Thor, the powerful god of Thunder (lately a hunky blond superhero sharing screen time with the Hulk, Captain America, and Iron Man) has traditionally wielded his mighty hammer in the mythical kingdom of Asgard. What if I were to tell you that both Thor and Asgard are located in “a land that never melts” right here in Canada? Auyuittuq was the first national park established in Nunavut, located on the east coast of Baffin Island. Carved by glaciers, some 85 percent of the park consists of rock and ice, a stark landscape that nevertheless attracts hikers and climbers from around the world. Each summer, with its proximity to Iqaluit, Auyuittuq becomes the most accessible park in Nunavut, and, therefore, its most affordable.
Sorry, Darling, England Needs Me
It was the most expensive stunt of its time, and perhaps the most daring opening sequence for a Bond film ever. In The Spy Who Loved Me, Roger Moore leaves a beautiful double-crossing blond agent in a remote ski cabin. Suddenly, half a dozen armed bad guys are chasing him in a thrilling ski chase, their bullets somehow missing Bond’s eighties yellow jumpsuit. They corner him down on the edge of an enormous cliff. Bond skis right off the lip, the music pausing, along with our breaths, for a long twenty seconds. Finally, Bond opens a Union Jack parachute (of course), and the iconic James Bond theme kicks in on all cylinders. A close-up of Roger Moore, clearly against a studio backdrop, has him looking quite unperturbed. Stuntman Rick Sylvester successfully performed the ski/base jump stunt off Mount Asgard in what is now Auyuittuq National Park. Only James Bond can ski downhill for three minutes and arrive at the top of a mountain.
The star attraction is undoubtedly Thor Peak, the highest uninterrupted rock face on Earth. Looming over the Weasel River Valley, Thor reduces its visitors to mere specks on the landscape. We are mortals in the presence of a geological wonder, an awe-inspiring granite god of the natural world. If you hike farther along the Akshayuk Pass, you will stumble beneath the twin shadows of mighty Mount Asgard, two imposing cylindrical towers of granite separated by a saddle. If the God of Thunder existed beyond cartoon panels and summer blockbusters, Mount Asgard would be the perfect spot for him to live.
START HERE: canadianbucketlist.com/auyuittuq