Military Police officer takes part in arctic expedition
Come April, Sgt. Nicole Laidlaw will be able to say she has snowshoed across the Arctic Circle.
Laidlaw, a New Lowell resident and Military Police officer stationed at Base Borden, is one of eight military personnel joining the first women’s expedition to Baffin Island organized by True Patriot Love, an organization that raises money to support current members of the military, veterans and their families across Canada.
The expedition team will be made up of five soldiers, three military specialists – a photographer, doctor and a True Patriot Love rep – and 11 civilians who are leaders in their professions. The soldiers have been injured, either mentally or physically, and the goal of the expedition is to help them regain confidence.
Laidlaw said the team will use their leadership skills to encourage and support one another on the 100 km trek across the Akshayuk Pass, moving constantly to stay warm in temperatures that could be anywhere from -5C to -20C, or as low as -40C factoring in the wind chill.
After meeting in Ottawa, the expedition team will fly to Qikiqtarjuaq, Nunavut on April 2, where they will have a chance to meet the locals and explore the community. Laidlaw said they will spend a day making final preparations before heading out on basic wooden sleds called qamutiks, being pulled by snowmobiles across the frozen sea, a five-hour journey, to Auyuittuq National Park. Once they reach their starting point at the end of North Pangnirtung Fjord, they will take five days to snowshoe across Akshayuk Pass, experiencing massive glaciers extending from the Penny Ice Cap and the cylindrical tower of Mount Asgard, then down the frozen Weasel River and pass Windy Lake before crossing the Arctic Circle. The final destination is the granite peak at Overlord, overlooking the trailhead on the shore of Cumberland Sound.
Local Inuit guides will then take the team by snowmobile to the village of Pangnirtung for a celebratory dinner and a visit with the CAF Pangnirtung Rangers.
The team will have a chance to take part in some local culture and visit the Pangnirtung Art Cooperative before the return flight to Ottawa on April 14.
The average distance covered on each day of snowshoeing is 15 km, which could take six to eight hours. Laidlaw said it’ll be too cold to stop for meals so they snack along the way. At the end of the day they boil snow to make enough water for cooking and drinking. With 24 hours of daylight, the only concern is keeping warm inside the tents so they all go to bed with a bottle of hot water. It helps to warm the body and stops the water from freezing, providing them with beverages for the morning.
Laidlaw, originally from Petawawa, has seen first-hand the impact of PTSD. Her father was a medic in the military for 38 years and struggles with PTSD as a result, as does her husband and fellow military police officer.
But it was a friend, her first police partner, who was severely injured in Afghanistan in 2007, who recommended she consider going on the trip.
Laidlaw said things are improving but there wasn’t a lot of support for people with PTSD 10 years ago.
“There is still a stigma for mental health in the military, even among us,” she said. “We are working hard to improve it.”
With encouragement from her friend, she looked into the program and got the support from her superiors and then realized the application was due that day. She started writing, pushing aside the thought that she really hates the cold.
Laidlaw was chosen out of 48 military personnel who applied.
She has sustained two injuries while on duty. She suffered a compressed disk while training and developed achilles tendinitis from a running injury, and is just getting back to full mobility.
She thought, “What have I gotten myself into?”
Since then, Laidlaw has been getting to know her teammates, training on snowshoes, pulling her three children on a sled behind her to simulate the 65 pounds of gear she will be towing.
Laidlaw said the civilians are required to raise $50,000 and pay their own travel costs, equaling $20,000. Military participants are sponsored by True Patriot Love, so their expenses are covered but they are still fundraising for the cause, each one with a goal of $2,500. In total, the expedition will raise $1 million to support people living with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Laidlaw reached her goal within the first week so she has upped it to $5,000.
She said she thought it would be a struggle to raise the money.
“The military community is small and we’ve all known someone who is impacted by PTSD,” said Laidlaw.
To donate, visit truepatriotlove.akaraisin.com. Click on the Donate tab and search Nicole Laidlaw, which takes you to Nikki’s Page.
