On this day in 1986, Joss Haiblen and seven other Canberrans were preparing for their trip to the Arctic.
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The expedition was planned for the end of June down the Back River in the heart of the Arctic tundra.
The journey was expected to last six weeks with the team covering about 1400 km and they made their way to the Arctic Ocean from the Tundra.
The group travelling with Haiblen was filled with people from all walks of life.
There was a wilderness expeditions leader; Steve Guthridge, a doctor; Helen Thompson, a botanist; Andrew Tatnell, a ranger at Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve; Trish Macdonald, a Wilderness Expeditions leader; and Peter Crosthwaite, a geophysicist.
Perhaps surprising to many, quite a bit of the preparation was to deal with Arctic pests.
In a previous trip, Haiblen had discovered a traditional recipe of insect repellent consisting of pine tar, castor oil and pennyroyal oil.
In addition, Haiblen prepared a jacket with extra long arms and trousers with an extra high waistband.
They were also made of light-weave synthetic fabric to withstand mosquito barbs and the Arctic fly as both pests often manoeuvred through woollen fabric to bite.
To begin the expedition, they would be flown in and left isolated with no way to leave even in case of an emergency.
Haiblen described the area as a "huge country like a desert with a big, big sky".
He also went onto say: "Our prime motivation is not adventure but the opportunity of being in such a place ... we all like comfort. We've all got microwave ovens and video-cassette recorders but they are not that important to us. There is something more that nature gives us. Something more. It's almost religious."