Frostbite is least of worries for Canada forces grappling with new Arctic reality

Frostbite is least of worries for Canada forces grappling with new Arctic reality15 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleNadine YousifSenior Canada reporter, Churchill, Manitoba Eloise Alanna/BBCTwo Canadian Rangers on the final stretch of a 5,200 kilometre journey across the Arctic. A simple row of spruce trees marked the finish line for Canadian army reservists and combat members after a marathon two months pushing through one of the harshest environments on Earth: Canada's vast Arctic.The patrol, which ended on Friday in Churchill, Manitoba, was the largest northern mission in the history of the Canadian Rangers - a branch of the Canadian Armed Forces responsible for monitoring the country's remote regions. For 5,200km (3,200 miles), they moved across the Arctic, following a route that had not been attempted in 80 years.They drove snowmobiles across ice-covered terrain, navigating blizzards and high winds as they travelled for hours between remote northern communities. Some nights, they camped on the ice in tents as temperatures plunged to -60C (-76F). On the final night, on the frozen shores of the Hudson Bay, they set up camp next to an abandoned trading post as the ice crackled beneath them while the northern lights danced above.There were constant hazards to be wary of, from polar bears to frostbite and cold-weather dehydration.Nadine Yousif/BBCThe patrol snowmobiles lined up on the border between the territory of Nunavut and the province of Manitoba.The patrol is part of an annual Canadian Armed Forces operation to showcase Canada's military presence in the north.A total of 1,300 military personnel took part this year, with a mission to survey the land, learn more about climate change, unlock new travel passageways and test Arctic survival and warfare capabilities in a region that accounts for 40% of Canada's landmass and 70% of its coastline.The mission has taken on increased relevance amid the geopolitical scramble for the Arct...