The expedition began from a meeting held in Tokyo where all the participants gathered togerther. Most of the equipment was sent to Canada in advance. The leader and organizer of the expedition Mr. Mitsuro Oba conducted the last organizing meeting.

In the office of Mr. Ohba, Japan

From right to left: Iwata a staff member, Miyauchi a volunteer staff, Ohba the leader, and Stepan

We shared the information about the national park in Canada, the rules, coordinates of basic points, rivers, and settlements. Everything is planned in details: food, equipment, and contacts. And we have strong technical supports: two independent communication channels, a SOS device for the emergency case, two computers, two digital cameras, two video cameras, two solar panels, navigation devices, and many kinds of connectors for various types of power supplies.

First part of the expedition

The expedition can be divided in two parts. The first part starts from the northernmost point of Canada (Ward Hunt Island, N83°05′, W74°00′) on February 28 and finishing at Resolute Bay (N74°26′ W82°55′). There are 1180 km until the first settlement (Grise Fiord) shown on the map (all distances at the map must be multiplied by 1.3). It takes about 45 to 50 days. The distance between Grise Fiord and Resolute Bay is 450 km which takes approximately 20 days to cross. Together it will be 1630 km. Our base camp manager will be in Resolute Bay and he watches our progress, forwards weather forecast, and so on. The second part is from Resolute Bay (N74°26′ W82°55′) to Churchill (N58°45′ W94°05′). The distance is about 2360 km. It's a very long way to go.

At Edmonton International Airport, Canada

When we left Japan it was raining (a good sign - the rain in the beginning means we will have a happy end), and Canada met us with a very nice weather. Our hand luggage had a total weight of about 150 kg.

Expedition leader Mitsuro Oba holding a Nunavut territorial flag at the airport

Resolute Bay from the air

Resolute Bay, a small settlement discovered by Sir Franklin in 1845, has a population of 300 people. It is one of the most powerful meteorological stations in Canada, and it is our base camp for the expedition.