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."

Part of the local mushing community in Kuujjuaq, Kauki competes regularly in annual dogsled competitions.

Although he initially wanted a friend to join him on this journey, when they were unavailable, Kauki decided to go ahead by himself.

Kauki, whose day job is the land specialist at the Isuarsivik Regional Recovery Centre, said part of the comfort in completing this solo trip came from his well-conditioned dog team and his knowledge of the land.

However, even with his experience, Kauki said this trip was still uncommon.

"Not many people do this kind of stuff. My girlfriend was like, 'you're crazy. You're gonna go freeze your butt off'," said Kauki. "Some other people were inspired. They're like, 'wow, you're going that far'… Even my other musher friends were like 'what?'"

On the second day of his trip, Kauki said a snowmobile passed him and was "shocked" to see a dog team so far upriver.

"[It's because] nobody goes up the river on a dog team, not in a while anyway. Not since I could remember. Only back when the dogs were the only means for transportation," said Kauki.

For a long time, dogsledding was a survival tool in the North, said Kauki. He said it is part of what makes mushing important for Inuit culture today, with the continuation of the sport bringing comfort to some members of the community.

"It gives elders peace too when I'm going out for rides and others just love to see it," said Kauki. "It just brings them back to the past, it touches them. Sometimes they get emotional."