An All-Woman Baffin Island Expedition
11-minute read
Four women took on a 5-week expedition in Baffin Island in the early summer of 2025. Their trip consisted of a 250-kilometer circuit, completely human-powered across sea ice, up mountains, over tundra and down a river.
Packrafting down Baffin Island’s Kogalu River
Baffin Island is the largest island in Canada. It’s sandwiched between the Canadian mainland and Greenland, in the far northeast, in the territory of Nunavut. This Arctic destination is known for its dramatic beauty, wildlife and Inuit culture.
Because part of the team’s travel was by paddling, Aqua Bound was one of the sponsors. The members were Heather, Natalie, Shira and Char, all experienced climbers.
We wanted to get a trip report of this unique experience, so we sat down with Heather recently for her take. Here’s our interview with her:
AQUA BOUND: What was the goal of your trip?
HEATHER: The goal specifically was to do a new Alpine-style rock climb. Big wall rock climbs in an area that had never been climbed in and with a team that had never done it. Pretty much all the climbing in Baffin has been male-dominated. So, having females out there—let alone a team of all females—was a new thing. That was our goal.
We left in early June and got back in July. We were on the island a total of five weeks, four of those weeks in the backcountry.
The group was primarily climbers—it was primarily a climbing trip. But we wanted to make it human-powered.
AQUA BOUND: Did you have to do any prepping for the paddling segment?
HEATHER: I’m used to paddling. I’m from Wisconsin, so I’ve been in the Boundary Waters, the Great Lakes, all of that good stuff. And we specifically chose a route that wouldn’t have gnarly paddling. We wanted to keep it to Class II and keep it short.
Preparing to launch the paddling segment of the expedition
All of our background is really in climbing, so we thought, “Okay, we want the water, but we can’t die out there!”
AQUA BOUND: How did you get to the mountain?
HEATHER: We spent seven days skiing. It was about 100 miles on sea ice, the frozen Arctic Ocean. So, nothing technical, but just flat skiing for seven days.
Loaded sleds
There were various sections of the ice I was not very excited about. I also don’t really have a ski background—it was my first time. It was mostly really solid, but there were definitely times—like on our first day when there was about 12 inches of water covering the ice— that I was thinking, “is this okay? Are we safe right now? I’m so out of my element!”
Crossing the sea ice to reach the mountains
But it was mostly really safe. We crossed huge cracks in the ice, but it was never very alarming. That being said, we did have to keep in mind the ice conditions throughout the entire time that we were out there. The ice was very solid for the most part, and we really grateful for that.
AQUA BOUND: Have you had Arctic experience before?
HEATHER: No, this was my biggest, most remote thing. One of our team members, Shira, had been to the Arctic before, to Baffin Island. But that was the extent of our Arctic experience.
AQUA BOUND: Why did you choose that particular climbing spot?
HEATHER: It was really close to this zone called Sam Ford Fjord, which is a really popular zone for climbing. Most of the climbing in Baffin Island has been done there. We wanted to keep it a little bit closer because we did it human-powered.
We chose that spot because it was closer, and it also was an opportunity for us to climb in our comfort level.
AQUA BOUND: How long was the climbing portion of your expedition?
HEATHER: We did 49 hours doing the climb. Kelly (the other primary climber) and I got really bad ankles from skiing in, and so we had to rest to be able to squeeze our feet into the climbing shoes. But we really only spent 49 hours—two days—climbing.
Climbing the wall
So we finished the climb. We rested for a few days because we were moving for 23 hours on that last day. And then from there we walked a whole bunch over really awful terrain. And then we walked across this massive frozen lake and then got to this river called the Kogalu River. From there, we started paddling.
AQUA BOUND: What was the paddling portion of your expedition like?
HEATHER: We only had two days on the river and covered 30 kilometers. Once we started paddling, for me at least, it was this breath of fresh air and space of just being: “I’m here. I’m in the water right now. I have space and peace, and the river was beautiful.”
Day 2 on the Kogalu River
We had Class 2 rapids right off the bat. From there, most of the river was frozen and then it would kind of pinch down into a rapid spot, and then it would widen again. We were sticking to the channels paddling, but it was really calm water. It was beautiful to get some time to deep breathe deeply within ourselves.
Our first day paddling, it was raining a little bit, and that was really nice. The second day was blue skies. I was having an urge to play. I wanted to go swimming. It was a really beautiful day.
Rivers, I think, offer a huge amount of peace and space. It’s like a reset, I suppose. That’s kind of what I felt about paddling.
I think a lot of people think the Arctic is dead space, but there is so much wildlife and gentle meandering rivers. There were birds flying around while the sun was shining. I was really, really grateful for the time we had.
AQUA BOUND: Tell us about your gear.
HEATHER: NRS sponsored us, too. They gave us packrafts, dry suits and PFDs. The paddles were obviously from Aqua Bound. We used the Whiskey kayak paddles.
AQUA BOUND: Had the four of you done an expedition like this before?
HEATHER: Nope. All four of us met for the first time at the airport in Ottawa. That’s the first time we were ever together as a group. We planned it on WhatsApp, through text and eventually a lot of video calls. It was absolute chaos planning, but we totally did it. We didn’t forget anything, had all of our gear, all our food. It was: “Way to go, team, we got this!”
