My introduction to Baffin Island wasn’t a warm one – as far as the temperature was concerned. And it didn’t really get much better for several days. Fortunately though the scenery did. Our plan was to hike along the Weasel River to the high point at Akshayuk Pass by Summit Lake, crossing the Arctic Circle in Auyuittuq National Park on Baffin Island in the process.
Although distances were short, the hiking was slow because of the 50 – 60 pound loads we were carrying.
Most days we did only 10 or 11 kilometres – a few hours outing if I’m hiking normally in the mountains – but the better part of a day with a load.
![Heading out - on the beach for starters](https://hikebiketravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Arctic-Circle-1.jpg)
What it’s like to backpack in Auyuittuq National Par
From the Weasel River to the high point at Akshayuk Pass by Summit Lake it would take us about a week. Our days fell into a rhythm pretty quickly. Coffee at 7:45 AM, breakfast at 8 AM and hiking by between 9 and 9:30 AM. We’d stop for lunch around noonish with lots of boulder breaks to rest our bodies along the way.
Most days we’d finish between 4 PM and 5 PM. Then we’d set up the tents. We all had that down to a fine art in a hurry. Inside the roomy tent everything had its place too – or you’d be hunting for stuff all the time.
Photos of across the Arctic Circle on foot on Baffin Island in Auyuittuq National Park
![Crossing the Arctic Circle on Baffin Island offers a view up the Weasel River towards Mount Overlord](https://hikebiketravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Arctic-Circle-3.jpg)
![Dinner the first night - notice how many clothes Natalie our guide is wearing](https://hikebiketravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Arctic-Circle-2.jpg)
![Juxtaposition of sand on the moraines and ice](https://hikebiketravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Arctic-Circle-4.jpg)
![Crossing the Arctic Circle on Baffin Island you pass ice covered Crater Lake](https://hikebiketravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Arctic-Circle-5.jpg)
![Hikers looking for a way across the river](https://hikebiketravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Arctic-Circle-6.jpg)
![Crossing the Arctic Circle on Baffin Island doesn't have much elevation change but heavy loads](https://hikebiketravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Auyuittuq-2-1.jpg)
![Crossing the Arctic Circle on Baffin Island requires fording icy streams](https://hikebiketravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Auyuittuq-National-Park-1.jpg)
![A small tarn above Windy Lake is bathed in sunshine on Day 3](https://hikebiketravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Arctic-Circle-7.jpg)
![You're more likely to drown in the park's rivers than kill yourself on Mt Thor - or any other mountain in the park](https://hikebiketravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Auyuittuq-National-Park-3.jpg)
![Tents are dwarfed by the mountains in this landscape](https://hikebiketravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Arctic-Circle-8.jpg)
Crossing the Arctic Circle on foot on Baffin Island
Somewhere around here – we will have crossed the Arctic Circle at a latitude of 66 degrees and 33½ minutes. That means that on June 21st any point above it has 24 hours of sunlight and on December 21st and point above it has 24 hours of darkness.
![Hardy wildflowers and one of the 97 types of lichen](https://hikebiketravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Arctic-Circle-9.jpg)
![Mount Thor sits in the background](https://hikebiketravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Auyuittuq.jpg)
![My share of the food to carry](https://hikebiketravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Arctic-Circle-10.jpg)
![Michele doing dishes; it was a good way to warm up your hands](https://hikebiketravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Arctic-Circle-11.jpg)
![Me - probably looking for a rock to rest my load](https://hikebiketravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Arctic-Circle-12.jpg)
![Guys being guys on big rocks](https://hikebiketravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Arctic-Circle-13.jpg)
![Another stream that's a snap to cross - especially when you're wearing neoprene booties](https://hikebiketravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Arctic-Circle-14.jpg)
![Matthew climbing a sandy moraine & probably cursing as his boots are glued together now and sand is his enemy](https://hikebiketravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Arctic-Circle-15.jpg)
![My husband John testing his balance](https://hikebiketravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Arctic-Circle-32-scaled.jpg)
![Dessert one night](https://hikebiketravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Arctic-Circle-21.jpg)
![We had to cache the food far from camp every night](https://hikebiketravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Arctic-Circle-20.jpg)
![Heading for the Mt. Thor basecamp. Mt Thor has the highest vertical face of any mountain in the world - 1675 metres](https://hikebiketravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Arctic-Circle-16.jpg)
![The Mt. Thor emergency shelter](https://hikebiketravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Arctic-Circle-17.jpg)
![Beautiful evening light on the mountains](https://hikebiketravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Arctic-Circle-19.jpg)
![he Arctic hare is one of the few living things we saw regularly](https://hikebiketravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Arctic-Circle-18.jpg)
![Crossing the Arctic Circle on Baffin Island doesn't see much elevation change but loads are heavy](https://hikebiketravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Auyuittuq-2-1.jpg)
![Crosssing the Arctic Circle on Baffin Island means quite backdrop for a campsites](https://hikebiketravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Arctic-Circle-22.jpg)
![Always dwarfed by the landscape when crossing the Arctic Circle on Baffin Island](https://hikebiketravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Arctic-Circle-23.jpg)
![Crossing the Arctic Circle on Baffin Island in view of Mt Thor](https://hikebiketravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Auyuittuq-2.jpg)
![Crossing the Arctic Circle on Baffin Island offers yet another scene with the dominant Mt. Thor in it](https://hikebiketravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Arctic-Circle-24.jpg)
![Crossing the Arctic Circle on Baffin Island where there's still ice in the Weasel River near Summit Lake](https://hikebiketravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Arctic-Circle-25.jpg)
![Hikers making their way to Summit Lake](https://hikebiketravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Arctic-Circle-26.jpg)
![Crossing the Arctic Circle on Baffin Island offers great views of Mt. Thor](https://hikebiketravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Arctic-Circle-27.jpg)
![Crossing the Arctic Circle on Baffin Island you see wild willow](https://hikebiketravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Arctic-Circle-28.jpg)
![Pretty wildflowers high above the Arctic Circle on Baffin Island](https://hikebiketravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Arctic-Circle-29.jpg)
![Wild looking clouds around the mountains](https://hikebiketravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Arctic-Circle-30.jpg)
![Our campsite at Summit Lake](https://hikebiketravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Auyuittuq-1.jpg)
Could you see yourself backpacking across the Arctic Circle on Baffin Island?
For more information on Auyuittuq National Park, visit the park website.
Further reading related to travel in the North
- The Ivvavik National Park Base Camp Experience
- 9 Things to Do in Inuvik, Northwest Territories
- Packing List for a Remote 2 Week backpacking Trip
- Visiting Iqaluit, Nunavut on an Airport Layover
- A Backpacking Trip in Auyuittuq National Park in Nunavut
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![Across the Arctic Circle on Foot on Baffin Island in Nunavut](https://hikebiketravel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Across-the-Arctic-Circle-on-Foot-on-Baffin-Island-33.jpg)