Iqaluit (Apr 03/06) - So far it has been clear sailing for a group of 47 Canadian Rangers and armed forces personnel who embarked on a gruelling three-week patrol across the High Arctic last week.

The men and women were greeted with warm weather - about -15C - and clear skies when they set off from four separate bases in Nunavut's Arctic archipelago.

"We couldn't ask for a better start," said Captain Conrad Schubert, who is co-ordinating the mission from a command post in Resolute.

But the weather in Nunavut can change on a dime and the Rangers are constantly sending updates to military meteorologists.

"The weather is our single biggest obstacle," said Schubert. "But so far, it has been ideal."

The $1 million mission is designed to assert Canadian control over the High Arctic, where this country's sovereignty has come into question during recent years.

The Rangers - who are some of the best in Canada - hail from the Northwest Territories, Nunavut and the Yukon. Their five separate patrols will snake across 4,500 kilometres of harsh Arctic terrain before coming to an end at Resolute sometime next week.

Until then, they will cover about 85 to 120km per day on snowmobile, cutting across the old, gnarled sea ice that surrounds Ellef Ringes, Ellesmere, Prince Patrick and Cornwallis Islands.

"The path is never straight," said Schubert.

The Rangers and armed forces personnel typically travel from nine in the morning until five at night, stopping for tea breaks and lunch, said Schubert.

The Rangers also have to contend with stretches of open water that are sometimes masked by a covering of snow, making them nearly indistinguishable from the surrounding sea ice.

"This is where the Rangers are absolutely indispensable," said Schubert. "They have lived in this area their entire lives."

Armed with rifles and shotguns, the Rangers are keeping their eyes peeled for polar bears, but Schubert said the animals don't present a serious problem for the patrols.