The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Kelly Carrington Staff Writer Anders Morley was inspired when he read countless articles about explorers making their way across rough terrain. Now he is inspiring others through his own adventure _ a cross-Canada ski trip. A lifelong cross-country skier, Morley was motivated by people making extravagant trips. One National Geographic article stood out in his mind: a 32-year-old man explored a loop through Alaska and the Yukon. 'He was 32 years old. I was 32 then,' Morley said. 'Then it hit me _ it's a now or never movement.' The U.S.-born Morley, now 34, has so far conquered British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan, and is on the move in Manitoba to complete his cross-country tour. He was in Flin Flon this week. He began in Prince Rupert, B.C., on Nov. 19, putting on his cross-country skis and towing a pulk _ a Norwegian sled _ filled with camping gear, dehydrated food and other supplies. 'I always wanted to go on a long-distance trip under my own power,' Morley said with a laugh. 'I always thought it would be hiking, like most people.' After Morley reached his 'now or never' moment, he started preparing for his trip. He had spent the previous six years teaching and translating English in Italy. Holding a dual Canadian-U.S. citizenship, Morley knew Canada was the only option for him to see by skiing. 'As a joke, I started talking about it (with one of) my brothers to ski across the continent,' he said. Morley hasn't conquered the continent just yet, but he's made a good dent in Canada. 'A lot of people are amazed,' he said, referring to the reaction he gets when he meets people at his stops. '(When people) ask where I came from and I say Prince Rupert, they are just in a dead stop,' he laughed. 'Some are inspired, which to me is flattering. To me, it doesn't feel epic. 'It's a one-day trip every day. It's one day at a time. 'People are telling me they are inspired and that inspires me in turn, which is a nice feeling,' said the humble skier. Morley enjoys reading about other people's treks in remote locations. So he thought 'it would be fun to go across the country where people live.' Keeping in mind the man who travelled through Alaska and the Yukon, Morley knew the opportunity was in front of him. 'Do it now or you never will,' he told himself. 'So I sat down and took out the maps and started planning,' he said. Morley started with a clear plan for the departure in Prince Rupert, but didn't have a clear idea on where or when he would stop. 'I'm undecided where will be the end _ probably the end of winter,' he said, With at least three more weeks of skiing ahead of him, Morley suspects he will make it to Lake Winnipeg before the snow is gone. Originally the skier hoped to make it to Quebec before winter was over. 'I was overambitious,' he admitted. 'I realized that was a long shot about two or three weeks in.' Before leaving for his trek, Morley mapped out specific towns and cities he wanted to visit along the way. Flin Flon was among them. 'I have reached my route (so far),' he said. 'There have been slight changes, but the main points have remained unaltered.' Unexpected Trouble Leaving on Nov. 19, Morley encountered some unexpected trouble as there was no snow between Prince Rupert and Terrace, B.C. He was forced to walk the roughly 150 kilometres. 'I had to walk, in leather ski boots. You shouldn't do that,' he said. Morley ended up injuring his knee from the walk and was forced to wait in Terrace for two weeks while his knee healed. On Dec. 6, he was back on track. 'I was able to ski everywhere else. There's been no complaints in that department this year,' Morley said. In his travels, Morley came across asphalt with no snow for the first time on Monday as he was making his way to Flin Flon. 'The (snow) just disappeared. That was the first time in quite a few months, which means spring is coming,' he said. Morley says he's been lucky so far this trip with the temperatures and winter conditions. 'Everyone says it's been a cold winter, but the coldest it's been is -32, and that was for two mornings,' he said. The added wind made those mornings feel colder 'but considering where it could be, I'm fortunate,' he said with a smile. Leaving plenty of kilometres behind him, the daylight is getting longer and the temperatures are getting warmer. Undecided if the warmer weather makes his trip easier, Morley says 'it makes it more enjoyable, certainly, especially in the evenings.' But warmer days also accelerate the melting of the snow he needs for his trip. 'But I can sit out and read, write in my journal and be comfortable,' he said. When he first started his journey, Morley was restricted with the amount of skiing he did in a day. See 'Take...' on pg. 10 Continued from pg. 5 'All daylight hours were spent skiing. Now, I can stop before the sunset and have a fire, take it easier and enjoy the scenery,' he said. The extended daylight gives Morley a chance to 'see things that I may have not seen in my rush' _ a big reason behind this trip. Morley is following 55 North from B.C. to Lake Winnipeg, where he suspects he will have to end his trip. 