Derek Neary
Northern News Services

Fort Simpson (Apr 05/02) - Paul Guyot is representing the Fort Simpson Rangers on an expedition to the Magnetic North Pole to commemorate the Canadian Rangers' 60th anniversary.

Fort Simpson's Paul Guyot is on a trek to the Magnetic North Pole with the Rangers and members of the Canadian Armed Forces. They are travelling northwest by snowmobile from Resolute Bay. - Derek Neary/NNSL photo

Guyot is one of 30 Rangers selected from across the country who will partake in the 28-day enhanced sovereignty patrol. They will be accompanied by up to a dozen members of the Canadian Armed Forces.

The travellers were due to fly from Yellowknife to Resolute Bay Tuesday. From there they will use snowmobiles to reach the Magnetic North Pole, which is approximately 320 kilometres northwest of Resolute Bay.

However, the patrol party will have to make frequent detours around crevasses on the sea ice, Guyot said.

"A lot of these Rangers that have been chosen will be Inuit. Thank God, because I won't be passing any of those guys," he laughed.

"They know how to read the snow and everything. That's their land."

Three food and fuel drops have been scheduled along the way, he said.

The participants will be outfitted with parkas, snow pants, mukluks, a fur hat, mitts and a No-Fog mask for safe snowmobile operation. They will likely stay in circular, insulated tents, he said.

"I would think the trip is going (to involve) brutal weather," said Guyot, who has been with the Rangers for three and a half years.

"But the camaraderie and the teamwork is what I'm looking forward to."

In an interview last Thursday he said he planned to pack very little.

"Typically my experience out in the bush is that you bring all these clothes and you never wear it. You don't change very often out there, and you all end up smelling the same," he joked.