Pauloosie Keyootak – 8 days stranded in the Arctic

(Pauloosie Keyootak)

Pauloosie Keyootak is a Canadian politician who belongs to the native Inuk people of the region. He was previously a president of the Qikiqtani Inuit Association and has lived all his life within the Arctic Circle.

On March 22, 2016, Keyootak and his son, along with one of his friends left Iqaluit, the capital of the Canadian territory of Nunavut, and decided to travel to Pangnirtung by snowmobile. The total distance was close to 190 miles, but the group was well-versed in surviving in their native environment and didn’t worry too much about the journey.

Shortly after setting off a snowstorm set in and the group became completely lost, but decided to press on as they were sure they were heading in the right direction.

The region they were crossing was one of the most unpopulated on earth, with not a single village or even building anywhere between them and their target. After the storm settled they realized how lost they were and had already used too much fuel to make it back, and to make matters worse the only supplies they had with them were tea and sugar, a knife, and a single sleeping bag.

Since there was no way they’d make it to their target they decided their best bet would be to stay put. They built a small shelter out of blocks of ice and filled the gaps by packing it with snow, and even though it was far from warm it did its job of keeping the wind off.

As lighting a fire wasn’t an option, the only way they had to keep warm was by keeping active which they did by trying to hunt caribou with their knife. This didn’t work of course as its hard enough to hunt these creatures with a rifle, and after the early signs of starvation began to set in, Keyootak truly believed he was going to die.

Fortunately one of the things the group did right was tell someone where they were going and when they’d arrive, and after not checking in a search operation was mounted. The search area covered 3,500 square miles and involved several planes.

Unfortunately, the group had not only got lost but had traveled in completely the wrong direction. Their target of Pangnirtung is around 185 miles north of Iqaluit, but the group was eventually found 99 miles south of Iqaluit. After a short trip to the hospital, the trio was released without losing a single pinky tip to frostbite.