On Thin Ice FOLLOWING A FIRST EVER CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF ELLESMERE ISLAND,


EXPLORERS JON TURK and ERIK BOOMER


REVEAL THEIR DEEPEST FEELINGS and THEIR DARKEST FEARS


On


August 19, 2011, veteran explorer Jon Turk and expert whitewater kayaker Erik Boomer became the first people to circumnavigate Ellesmere Island, a mountainous, ice-smothered landmass in the Canadian High Arctic. Nearly the same area as Great Britain, Ellesmere has just two permanent settlements, 500 miles apart and home to 146 souls between them. Boomer and Turk’s incredible journey spanned 1,500 miles, 104 days, four uniquely demanding environments, and not a few unspoken doubts. At times, the intensity of their undertaking was so great that it seemed superfluous, even counterproductive, to discuss their deepest fears and emotions. Now, from the safety of home, Turk and Boomer ask each other the questions that they couldn’t voice on the ice.


36 ADVENTURE KAYAK | SPRING 2012


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