Inuk musher completes 240-km solo dogsled journey

It was Feb. 11 and, in the middle of the night, George Kauki remembers turning on the portable Coleman stove.

Shivering in his tent, with a thin foam mattress padding the snow-covered ground, Kauki says he quickly lost sensation in his toes and pulled off his jacket, wrapping it around his legs.

Although his sleeping bag was made for –40 C temperatures, he says it did little to keep him warm as he camped solo along the Koksoak River near Kuujjuaq in the northern Quebec region of Nunavik.

His dogs slept outside, their bodies curled up in fluffy balls to preserve body heat, said Kauki, their wolf-like tails covering their faces to protect them from the harsh wind and ice.

In the morning, warming up his body from the –50 C weather, Kauki said he threw his tent into the sled's front box and set off from camp.

Only 30 minutes into the trip, Kauki's fur hood, ski goggles and neck warmer grew a thin layer of sparkly frost — just the start of what would be a long and cold few days of mushing for Kauki and his team of eight dogs.

Traveling up to seven hours by dogsled each day while facing frostbite-inducing temperatures, headwind, and less-than-ideal sleeping arrangements, Kauki completed the 240-kilometre round trip along the Koksoak River in four days.

Although Kauki partly set out on this journey for "the fun of it" he also wanted to take the time to reflect on his culture and Inuk ancestors.

"It was such a rewarding feeling," said Kauki. "There were a lot of times where I got to think about how much more I should appreciate life and how much my ancestors had to go through in order to survive this harsh environment. I was thankful I completed the trip."

Packing hundreds of kilograms of equipment, food and survival supplies, Kauki said experiencing some of the harsh environment his ancestors faced on this "adventure of a lifetime" provided him with some perspective.

"I can't begin to appreciate what my ancestors did for us, how much work [they] endured," said Kauki. "It is already challenging enough as it is."

"They didn't have store-bought rope. They had to make their own rope out of sealskin. They had to chop down their own trees. They didn't buy wood from the store…. Everything came out of nature. They used what they had."

Kauki said he heard many stories about how men left for months at a time with their dogs to hunt for the community — most of the time with limited equipment and no guarantees.

"I don't know how to explain it but I'm thankful for all the hard work that they did," said Kauki. "I appreciate what they had to endure and I'm thankful I'm here now because of them."