The Baffin Island team members
AQUA BOUND: What was it like traveling in the Midnight Sun?
HEATHER: So incredible. I’m scared of the dark, so that was nice not to have that! I think the biggest thing to change for me is ultimately how much night and day come to dictate how we live our lives.
There, it was, “What does my body need at any point?” It’s a really cool thing to lean into that. I had more ability to do. I was able to just be present with what I needed and with myself. I loved 24 hours of light. It’s really cool.
AQUA BOUND: Did you have any trouble sleeping?
HEATHER: I only had trouble sleeping because I was scared of polar bears. I brought a face mask for the light, and we were also always wrecked. I’d get into my sleeping bag and crash.
AQUA BOUND: How did you prepare for possible polar bear encounters?
HEATHER: Thankfully, we didn’t see any. But we saw some massive footprints as we skied in, and they were really fresh prints. But that was the closest we came.
I tried to mentally prepare, thinking: “I’m gonna be in a place with The Creature.” I practiced how to use a shotgun. And we had a bear fence. We set up a perimeter around our camp with poles, fishing line strung tight, and put shotgun blanks on every pole. If something were to walk through that, the blank would go off and wake us up. Bear spray doesn’t work for polar bears—you go straight to the guns.
AQUA BOUND: You were able to spend some time with the Inuit people there. Tell us about that.
HEATHER: We were on the Inuit’s land. We were in Clyde River, which is a really small settlement. We got back to Clyde River early from our trip, so three of us spent eight days there and got to spend a lot of time with the Inuit. Our outfitter gave us a place to stay for the time we were there.
Their knowledge of the land is incredible. They have so much respect. They have so much care. They know every little thing about it.
We witnessed a narwhal hunt. Watching the energy of the whole community shift vastly was a whole thing. Everyone stopped everything. It was like they all knew, “This narwhal hunt—this is important.”
I felt incredibly grateful to share some space with the Inuit for a while. To share space with people who have a very different mindset from mine, but somewhat similar with that deep, deep respect for the land.
AQUA BOUND: What was the most challenging aspect of the trip for you?
HEATHER: The most challenging aspect was certainly trying to protect myself through the team dynamics. I mentally prepared for a lot of the physical aspects of the trip, and ultimately, a lot of those didn’t feel too difficult. But team dynamics—there’s no way I could prepare to be disrespected in the way I was.
Planning the expedition over WhatsApp didn't allow us to really get to know one another beforehand. As the trip progressed, it became clear that not all of us shared the same values.
In most situations, a different set of values can balance and offer other perspectives. Unfortunately, all parties need to be open for it to be healthy, and not everyone on our trip was on the same page.
During our weeks together, it became clear that one person thought herself to be better than the rest of us. I was told what to do—things like how to use the bathroom outside or light a stove—things which I can confidently say I am an expert at.
I noticed that the presence of a camera played an important role. On camera, I wasn't misgendered; off camera, my pronouns were forgotten. On camera, we were perceived as a team laughing and having fun; off camera, a group divided.
I consider myself a real person, one who has struggled with the narratives social media creates that often don't reflect reality. I fell into the trap of believing what a successful climbing influencer created online.
What I learned in person was far from what her Instagram shows. I assumed she must be enjoyable to be around, but instead, felt isolated around a bully.
Since coming back, I’ve seen that she’s telling about our expedition from a perspective that isn't whole. One that excludes how she treated her teammates, but includes many smiling selfies showing a story that isn't reflective of our true experience.
That causes a lot of dissonance within me. I wonder how different our expedition could have been if we were there to connect with each other and the land, instead of wasting energy on maintaining an online presence.
This is the danger of social media. Not only must it be exhausting to create and maintain an image of yourself for thousands of strangers, but one's worth comes from an inauthentic source.
AQUA BOUND: What were the highlights of your trip?
HEATHER: I think my highlights would be watching the Inuit narwhal hunt— it was amazing. Then there was a certain pitch on the rock climb we did that really stood out to me.
And my relationship and friendship with Kelly Fields, who was another person that went—she’s going to be like a very important person for me for the rest of my life.
AQUA BOUND: Do you have any advice for others who might want to plan their own adventure trip?
HEATHER: My advice would be to believe in yourself and take the leap. I am not a skier. I’m not a paddler, and I said, “Okay, I’ll do this massive, remote thing.”
A lot of people can, but it’s our own mental barriers or not having the skill set, or not having whatever it may be. But I think a lot of people are incredibly capable.
There are smart and safe ways to do things, but believe in yourself and take the leap. Go out of your comfort zone a little bit, and you’ll probably be surprised at what you’re capable of if you try.
Something else to consider: Team dynamics aren’t often talked about, and there is an idea of success being the accomplishment of a safe and successful expedition. I’ve come to see that this focus, this ill-defined notion of success, places more value on people’s achievements than their character.
Our thanks to Heather for investing time for this interview, and congrats to this all-female team on a great accomplishment! You can follow all Heather's adventures on her Instagram page.
What paddling questions can our friendly Customer Service team help you with? Contact us at 715-755-3405 or sales@aquabound.com, or choose our online chat option.
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