I've tried to figure out how your Brother-in-law got to the Atlantic from Winnipeg. I figure he had to go north to Lake Winnipeg, wind his way to Lake of the Woods following the old Voyageurs route and down to Lake Superior. I'll look for the book when I get home.
I have tried to warn son that he and Freya might have to take turns awake. The kayaking expedition which circumnavigated the Svalbard Archipelago had to do that...they fired dozens of flares at night to keep the bears away. I've given him enough warnings; kayakers only want positive thoughts in the last days before an expedition and Freya has circumnavigated South America. But she seems pretty nonchalant about bears.
Maybe I need that Manufrance .450 SxS after all.
Arctic Ocean between 76-81 degrees north, Svalbard Archipelago has seen a number of attempts by expedition kayakers over the years, the last being in 2010 when two Norwegian paddlers were attacked by a polar bear while sleeping in their tent. In order to save the man, who the polar bear had dragged from the tent by his head, the other had to shoot the bear dead while not hitting his mauled team mate. Despite this known harsh reality, Sharp’s dream persisted. With the constant threat of polar bears the kayakers slept in shifts with one person awake at all times on ‘polar bear watch’ to guard their camp. Numerous times they were forced to use rifles and signal gun shots to scare away bears, some in excess of 800kg and which came within 50m of their camp. They saw a total of 40 bears during their expedition. The most intense encounter required 13 rifle rounds and 6 flash bangs to repel a single bear, only to have yet another one come at the group only a minute later. “Sometimes you just have to use the rifle” Porsanger states bluntly. Thankfully the group never had to shoot a polar bear in defense, which by Norwegian law would have brought their trip to a premature end.
Last edited by Argo44; 08/22/21 01:37 PM.
