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Editor's note: This excerpt first appeared in photographer and author Harold Davis' recent Focal Press book, Photographing Flowers: Exploring Macro Photography with Harold Davis.
The closer you...
Polar Attack -- From Canada to the North Pole and Back
by Richard Weber & Mikhail Malakhov (McClelland & Stewart; 222 pps)
(order from Amazon.com
)
"Once you get there, there's nothing to be seen -- no flags,
markers, or memorials, no trace of those who preceded you. Even if they left
behind some evidence of their arrival, it's long gone, borne away by the
ever-shifting ice. All around you stretches only measureless desolation. The
silence is absolute; the only sounds are those you make, punctuated by the
wind."
To stand at the geographic North Pole and/or to explore its environs has been
the dream of many over the centuries. People have travelled by dog sleds, hot-air
balloons and ice breakers. Yet to have the expertise to accomplish this task on
foot, completely unsupported would be a remarkable feat.
Having read several books on Arctic travel and expeditions, and having
followed the media coverage of the authors' journey to the Pole, it was with
great anticipation that I looked forward to the release of this book. Polar
Attack documents not only one, but two journeys that were to set out from Ward
Hunt Island in Canada's High Arctic to the North Pole and back again completely
unsupported. Part One recaps the unsuccessful l992 Expedition that included a
third member, Bob Mantell. Though a well-planned attempt, success was not meant
to be.
"Time had defeated us at the outset. On March l3, the moment we'd stepped
onto the pack ice off Ward Hunt, we knew that we were cutting things a bit
fine... So many factors have combined to conspire against us, while good luck has
been conspicuous only by its absence."
Part Two, however made up for this loss as the author's recount the second,
and successful l995 Expedition in which the Canadian Weber and the Russian
Malakhov travelled alone.
Writing in the third person, they offer readers a first-hand account of
"history in the making" as the they blend individual perspectives of their
journey. Through their easily read narrative or joint diary entries the readers
appreciate the conditions before these explorers. Their candid sharing of the
emotional and physiological toll of the journey, and their scientific and
seasoned expertise contribute to a better understanding of the very real life and
death nature of such an undertaking.
While often facing adverse weather conditions, wide open leads, high pressure
ridges, and the moving ice itself the author relied on their intuition, combined
experiences and skills, and their survival instinct to carry them through.
Besides the coverage of the expedition itself, Polar Attack offers many added
features. The authors include various aspects of travel from the explorers
contributions to medical studies, to the technical and scientific use of the
Global Positioning System (GPS), the TUBSTAT, and the Argos beacon for
communication, or to confirm location. As well Weber and Malakhov refer to the
expeditions of early explorers such as Peary, Steger, and Amundsen that provide
pertinent background information and a broader perspective on polar travel.
Finally, some selections of coloured photographs and extensive appendices further
compliment the text.
Polar Attack makes excellent adventure travel reading!
