Read Online Four Degrees Celsius by Kerry Karram - Free Book Online Page B

ranges looming out of the Arctic Ocean. However, the light refraction on the snow, which created the mirage, gave the men hope for the anticipated trip.
    Thompson decided to shave for the occasion, and Pearce assisted with scissors. Once shaved, Thompson no longer resembled the old feudal lord. The rest of the men busied themselves getting the food ready for travel. Caribou steaks were cut and an inventory was taken of the remaining “bush fare.” They still had three tins of beef, the chocolate bars, thirty Oxo cubes, a slab of bacon, eight hard-tack biscuits, and a very small amount of cocoa. The Inuit added tea, coffee, and the primus stove for the walk out.
    The Dominion Explorers and their Inuit guides stand for a formal photo just prior to beginning the trek to Cambridge Bay. The Inuit had done their best to ensure each member of the group were as warmly dressed as possible and had even made “hats” out of seagull skin to keep heads warm.
Courtesy of Daryl Goodwin.
    Before the last light, the group lined up for a farewell photo. This would be a fitful night’s sleep. Their minds were jumping, restless with anticipation and hopeful that nothing more would delay their trek to the post at Cambridge Bay. Their group strength was bound by both determination and their desire to reach the outside world. They would need it for the demanding journey.
    _____
    Andy prepared his report for WCA: “All machines were hauled ashore up well-oiled planks for a Slipway. ‘A.R.K’ the Northern Arial Mineral Exploration machine was nearest the water, tail outwards. To all appearances especially as the lake had already a thin skin of ice, all machines were perfectly safe and tied down….”
    At Baker Lake, the men readied the planes for ski landings. The northwest shore of the lake was open water when they arrived, but the temperature was dropping. The changeover from floats to skis was exhausting. It took several men to remove and lift the float and the undercarriage. Once this was done, an undercarriage equipped with a ski was attached on each side. The changeover was time-consuming, with only one plane being done at a time.
    Ice that formed on the lake during the night still broke up frequently during the days, causing some concern. Despite this, all seemed to be going well, but that was about to change. Cruickshank’s sixth sense was nudging him.
    The air engineers adjust the skis on Roy Brown’s ’SO. These skis were manufactured by the Elliot Brothers of Sioux Lookout, Ontario, and were built to withstand the harsh landings in the frozen North.
Provincial Archives of Manitoba, Canadian Air Lines Collection #587.
    Early in the evening on the 17th, the men were in the Révillon Frères Trading Post at Baker Lake, playing poker with the RCMP constable and Dr. Bruce. Andy Cruickshank felt he needed some fresh air, so he folded his cards and walked out to the beach. He sat on the shoreline writing a poem to Esmé. It was their second wedding anniversary. He called Esmé his “star” and in his poem wrote about how he missed her. As he wrote, the wind began to pick up and the premonition intensified. He walked over to the planes to make sure they were tied securely and hoped that his sense of foreboding was misplaced.
    Tonight would be a night to remember.
    During the changeover from floats to skis, the five planes had been squeezed into a very tight space on the beach outside the trading post. Three could have fit there comfortably. Once the wind started to blow, Cruickshank knew they were in for more trouble. He braced himself and waited. Just after midnight the uncontrollable wrath of nature unleashed its power.
    â€œThe beach is collapsing!” His call for help pierced the night, bringing the men out of the post. In his report to Western Canada Airlines, Cruickshank recorded: “We had a terrible storm from the East, which sprayed “A.R.K.” [’RK]