An archival photo of 70-year-old Capt. Joseph-Elzéar Bernier hoisted on a bosun’s chair, piqued her curiosity. Learning Bernier had claimed the Arctic Archipelago for Canada in 1909, inspired her 2003 Master of Journalism thesis on Capt. Bernier’s contribution to Arctic sovereignty.

However, her interest in the captain and arctic exploration didn’t go away after her thesis was submitted. Bernier was only one of a number of intrepid men who led northern expeditions for the Dominion government. These expeditions are not widely known, but are an important part of Canadian history, and one Canadians should know. She spent three years scouring archival material, old newspapers, original expedition reports, and explorers’ firsthand accounts. Her nonfiction, In the Shadow of the Pole: An Early History of Arctic Expeditions, 1871-1912, was published by Dundurn Press in December 2013. This website  was launched to feature the images and maps that were too many and too large to include in the book.   

Season made her debut landing on Beechey Island, Nunavut, with Adventure Canada in 2014. She has since been expedition historian on six of their Arctic cruises. In August 2020, Season will again travel through Tallurutiup Imanga (Lancaster Sound) with Adventure Canada.

Although her main interest is Arctic history, Season has written about healthcare for The Ottawa Hospital, Medscape Medical News, and other issues of interest to Canadians for federal government publications and websites. She lives and writes in Ottawa, where she spends her free time at the Library and Archives Canada researching intriguing pieces of northern history.