'It's kind of the top of civilization,' he said. 'The northern line of towns and the edge of the border of forest. 'I like that idea. It's a blend of wilderness, but...I wanted to come into town and meet people and have that experience as well.' Daily Adventures In his original planning, there was talk of one of Morley's brothers joining him on the adventure. Due to work commitments, that never happened. 'In hindsight I'm glad I (am doing this) solo,' he said. Morley is able to make choices that suit his needs _ sleeping in if he so chooses, leaving early and deciding what to eat. 'It's good,' he said. 'And there's lots of time to think.' Morley's cross-country trip gives him the chance to see things he may not otherwise have seen. 'It's perspective. Some people get in their campers (to see the country),' he said. 'It's a nice way to see some places I would have never seen in the winter.' Each day, Morley travels with his pulk carrying roughly 120 lbs. of supplies, including his tent, winter gear, food and water. He started preparing for this trip last summer as he was dehydrating meals to last him the duration of the winter. Morley carries two weeks worth of dehydrated meals such as chili, tuna casserole, pea soup or beans and rice, along with energy bars. Every two weeks, he picks up a package from a predetermined post office that a friend has sent food to. Morley picks up items like butter to add to his food, stored in a plastic tote on the pulk. Since November, he has not dropped any weight _ which was surprising to him. Articles Morley had read informed him he should be consuming roughly 5,000 calories a day. 'I thought I would have a hard time keeping on the weight,' he said. Morley gives credit to the butter he adds to his meals. 'Maybe that's what is helping me to keep my weight the same. I'm not sure, but I'm glad,' he laughed. Throughout his journey, Morley has encountered plenty of small towns and cities. Flin Flon was another stop. He arrived in town Monday and was here until yesterday morning. 'I received a warm welcome about the town,' Morley said, as Dave Price of the Flin Flon-Creighton Ski Club was his tour guide. 'It's nice to be here. The sun is here to welcome me,' he said as the thermometer read above zero Tuesday. Morley spent the next few days in the community getting to know local skiers as well as the town. 'I look forward to the next couple of days,' he said Tuesday. Morley took off from Ross Lake yesterday morning. 'I'm going to take off heading to Cranberry Portage, Cormorant, Moose, Lake, Grand Rapids and on to Lake Winnipeg,' he said. Before reaching Flin Flon, the adventurist was in La Ronge and Pinehouse Lake in Saskatchewan. Among the places he has visited this trip, Pinehouse Lake has been one of his favourite locations. 'I felt like I was a member of the community,' Morley said. 'I haven't been (in) Flin Flon long enough yet to let it soak in, but it's nice (here),' he said Tuesday. Morley hoped to be able to ski some of the trails available to local residents as well as meet some of the avid skiers from the Flin Flon-Creighton Ski Club. Unexpected Adventures Morley knew there would be interesting weather conditions along with the typical temperatures and snow along his journey. He even knew there would be some open water he would have to cross. After the knee injury at the start of his expedition, Morley chose to pick up a $3 pair of running shoes from the Salvation Army in Terrace, B.C. 'That was the best $3 ever spent,' he said with a laugh. Morley was forced to pass through the mountains through B.C.'s Telkwa Pass. 'The mountains are pretty high. There is a trail, but it was snowed in so I did a lot of bushwhacking,' he said. At one point, Morley's only option was to take off his leather ski boots and put on his runners to walk through the freezing cold river. 'I had to jump in and carry everything across. There was a metre of snow on either side,' he said. Morley made a few trips to get everything across. 'The irony with it is that my feet were the only thing dry at the end of the day,' he said, as it began to rain after he started skiing again. Morley came across other streams but was 'fortunate to only do (that) once.' The other streams were shallow enough that his feet did not get wet. Not A Soul There were times when Morley would ski for days without seeing a soul. Throughout B.C., Morley ran into plenty of loggers as well as passing alongside the railroads of Alberta. 'In Saskatchewan, there were stretches of a few days without seeing anyone,' he said. Shy by nature, Morley said it was bizarre at the start of the trip not to see anyone, but 'I'm pretty used to it now.' 'It was intimidating at first, but now I feel confident,' he said. Though confident in himself, he says 'it's nice to see people.' Morley will continue on with his winter expedition in hopes of meeting his goals.
