Northwest Passage

About this book

Robert Glenn Ketchum - widely renowned for his breathtaking color photographs of the natural world - here presents us with views of the little-known Arctic landscape images made during the course of an extraordinary adventure in 1994: the traverse of the Northwest Passage. Ketchums voyage on the 175-foot craft Itasca moves through some of the most extreme climatic conditions and astonishing vistas on the planet. During the trip the photographer had virtually unlimited access to an on-board helicopter an opportunity seldom before afforded to any Arctic researcher. He made daily use of this resource to investigate the terrain and make photographs. Included in Northwest Passage are excerpts from Ketchums daily log which chronicles some of the challenges and wonders encountered by the Itasca over the course of the voyage - mazes of pack ice a sudden fierce cold front small Inuit towns vast schools of beluga whales....Ketchums descriptions together with his awe-inspiring photographs bring to life a world many of us have never imagined. Northwest Passage also includes an informative preface by William Simon (former United States Secretary of the Treasury and this expeditions leader) outlining the history of the elusive Northwest Passage. Poetic excerpts from the writings of Barry Lopez award-winning author of Arctic Dreams and Of Wolves and Men give added resonance to Northwest Passages depiction of the amazing Arctic.