Rae studied to become a doctor and signed on as ship’s surgeon on the Prince of Wales bound for Canada as part of the Hudson’s Bay company operations.He was forced to winter in Canada when the ship’s return route was blocked by ice, but accepted the post of surgeon and clerk at Moose Factory and served there for 10 years.He spent any free time hunting and learning travel and survival skills from the Inuit, Cree, Dogrib and Metis peoples, including how to use sleds and snow-shoes and build igloos by using the right kind of snow.His skills, allied to his endurance and hardiness, and willingness to learn from the different tribespeople in the region, made him the perfect choice to undertake the gruelling expeditions required to finish the mapping of the Arctic coast.
Source: John Rae: Orkney to celebrate explorer who solved mystery of The Terror