ALERT (May 04/98) - Maj. Mike Purcell calls the shots at the northernmost outpost in Canada -- Canadian Forces Station Alert, located on the northeastern tip of Ellesmere Island.

Naturally, the weather is one of the first topics that arises when personnel from Alert call a southern locale. Really, things aren't all that bad. It was -17 C last week when he called.

"By the statistics it was relatively mild (over the winter). Living through it, it was still pretty darn cold," Purcell said.

There are plenty of communities to the south, such as Cape Dorset, where the temperatures are regularly much colder, according to Purcell.

The nearest community, Grise Fiord, is 725 kilometres to the south -- about an hour by air. The North Pole is 817 kilometres away.

During the winter, there are approximately 80 personnel at CFS Alert. Most are there on six-month terms. None of them were likely thrilled about their posting, according to Purcell.

"Nobody is jumping up and down saying, 'I'd love to go to the Arctic for six months.' You know, and see the same 78 other faces for six months," Purcell said. "Having said that, right now, I would say the morale in general is quite good."

There are plenty of recreational activities available to the members of the Forces stationed in Alert, which was established in 1950. There is a gym for floor hockey, archery, badminton and volleyball, a weight room, pool tables, a wood hobby shop and photography club.

"A lot of people spend a fair amount of time in the gym," said Purcell, adding that a number of people are trying to cycle "home" on the stationary bikes by pedalling the distance during their stay.

After the workouts, there's a bar to patronize, "The Arctic Club."

Purcell, who arrived in Alert at the end of the summer, will be in command until July 9 (not that he's counting the days). At that point, he can return to his family and friends in Ottawa, where he was acting as the senior staff officer of the unit of which Alert is a member.