Dog sledging to the Pole

Smart dogs! They lay down and take a break while Paul Crowley hacks a path with his ice axe. Just like Peary & Henson did 90 years earlier.

This is the kind of wide open sledging that allowed Peary & Henson to make 30 to 60 miles
a day. With 24 hours/day of sun
they really racked up the miles.

Paul Crowley and Paul Landry are superior athletes who have worked with dog teams all their lives.
They have fun doing this but other
people have to be air rescued!

Paul Crowley's team eagerly pull the lightly loaded sledges the NorthWinds team used. In 2000, on their very first try, they matched Peary & Henson's speed.

Peary & Henson did it right on their polar "dash" with lightly loaded sledges. Compare their lean, mean, sledging machine with the overloaded group at right.

Unhappy British travelers took a year to reach the Pole. Notice the huge load on this sledge. It is as high as the man's waist. This is too much for the poor dogs to haul.

Man is a dog's best friend.

Gotta love them!

 

Copyright © 1997 Bradley Robinson. Photos courtesy of NorthWinds. All rights reserved.