Alaska man delivers country food by snowmobile to Aklavik, N.W.T., relatives

If there had been any guards at the isolated obelisk that marks the U.S.-Canada border at the Beaufort Sea to askBruce Inglangasukif he had anything to declare, he would have reported a box of meat, muktuk and fish destined for his relatives in Aklavik, N.W.T.

Inglangasuk, who lives in the tiny communityof Kaktovikon an island off Alaska's northern coast, recently made the trip to Aklavik, 400 km away as the crow flies, via snowmobile.

During the 14-hour journey, he saw no border guards, only the occasional caribou and muskox.

"Once you've done the trip before, the second time it's a lot easier," he said.

Despite whiteout conditions and heavy fog, Inglangasuk said navigation wasn't particularly tricky.

"This time of year there's hardly any snow along the coastline, so you can see pretty good along the beach," he said.

While the coastal route isn't frequently travelled, Inglangasuksaid it isn't a particularly tough journey if you have a reliable snowmobile, in his case a four-stroke Yamaha, and plenty of gas.

"If you take it easy, know how to work your machine you shouldn't have any problems."

Inglangasuk said he'll stay with family and friends in Aklavik for around 10 days before making the return journey home.