For many, a trip to Great Bear Lake is likely to be a "once in a lifetime" experience, and unless you are an experienced Arctic traveler, preparing for a trip of this kind, takes a fair amount of thought and planning.

Environmental conditions can run to extremes, and changes in the weather are at times measured in minutes or hours, rather than days. It can get downright hot, and ice and snow are not unheard of throughout the short Arctic summer.

The fish you catch will challenge your skill and equipment in ways you may have never encountered, and if you happen to forget some critical item, like your medication or prescription glasses, it's one hell of a long walk to the nearest pharmacy or optician.

While our stay at Trophy Lodge would "officially" run from the 16h to the 23rd, we were compelled by circumstances to gather in Edmonton on the 14th. This was a precursor to flying to Yellowknife on the 15th where we would then catch the Plummer's Lodge charter to Great Bear on the 16th.