Human-Powered Arctic Expedition: Baffin Island Wilderness

When Shira Biner invited Kelly Fields to join an all-female+ expedition to Baffin Island with just two months' notice, Fields faced a life-changing decision. "Baffin Island has been a lifelong dream of mine, so I was like, I cannot say no to this," Fields recalls. "There are huge reasons why I probably should say no to this. The main one being I didn't know anybody on the team. But it was something I just could not say no to."

What followed was an extraordinary 29-day human-powered journey across one of Earth's most remote Arctic landscapes, a testament to determination, preparation, and the power of embracing the unknown.

The Vision: Multi-Sport Arctic Exploration

The expedition team consisted of four accomplished women+: Kelly Fields, Natalie Afonina, Heather Smallpage, and expedition organizer Shira Biner. Their ambitious plan involved skiing 180 kilometers across sea ice, alpine climbing in the unexplored Eglington Fjord, pack rafting down the Kuglook River, and hiking back to civilization, covering approximately 300 kilometers total.

For Natalie Afonina, the appeal was deeply rooted in childhood dreams of polar exploration. "I've always wanted to ski across Greenland. I wanted to go to Antarctica. I scratched my Antarctica itch by going to the Arctic and doing some field research up there near Barrow, Alaska," she explains. "When Shira said sea ice and skiing and pulling a sled, I was like, I'm in."

The expedition represented something bigger than individual adventure. As Fields noted, "We pretty much hit every objective, which is amazing. One of our goals was to put up the first big wall by an all female+ team in the Canadian Arctic ever."

Arctic Challenges: Sea Ice and Polar Bears

The journey began with seven days of skiing across sea ice, pulling heavy sleds through a landscape that few humans have experienced. "We skied preferentially at night and into the early morning until like 4 am. This wasn't for safety but it was to decrease the friction to make it easier to pull the sleds," Afonina explains. "If it got below freezing at night, it just became that much easier to pull the sleds compared to during the day when it was like 45, 50 degrees and sunny."

The polar bear threat was ever-present. "We would set up the polar bear fence every night, which is just like this fishing wire between these stakes with a trip wire that will release a pin that will shoot a shotgun blank," Afonina describes. Fresh polar bear tracks crisscrossed their route, serving as constant reminders of the Arctic's apex predators.

The team's preparation proved crucial when their outfitter, Levi, watched their first day's progress through binoculars. "He watched us through binoculars as we made slow headway and looked disastrous. He pulled up on his snowmobile and was like, 'what the fuck are you doing?' We're like, 'I don't know, do we belong here? Like, no, not really.'" The outfitter's intervention with proper expedition sleds likely saved their mission.

Climbing Achievement in Eglinton Tower

After reaching base camp, the team attempted their primary climbing objective: a face on Eglinton Tower. Despite challenging conditions, they established a new route of approximately 1,800 feet. "We did put up one really beautiful route that pretty much all went free. We had one technical aid section," Fields recalls.

Looking back on the climb, Fields said, “The ascent took 49 hours total - we climbed 1,800 feet of vertical terrain with our summit at 2,934 feet above base camp. As a professional climber with a lot of first ascent experience, I cannot express enough how smoothly this went. We didn't have to drill a single bolt, connecting natural crack systems and features the entire way up, which is absolutely wild. We worked well as a team and planned our bivy for the perfect time to ensure a safe summit and descent.”

Fields demonstrated remarkable determination despite severe foot injuries from day one: "I woke up an hour before everybody and built myself a cast for both of my feet. It was so big that I could barely get my approach shoes on, but that's how bad I wanted this climb."

The Long Journey Home

After their climbing success, the expedition faced a critical decision. Changing ice conditions threatened their exit route. "I went and explored our return path and saw that the ice was trying to melt and break up. The big ice chunks started moving. I was like, all right, we kind of need to go," Afonina explains. 

The team then faced one of their most grueling challenges: crossing a mountain pass while shuttling gear. "It took us three days just to shuttle loads back and forth over this pass, which then got us to a freshwater lake," Fields recalls. "All of our bags were a minimum 80 pounds each time going over that pass. There's no trail and is truly grueling.”

The final phases included 25 kilometers of skiing across a frozen lake, followed by pack rafting down the Kuugaaluk River. "We floated down the river over the course of two days, which we probably could have done in one, but we took our time," Fields notes.

Fueling the Human-Powered Machine: Expedition Nutrition Demands

The physical demands of a 29-day human-powered expedition through Arctic terrain require strategic nutrition planning. Moving 15-20 hours daily while pulling heavy sleds and carrying 80-pound packs creates enormous caloric demands that traditional trail food often can't meet efficiently.

"Food planning is a huge part of any sort of outdoor expedition," Fields explains. "We had to plan for that calorie intake every day, but we also had to have contingency plans for like, what if we're crossing a lead in the ice and our pack raft tips over and now we lose all of the food."

The team targeted 1,500 calories minimum per day, with an ideal range of 2,000-3,000 calories. "We went like 15, 20 hour days sometimes. That's not sustainable on 1,500 calories. I have to think that we really need over 3,000 calories a day for that amount of activity," Fields noted.

RecPak proved ideal for expedition nutrition demands. Each 700-calorie serving provided complete nutrition in an ultralight, packable format. Kelly Fields observed her teammates' enthusiasm: "The rest of the team had these awesome RecPaks and could fill them up in a fresh water river without even filtering the water sometimes. Shake it, wait, and then eat. That is awesome."

For Natalie Afonina, RecPak solved multiple expedition nutrition challenges: "That's where RecPak made absolute sense because it's light and it gives you all the nutrition I need. We're out there for five weeks working really hard. I worry about bone density and nutrients because my body's working so hard. That's one of the things I really appreciated about RecPak—it's like a complete nutrient profile where I was like, great, I just don't have to think."

The convenience factor proved crucial during demanding expedition days. As Fields witnessed, teammates could prepare RecPak quickly even during brief stops, providing sustained energy without the weight penalty of traditional expedition foods.

Lessons from the Arctic

Both athletes emphasize how the expedition's challenges put daily life in perspective. "Being in environments like that makes everything else relative. It makes daily life a lot easier," Fields reflects. "Doing the dishes or paying my taxes - these other things that you just have to do in life are a lot easier when you've been in really scary, hard to get to places."

For Afonina, the expedition satisfied a lifelong dream while highlighting the value of human-powered travel. "I really like human powered expeditions, and I really gravitate to the exploratory aspect. For me, the journey really does make the trip. The continuous movement is something that I've always been attracted to."

The Baffin Island expedition stands as proof that with proper preparation, determination, and quality nutrition, human-powered adventures can achieve the extraordinary, even in Earth's most remote and challenging environments.