Armchair Traveler Series at Jackson Public Library

The Friends of the Jackson Public Library invite you to a presentation in their Armchair Traveler series at the Jackson Public Library, 52 Main Street, Jackson. Join winter residents of Jackson, Jason Roth and Cheryl Steadman Roth, on Tuesday, January 17th, at 7:00 pm to learn about their travels through the Northwest Passage. The program is free and open to the public. To participate via Zoom, register on www.jacksonlibrary.org. Donations are welcome and benefit the Friends of the Jackson Public Library.

For centuries the rumor of a “Northwest Passage”, a northern sea route which would allow ships to travel from Europe to Asia, lured explorers, businessmen and governments. Dozens of national and privately-funded expeditions sought to find this fabled passage during the “Age of Discovery” that began toward the end of the 15th century and extended to the mid-19th century. The totality of physical and psychological hardships endured by the sailors are difficult to comprehend by us who live with unbridled comfort, convenience and luxury.                                                                                 

Icebound for months in total darkness with frequent snowstorms and temperatures below -30, dependent on hardtack biscuits and whatever winter game could be found, the stark, forlorn landscape remained impenetrable. Gravesites and wreckage from their unsuccessful attempts continue to serve as vivid testimony to their suffering.

The seasonal melting of Arctic pack-ice that is the result of global warming, advanced meteorological forecasting and the evolution of commercial ships with icebreaking capabilities have recently allowed a few cruise ships to traverse the passage from Greenland to Alaska.

Jason Roth and Cheryl Steadman-Roth were fortunate enough to experience a 42-day journey through the Northwest Passage in August and September 2022. The photographic record of their time captures the barren, stark yet powerfully evocative landscape, the few isolated Inuit villages which struggle to maintain centuries of their cultural heritage while accessing modern comforts, geological wonders as well as highly-adaptive marine and animal life. Their photographs and commentary will offer a glimpse into this mythical yet very real part of the world.