Man walks 10 hours across Arctic tundra while fami

Good ending to this story that I have been following for a couple of days.

Larissa Liepins , CanWest News Service
Published: Friday, November 16, 2007

When the seal fat for the fire ran out, they'd been sleeping for five nights in an igloo in the middle of a trackless Arctic waste.

With a broken-down snowmobile and their cache of fish running out, Laimiki Innuarak, 63, decided he had no choice left - he had to walk until he reached a settlement, or he, his wife Rachel Aglak, and their adopted four-year-old son Noah Jonah Aglak would die in the freezing polar dark.

While little Noah and his mother wept and worried in the igloo Innuarak had made for them, the man finally set out on foot Thursday morning at 7:30. He walked for the next 10 hours.

Full article here.

Wow.

Snow knife. A knife, some seal fat, and some fish. OK, this guy is the real deal. Surviving for 5 days, then walking 10 hours to town. It ain't light for 10 hours at that latitude as I recall. And this guy is 63.

Like I say, wow.

Note to self: Don't forget seal fat.

Actually, what else WOULD you be able to burn on the arctic tundra?

Good man, and 63 years old!

Sue

Impressive, especially at his age, but lucky. I guess that works as both a nice ending and still a warning.

Maybe I'm missing something here, but what's the big deal about walking for 10 hours?

sunrise was 05:50.
he began @ 07:30.
sunset was 10:58.
there was no moon.

so he walked 3 1/2 hrs in daylight and 6 1/2 in the dark.

no trails.

no 'aids to navigation'.

not mentioned in the story were any compass, maps, or gps.

it was probably somewhat chilly.

might have been windy.

polar bears live there.

no weapons.

the ice was soft in places.

he's 63.

he's got my respect.

bsmith

CBGC

What your missing is the fact that he was 63, there was a blizzard, it was bone chilling cold,oh yea don't forget it was in remote Alaska, no roads, no phones, no nothing.The SAR looked for them for 20 hrs with no success. He built an Igloo,oh wait two Igloo's ,did I forget to mention he built them in a blizzard. He kept his family alive for 5 days then walked 10 hrs to find help. Found help then directed them back to his family. Granted He did a lot of things wrong, but I won't go into them here. I think considering the conditions he was in he did a darn good job taking care of himself and family, oh yea and at 63 yrs old. I'm sure I missed a couple points but I hope you get the gist of it.

Ditto the respect part.

I agree with all your points, however to clarify, it was not remote Alaska, rather in Nunuvut which is a long ways from Alaska.

The real and sad truth is most people half his age cannot walk for 5 hours straight let alone the conditions this 63 year old man endured in the days before then walking for 10 hours...

I have spent time up in the far north and know first-hand what the weather conditions can be like this time of year. Even though I have a lot of wilderness experience, had I attempted this without any modern aids, I would of probably been found dead...if ever found.

My dad can't walk 100yds witout getting winded and he's a year younger than this man.

We all do things wrong from time to time and make big mistakes, the ability to survive our mistakes and those of others is why people like this old man and hopefully those of us here survive.

Great story....good for him!!

My mistake, in my haste to post a reply I failed to catch that.

Ahh, age-shmage! 63 ain't that old. Give him twenty more years and then say his age might have worked against him. Those Inuit guys eat lots of fish, one of the most nutrient dense foods.
If you live a healthy lifestyle, you don't get "old" until you're almost 100. Only smokers, alcoholics, unhealthy eaters and couch-potatoes get old in their sixties. Age is relative.
If people really wanted to live to be 120, they could. A few have, maybe because they didn't listen to society telling them that people don't live that long.
Sixty should be thought of by mainstream society as "just over the hump"! People just have to wake up to the reality that we are not living anywhere near the healthy lifestyles that we could be living.
Think about it. If every time you thought about MacDonald's you instead ate a salad of green leafy vegetables topped with tomatoes and broccoli garnished with a little crushed garlic topped with extra-virgin olive oil flavored with a few drops of balsamic vinegar, and if every time you thought you'd spend a few hours in front of the idiot-box you instead took a five-mile walk in the woods, and if every time you thought about smoking a cigarette you instead did twenty-five push-ups followed by a cool glass of water with a lemon wedge in it, and if every time you thought about getting drunk you instead read a book while sipping a cup of green tea, and if every time you were about to give in to anger and curse or yell you instead breathed deep and reflected on how silly life can often be,...

