In
Auyuittuq National Park on remote Baffin Island in Canada's Nunavut
territory is Mount Thor, the world's steepest, tallest cliff. The
peaks west face is the longest vertical drop on Earth: 4,101
feet straight down. Actually, the slope is steeper than vertical,
since the face is actually a 105-degree overhang.
Given its remoteness, Auyuittuq National Park is one of the
last great stretches of (mostly) unexplored wilderness in the world.
Auyuittuq means "land that never melts" in the Inuit language
(Inuktitut); the Nunavut territory is inhabited by mostly Inuit
peoples.
Sweeping glaciers and polar sea ice meet jagged granite mountains
in Auyuittuq. Established in 1976, Auyuittuq protects 19,089 square
kilometers of glacier-scoured terrain. Located in the eastern Arctic,
on southern Baffin Island, the park includes the highest peaks of
the Canadian Shield, the Penny Ice Cap, marine shorelines along
coastal fiords, and Akshayuk Pass, a traditional travel corridor
used by the Inuit for thousands of years. Whether you wish to climb
Auyuittuq's rugged peaks, ski on its pristine icefields, or hike
the scenic Akshayuk Pass, this park offers unique opportunities
to experience the beauty and majesty of the Arctic.
To learn more about Auyuittuq National Park and for information
about visiting, click
here. And for some fun facts about Mount Thor, click
here.
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