Breaking the Cycle Yukon
mars 27
#11: Aklavik to Shingle Point (Days 1 and 2)
Published at 16:57
The plan from Aklavik is to head north west via snowmobile tracks to the
Beaufort Sea and Shingle Point. It will be roughly 160km each way. We
hope to do it in 8 days, though this is pending reasonable weather
conditions.
The snow conditions I am facing on this main part of the expedition are
more like I will find in Antarctica and it requires the same type of
riding style. It?s generally a struggle just to keep balance and move
forward; the snow conditions under my wheels constantly changing and it
requires full concentration.
Setting off from Aklavik, I was a little nervous about how my injuries,
sustained on the ice road two days previously, would go. The snow
conditions were pretty soft cycling up the Peel Channel, and I had a
real battle on my hands during the first day. I must have fallen off
about 30 times during the day. Generally the worst situation is when I
have to ride on a slope - the angle of the surface causes me to slide
down the slope and it is difficult to correct the slide without over-
reacting and falling.
One of the snow machines broke down and while Bob was fixing it,
some local people stopped to talk. The result was that they kindly
offered their vacant cabin for us to stay there for the night, 34km
from Aklavik.
Day 2
The conditions remained soft, although on average, slightly firmer. This
meant I could make steady, slow progress. The Arctic wind chill became
more of a factor. I cycled with an extra coat on, whereas yesterday I
perspired too much with just one soft shell jacket.
After about 15km, we turned away from the main Peel Channel and worked
our way through a labyrinth of smaller channels, generally heading
northwest.
There wasn?t much of a view, but the bright orange sunset lasted for
several hours, sitting low in the sky. I covered 41km by the end of Day
2, so we?re about half way to Shingle Point.
Beaufort Sea and Shingle Point. It will be roughly 160km each way. We
hope to do it in 8 days, though this is pending reasonable weather
conditions.
The snow conditions I am facing on this main part of the expedition are
more like I will find in Antarctica and it requires the same type of
riding style. It?s generally a struggle just to keep balance and move
forward; the snow conditions under my wheels constantly changing and it
requires full concentration.
Setting off from Aklavik, I was a little nervous about how my injuries,
sustained on the ice road two days previously, would go. The snow
conditions were pretty soft cycling up the Peel Channel, and I had a
real battle on my hands during the first day. I must have fallen off
about 30 times during the day. Generally the worst situation is when I
have to ride on a slope - the angle of the surface causes me to slide
down the slope and it is difficult to correct the slide without over-
reacting and falling.
One of the snow machines broke down and while Bob was fixing it,
some local people stopped to talk. The result was that they kindly
offered their vacant cabin for us to stay there for the night, 34km
from Aklavik.
Day 2
The conditions remained soft, although on average, slightly firmer. This
meant I could make steady, slow progress. The Arctic wind chill became
more of a factor. I cycled with an extra coat on, whereas yesterday I
perspired too much with just one soft shell jacket.
After about 15km, we turned away from the main Peel Channel and worked
our way through a labyrinth of smaller channels, generally heading
northwest.
There wasn?t much of a view, but the bright orange sunset lasted for
several hours, sitting low in the sky. I covered 41km by the end of Day
2, so we?re about half way to Shingle Point.
- Name:
- Elevation: 3 m
- Latitude: 68° 39’ 31” North
- Longitude: 135° 52’ 24” West
2017-03-25_MacKenzie-River
2017-03-26_End of Day2 to Shingle Point
2017-03-26_Arctic-Oven
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