Over the last few weeks, the north to south team has headed into the heart of Canada. Dragging their canoes, they headed for a series of rivers and lakes that criss-cross the country’s interior.

Though arctic conditions were now behind them, the Back River was still dethawing and was too dangerous to canoe down. Instead, they headed further west to the Montrésor River. Here they battled walls of ice on the shores and had to take particular care with their canoes, which had become brittle while stored in freezing conditions in Gjoa Haven.

Now, summer has arrived, and a searing heatwave has struck western Canada. The team have felt the impact. Rivers and lakes are rapidly thawing, and mosquitoes have appeared.

The melt should allow the team to canoe more and portage (the process of hauling their canoes overland) less. They are just a few days from their next resupply point at Baker Lake. Here, they will make further repairs to their canoes and pick up 441 pounds (200kg) of food for their continued journey south.