River crossings (video from Michelle Danielson):
River crossings represent a serious impediment to travel on Ellesmere Island. Several strategies are employed to get across when the water is fast and deep. Most often, we used a “train”, in which groups of four or five trip members would stand in line oriented with the current and all facing upstream. The hard work is done by the first several people in the train. In the video below, Dave is in the lead. He takes the brunt of the current, plus he is the one that has to find the best route across, hindered by water so dirty that it is impossible to see the bottom. No matter how strong the lead person, footing is problematic in current this fast. As a result, the second person in the train also plays a critical role. Here, Jason is in the second spot with his hands on Dave's pack, pulling down as hard as he can. That gives Dave much greater stability and traction than he would have on his own. Those farther back in the line are largely protected from the fast water by those in front. I am in the number four position in the video, because a bad shoulder wouldn't let me pull down hard enough to be more useful closer to the front. While Dave and Jason are fighting near waist deep water, I'm strolling along with the water rarely over my knees. As a result, I had little chance of taking the whole group down. On the other hand, my safety was very much dependent on people in front of me not screwing up.