Looking forward to your follow-up post in 25-30 years to see how you are getting along...

Imagine that, another topic heading off into left field.....lol

I am what I am.

"Maybe I'm missing something here, but what's the big deal about walking for 10 hours?"

You're joking, right?

He was 200 miles NORTH of the Arctic Circle!

He was walking through snow and ice, with nothing to stop the wind. Minus-36 degrees below zero.

He knew where he was going and nearly got there, in an area that is one of the least populated in the world.

And he knew how to tell rescuers where to find his family.

Sue

The man did have navigational aid. When you live in an environment, you build up a mental map of features never plotted on a USGS topo.

Sometimes veering off a little to the right or to the left is much more interesting than piling up behind those who have nothing better to say than "Me too,...baahhh...baahhh...Look at me, I'm a baseball playin' sheople." An original negster, informed once again that it is alright to let go of the handrail from time to time, and that most people don't find it all that scary. BooOO.

If you say so it must be true..............................

I appreciate the confidence boost. Oftentimes I overlook or fail to promptly recognize that much of my good traits and mannerisms are easily attributable to others I have learned from in one way or another.
While it is true that we can all be perfect, it is true that we can't all be the same.

From another part of the world...

Here in Guyana (South America), we have the Amerindians (our indigenous peoples) who live in the harsh jungle and mountainous environments. For city dwellers, this is incomprehensible in that we (I am still constantly amazed) assume that our (especially people like me, any maybe some on this forum) limits of physical and mental endurance are the limits of everyone.

This could not be more wrong!!!

In Georgetown (the capital) a 5yrs old child would have to be transported to school by a parent/adult, while in the interior, a bunch of these Amerindian children would get into a dugout canoe and paddle for 2hrs to get to school.

These Amerindians are generally poor people, but in witnessing these feats (that's what I call it - for them it's a regular day) I'm in awe and am myself impoverished. There is so much to learn - especially how to adapt to an environment to the point that I can relax (well at least not stress myself out to the point of fatigue and eventual panic) and survive.

Now where do I plug in my hair dryer?

N.

ahhhhh yep!!! Didn't know you were looking for a pat on the back, that department is down the hall to the left too. As far as learning from someone else, I'm all for that. Here's the thing, we're all different, no doubt about that, everyone thinks what they have to say is important, sometimes I think they talk to hear themselves talk and at the same time impress others. I'm not about that, someones ask's a question I give a answer related to that question, not about something else, its always on topic. I guess everyone see's things different. I tend to stay on tract, if I was looking for health advice or nutritional advice I would have looked under a different topic.......lol or consulted a Doctor. I thought the comments were headed off topic so I made a funny, ohhhhhh bad me, see what I did , I made the topic go farther off into left field. Should I be looking for a pat on the back or a confidence boost, nawwww I don't think I need that.

I'm not trying to judge you, Sh-ooOO. All I was saying is that everyone seems to think that 60 year olds are universally not fit anymore, and most people tend to think that it is some great feat when any older person accomplishes something in the least bit physically demanding. But I was raised by a professional athlete who is now in his 70's and he still enjoys competing athletically with guys in their 30's. That old guy up north might not be a pro athlete, but he is no city-boy either. What gives? So, I am blessed with a different perspective than most, and I feel strongly about it. That's why when I'm in my 60's I'll be able to run 10 miles and back without having to do lunch, and maybe you'll still be looking for left field. There's nothing wrong with that, and concerning my "advice", don't feel so targeted, as it is only my own personal opinion, my own "take" or understanding, if you will, nothing to get all worked up about. Concerning my confidence boost reference, that was only a little sarcasm mixed with a little dry humor, again, nothing to get upset about, no deliberate attempt on my part make you feel like becoming defensive. Funny's are good, I like funnies, keep 'em coming, you're obviously better at it than I am. I guess what I've learned here is that a dry sense of humor can be embarassing if not downright attractive as a roostertail.

