Photo: Japanese trekker hoping to walk from Resolute to Grise Fiord

Long-distance hiker Masutatsu Abe of Japan took his gear through a few checks and trial runs in Iqaluit, March 6, in preparation for a solo walk in the High Arctic. Abe, 32, hopes to walk from Resolute Bay to Grise Fiord in the middle of the month on a 600-kilometre return journey as part of his training for an expedition to the South Pole in 2017. He hopes to retrace the steps of Japan’s first Antarctic explorer to the South Pole, Nobu Shirase, who attempted the feat 100 years ago, but stopped just short of his goal and turned back. “Nobody did his route in the past 100 years,” said Abe, who hails from the same town as Shirase – Akita, in northern Japan. “My dream is to extend his route to the South Pole, and realize his dream.” (PHOTO BY PETER VARGA)