Outside Adventure Grants 1998 winning proposal

I am writing in response to your Outside Adventure Grant. This is the adventure that I have in mind ...

On April 1, 1999, Canada will return about 770,000 square miles of land, and the right to govern themselves, to the Inuit people. These people experienced great change in their lifestyle and culture due to the Anglo influence. Now they will have the opportunity to determine how they want to live in their land, to be called Nunavut.

This land is a hard land. I would like to visit these people and come to know a part of their heritage. to do this, I propose to fly into Pangnirtung on Baffin Island, on the eastern boundary of this newly created territory. From there we will explore the village, the nearby whaling stations, and remnants of an ancient past before beginning our walk across Auyuittuq National Park Reserve. A two-week hike across the park to Broughton Island will cover some sixty miles of Arctic terrain, giving enough time for side trips. These side trips may be to ascent nearby peaks, climb on rack cliffs or more fully explore Summit Lake. All of this takes place above the Arctic Circle.

The crew will be made up of my older brother Dylan, 17, my older brother Tristan, 15, and myself, 12. We have gone on adventures together all of my childhood, sailing, hiking, exploring and pirating. Growing up on a remote island off the coast of Maine, we have been each other's playmates and companions, always climbing trees or building forts. In the last two years, my brothers' adventures have been taking them far from our island home. When Tristan was 13, he went with a school-teacher friend and her family to raft down the Kayukuk River in Alaska. Dylan has participated in two Atlantic Challenge rowing competitions in Canada and Ireland, and has recently returned from a year as an exchange student in Thailand. Both of my brothers are experienced bird watchers and have conducted bird counts on the outer Maine islands for the Audubon Society. Last summer I went on my first bird count, banding puffin chicks on Matinicus Rock. We have each had rock climbing experience with Outward Bound instructors as guides, as the Hurricane Island Outward Bound School is very close to the island where we live.

As I mentioned, we live on a remote island off the coast of Maine. We have spent the last eight years living in a one-room dwelling, with 12-volt/solar electricity, hauling water from a dug well, and harvesting our own firewood for heating. For the past five years we have been homeschooled, and also have been the only year-round family on the island. We have been raised up to be self-sufficient and self-motivated. Since November of this past year, we rented a house on the neighboring island of Vinalhaven. Like the Inuit of Baffin Island, we were immediately surrounded by conflicting value systems. For the first time in my life, I have been exposed to easy access of television, household conveniences, and merchandising. Partly because of this sudden contrast, I am interested to see how the Inuit people view the return of their land and the chance to reinforce their traditional beliefs.

It is our hope that by interviewing, photographing and journalizing throughout our expedition, we could raise awareness of this land and its people; how they go about the transition and challenge that lies before them. My brothers and I are amateur photographers, and are willing and able to produce slide presentations and public talks. In addition we are interested in identifying and cataloging birds and mammals both in the park and surrounding areas. We would also like to stretch our own physical and personal bounds with rock and mountain climbing.

Thank you for considering our proposal, we look forward to your response.

Very sincerely yours,

Louisa Hope Jackson