paintings, writing, and explorations in sound
For a while there it seemed the "spring fever vs ice" competition was over. The Yukon River broke weeks ago, and it's hot enough in the daytime to get a slight sunburn, as I found out yesterday. But I had to drive between Dawson City and Whitehorse twice in the past two weeks, and as… Continue reading spring breakup: a swimming tale
To give you (and myself) a pause from the tension of waiting for the Yukon River to break, I'd like to direct you a recent post on Manuela's blog Every Day Life in the Northern Yukon Wilderness. Manuela chronicles the flow of Yukon life dozens of kilometres away from any town. Manuela's posts are always… Continue reading another yukon river view: caribou crossings
I took the book South out of my bag and immersed myself in its prose as I waited for my sushi to be prepared. The sidewalks outside were icy, but indoors everyone was jacketless. In another time, near another continent, Ernest Shackleton and his men were not so comfortable: We ate a cold meal and… Continue reading lumps of freshwater ice: shackleton in the weddell sea
I believe the Olympics have highlighted social issues we have here in Vancouver. And Canada. And the World. With or without the Olympics. They're issues that need to be talked about. And I'm glad we're talking about them. But I'm not willing to let that interfere with my respect for the Olympians - past and… Continue reading seeing blue (ice) + gold at Vancouver 2010
My Darling Wife, I am working day and night I can only send a line all I will tell you when I get back and on the way to Sydney. Child I cannot say how I feel about all the worry to you but it is over now sweeteyes and all will go well you… Continue reading Shackleton’s whiskey at last (plus brandy!)
Let me say right off that I'm not a devotee of ice. At the very least it fills me with anxiety, and at its worst, it consumes me with panic.
The blizzard I mentioned in my last post wrapped itself enthusiastically around the spider-shaped hamlet of Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territory, from Dec 31 to Jan 3. The storm seemed to come straight from the north pole, fierce and uninterested in anything but racing across miles of flat ocean and land.* We were warm and safe, so… Continue reading mackenzie delta ice road: drifted
We're stuck in Tuk! And ice-sculpting is the current prescription for preventing cabin fever. We arrived safely in Tuktoyaktuk around 4:00 on Wednesday after 5 slow, bumpy hours on the Ice Highway (pix to come later). It took about an hour of waiting around at the North Mart until we got through to the cell… Continue reading ice lenses meet tuktoyaktuk light + snow
Tomorrow, I head to Tuktoyaktuk on the Mackenzie Ice Road. But I've been in Inuvik by accident since yesterday. How? The flight from Whitehorse to Dawson couldn't land due to fog, and I had the choice of flying back to Whitehorse, or staying in Inuvik overnight. Strangely enough, my boyfriend and another friend and I were… Continue reading inuvik by accident + ice lens dreaming
What kind of whisky would would you offer this man? While we wait for meetings in the Copenhagen Climate Conference to draw some conclusions about the future of ice, The Ice Cubicle takes a moment to consider some ice from the past - and what it saved for us. The expedition: It's no news that… Continue reading Shackleton’s 100-yr-old whisky
meg walker 