The arctic is a barren and forbidding place. The ecosystem is very interesting as resources are scarce and the environment is so barren. Sub-zero temperatures are REALLY cold... lower than -50 F is not uncommon.
So to start of on a travel adventure to such a place, should start off on some middle ground: Montreal.
Ian Wright the guide in this episode, horses off in Montreal for a little while, goes and checks out some Maple syruping action.
These Pilot Guides are great. They're like Dave Attells Insomniac series, but less focused on being an obnoxious American getting drunk at every opportunity. Attell is funny though, you have to give him that. Ian's humor is a bit different, but I think he is more entertaining to watch because he's doing interesting and extreme things (but of course not extreme in the way Jackass is extreme).
The Madeline Islands are the next stop on the journey. Seal pup hunting use to take place here, and if you know anything about it, you'd know it was pretty brutal. A seal expert is along and imparts some useful knowledge.
Yellowknife is the next destination! I've visited Yellowknife before, and its a really interesting city. It sits on a huge lake (the Great Slave Lake.. I have no idea where it got its name from). The Caribou Carnival is underway, held to welcome spring time. It's a wacky event, hosting everything from computer-bashing to ugly dog & truck competitions.
Ragged Ass Road is reknown in Yelloknife. It used to be the main drag in town (and may still be!). It is a route that lead into the city, and gets its name from the people that most often used it. When Ragged Ass is said, it is mean a person who is dirt poor, or literally, ragged ass.
When I was there, I experienced some really fun things. I snowmobiled around on the Great Slave Lake with my sister. We went to an Inuit camp and slept in wall tents (and this was in the middle of winter!). I tried caribou meat there actually, and there were some simply amazing northern lights out during the evenings. I also went to a government center, it is the capital for the region (in fact I think it is the only city in the Northwest Territories).
Ian joined up with a group of Japanese tourists to participate in the action.
The final segment of this episode transports you to another world. Baffin Island in the Nunavut territory, the only territory in history that has peacefully returned (or haded) to the natives. Temperatures can reach a staggering -90 F! Then Ian takes off on a dog sled journey around the area. The dogsledding scenes are really beautiful. They're running with their dogs in a fan-hitch layout.
Ian is invigorated by the arctic climate (in the way a breath of fresh air is). The openness, the vastness and general freshness. He finishes off the episode in an Igloo, if you ever get the chance to make one or build one, you should absolutely do it!