There ya go again.......lol ramblin on, I never said anything about you judging me, and I never said I was upset or felt targeted, read the lines not between them.


We're Done Here........this is a waste of time.

Middle middle fiddle faddle piddle paddle pip!

.

!

And this doesn't surprise me either.

"Middle middle fiddle faddle piddle paddle pip!"

Peanut Gallery, glad your not on my side.

..in reference to your advice that I not read between the lines..and that your advice was not valued since it was unasked for...and your opinion is still not valued and neither is your uptight advice, since, I remind you, it is not asked for, I say again...Middle middle fiddle faddle piddle paddle pip! Make of it what you must, I guess. I think most people would have enough self-respect not to respond to such nonsense, but not you, 'cause you're a smarty-pants.

Again sir I say, you really need to grow up, "smarty pants, fiddle faddle", maybe you need to go back to grade school and start over, I doubt it would help though, considering your condition.

Oh yea just in case my post was to complicated for you I was responding to your childish reply in the previous post. You can't read the lines or between them.

Well, I do very much like being called "sir", but I do believe you forgot all about capitalization. It should look like this...ahem..."Sir". I learned that in grade school, funny-guy. Although I do admit, sometimes those proper nouns can be confusing.

Despite this post being technically a reply to Shadow_oo00, I am actually addressing both Shadow_oo00 and TQS…

I am asking this as nicely as I can… would you two please can it? People visit this forum to gain knowledge about survival preparedness, not to wade through post after post of paragraph after paragraph of completely useless nonsense.

I really don’t care whose IQ is what, whose maturity level is what, or who has a history of posting useless gibberish. The smart, mature, useful thing to do is to post survival preparedness information or not post at all.

Thank you, both. I’m checking the soapbox back in so it’s available for everyone else, now.

JCWohlschlag,
Thanks for reeling me in. I do tend to indulge at times.

You have my word on it.

You gave your word, but you just PM'd me this...

"Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow
No sir,don't worry, I wouldn't want to meet you. I just don't like you, I know your kind. I wouldn't think of responding to anyone else on this forum like I did you. You talk like your trying to impress someone, if you only knew the PM's I have received concerning you, it might actually make you stop and listen to yourself. But I must correct myself, its not you I don't like it's your attitude. Say what you must everyone says you have to have the last word, but know this, I will not stoop to your level, which we both see in different directions. Fire back with long wind and big words, know that they will fall on deaf ears. I gave my word, you PM's will be deleted unread. Hows that go down, not to well I imagine. Take care, one can only hope you change."

I have never PM'd you about anything, ever, not even once!
Maybe "everyone" is just trying to console you for feeling like you have to displace your emotions onto me. But maybe you're right. Maybe I do need to re-evaluate my attitude.
In any case, let me just say it again, this time in English. I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT ME!

I said not on the forum.

Don't PM me!

And then you just PM'd me this:

"Some Peoples Kids
Shadow_oo00 Shadow_oo00
Member
Registered: 08/21/07
Posts: 143
Loc: Pennsylvania, USA
That was real professional of you posting a PM on the forum, just goes to show how much of a child you really are."

Will the drama club meeting never end? Don't PM me!

Don't read them, a very simple way not to be bothered. sheesh.
A delete key is very easy to use!

Yes, it is easy if/when one has to do it. But deleting them doesn't mean they won't stop coming, so I said "don't". Now he knows I don't want to play "Let's PM each other because we don't get along". I felt uncomfortable PM'ing him especially after he promised he'd drop it all. I feel that to PM him would have only encouraged him. Enough said.

Jesus. It’s pretty sad when a 63-year-old man who walks 10 hours through the arctic for his family (and some other subjects) takes a back seat to someone who doesn’t know how to delete unwanted messages (spam) like everyone else on the internet. CAN IT, PLEASE!