconic landscapes and areas that the Summits of Canada team will travel through. (Note - information is compliments of Parks Canada’s Quttinirpaaq Visitor Information Package.)

There are four national parks in Nunavut representing various examples of Canada’s 39 natural regions - Quttinirpaaq (Eastern High Arctic), Sirmilik (Eastern Arctic Lowlands), Ukkusiksalik (Central Tundra) and Auyuittuq (Northern Davis).

Quttinirpaaq, Inuktitut for “Land at the Top of the World”, is a vast, ancient, sprawling landscape in the extreme high Arctic that has the expected: ice caps enclosing mountains, kilometres thick glaciers, worn mountains, and sparse tundra. But it also has the unexpected: the highest mountain in eastern North America (Barbeau Peak) and a thermal oasis in the Lake Hazen area. Lake Hazen, one of the largest and deepest lakes in the world above the Arctic Circle, has remarkably lush vegetation and supports higher densities of wildlife than the rest of the park.

Located in Canada’s Nunavut Territory, Quttinirpaaq National Park was established as a national park reserve in 1988 and was established as an official national park in 1999. Canada's second largest national park, Quttinirpaaq, is 37,775 square km in size and is located on Ellesmere Island, and is on the northern tip of the most northerly piece of land in North America.

Inuit Culture: Ancient peoples have a long history on Ellesmere Island, starting with the arrival of the Palaeo-Eskimos about 4,500 years ago, followed by the Last Dorset cultures and the Thule people who arrived during the past thousand years. Archaeological sites give testimony to the resiliency of these people and their ability to survive in this extreme northern climate.

Quttinirpaaq National Park is a polar desert – it is a cold region with little precipitation. Winters are very cold with some of the lowest temperatures recorded in Canada. In contrast, summers, though short, can be surprisingly warm, particularly in the Lake Hazen area. Coastal areas of the park are generally cooler and receive more precipitation than the interior. Winds throughout the park tend to be light, except on the ice caps. There are 24 hours of daylight from May to August and 24 hours of darkness from November to February.