For ages I looked for anything resembling a tree to pinpoint the very edge of the tree line. I didn’t want to miss that tree. The dogs noticed it too or more likely they were acknowledging the different smell as we ran off Kittigazuit Bay and on to the east channel of the Mackenzie River nudging into the Mackenzie Delta. The dogs took it in their stride to cover twenty-six miles. I pushed them a little further into travel time too, seven and a half hours. Good dogs and hugs all around.

One hell of an easy travel day; ice was fast, sun felt warm and with fifteen hours of daylight we knocked off thirty miles. After all what we’re travelling over is now ridiculously easy, a manicured ice road used for all the oil and gas exploration companies doing their thing. Tomorrow I’ll hold the dogs back even this close to home I don’t want to overdo it with them.

We were naturally held back today. Knee-deep overflow meant for a twenty-mile detour. Though frozen over with ice several metres thick the Mackenzie River is never still as water continues to flow underneath heading where we’d just come from, the Arctic Ocean. Cracks in the ice sometimes widen spewing like a massive fountain spreading water to form overflow. Overflow is wicked to travel through. Getting wet in the cold isn’t healthy and I didn’t want to forfeit my feet or any of the dogs.

Head down and resting tonight I listen to more shifting ice. The cracking, always sudden, sounds like gigantic blocks of concrete shifting under immense pressure. I wonder ever so slightly if I’d be so unlucky as to break camp in the wet. I’d rather not.

I looked at the Lowepro bag protecting all my camera gear and IT delicates just to make sure it was secure to my sled. I knew what’s inside would be safe. The bag has done well to survive me throwing it about and fending itself from my dogs.

My dogs pulled right up to my back door, home and safe after 400 miles. I’ve assessed everything. Dogs, gear and ideas I’ve made and had a chance to try out. Essentially it’s been an outing to scan my eyes over my yearlings during a decent mileage, something that can’t be done with daily training runs. I’ve wanted to see them rest at every opportunity, eat everything when fed, dip for snow on the move, settle without fuss on the stakeout at night and obviously to pull hard.

Ice conditions were perfect and weather good. I’ve a few new ideas and very clear dogs to go forward with me. Together with my dogs we’ve covered 3,400 western Arctic miles this winter. London to the North Pole is 2,620 miles.