Crossing Alaska and Canada with Dogs    

Last update: $Date: 1997/06/05 05:37:58 $

Updates

  • 5/23: Leaving from Paulatuk heading to Inuvik. See report: The team arrives in Paulatuk

    • Early in February of this year, a three-year long dream of ours will become a reality; to cross Northern Canada and Alaska with sled-dogs, on foot and by canoe. We will start in Hudson Bay, Northern-Canada and finish in Nome, Alaska, covering 3,500 miles in six months.


    The map below shows the route that we will follow:

     

    We have chosen to name the expedition Trans Canada-Alaska 1997. My cousin, Hans-Olaf Berg, and I will go west from Hudson Bay accompanied by 10 dogs. Our dogs are Greenland(Eskimo) dogs, Huskies or a mix of the two. They will be pulling a sled packed with equipment and food for us and themselves. The point of this exedition is to arrive in Nome, Alaska using nothing but dog power, man power and will power.

    Arctic Adventure with Small Children

    The winter part of the expedition ends in Inuvik, Canada situated by the outlet of the Mackenzie River. We're counting on arriving in Inuvik during the month of May. At this time of year, the slushy snow will make the sled hard for the dogs to pull. From Inuvik and westward we will leave the sled behind and countinue onward by foot and by canoe. Three of the dogs will accompany us. The rest will be cared for in Inuvik until they are flown to Nome where they will join us for the trip back to Norway.

    From Inuvik onward, my wife Irene, our four year old son Marin and our son Vetle(born December 1996) will join the expedition. We will be traveling many miles by canoe on Alaska's rivers, including paddeling down the Yukon. To some it may seem out of place to bring a toddler and an infant on such an expedition, however we have learned a lot from Marin, who has been joining us on log trips by dog sled since before he was able to walk.


    Expedition members: Hans-Olaf Berg, Marin Berg, Agnar Berg and Irene Ojala 

    In the Footsteps of Roald Amundsen

    The Trans Canada-Alaska 1997 expedition is crossing land practically untouched by humans. The area has a rugged climate with temperatures reaching -55 degrees Fahrenheit. Most of the inhabitants of this sparsely populated region are Native People. It was here that Roald Amundsen arrived in the polar ship Gjøa early in this century. In fact Amundsen and his crew were the first to find a sea passage from the Atlantic, to the Pacific Ocean, in the Arctic. The passage is known to most people as the Northwest passage. What has changed since Roald Amundsen was here? That is one of the many questions that we hope to find answers to. That is why the expedition will not be a race from start to finish. It most definitely has anthropological and cultural aspects as well. 

    Agnar, Irene and Marin on the wreck of Roald Amundsens ship Maud which lies in Cambridge Bay. 


    We have decided to stop by a small village called Gjøa Harbor in the Northwest passage, where Amundsen and his crew spent two years from 1903 to 1905. We will also pay a visit to Cambridge Bay where the remains of Amundsen's ship Maud can be found. With Maud Amundsen had intended to follow the ocean currents over the North pole, as Fridjov Nansen and his crew attempted from 1893 to 1896. However, Amundsen's expedition never got underway, and the ship had to be abandoned in Cambridge Bay. 

    The members of the the Trans Canada-Alaska 1997 expedition are people with relevant experience. Personally, I have crossed Greenland on skis twice, paddled a kayak around Svalbard and attemted to ski from the Russian Frans Josef Land to Svalbard. However, since Norway seems has been producing record numbers of arctic explorers the last few years, it has been difficult to receive funding for this expedition. The hardest expense to cover has been that of transporting the dogs and ourselves from Norway to North America and back. Nevertheless, this is a dream that we want to fullfill, and we are prepared to cover a large portion of the expense ourselves. 

    From Finmark

    We are from Finmark county, in Northern Norway, a part of the country where mushing is extremley popular. Just living here prepares one for an arctic climate with sub-zero temperatures and rugged surroundings. The dogs pulling our sled all come from our own kennels and most have been with us for several years.

    On our journey from Hudson Bay to Nome, I will keep the Net as well as Norway Times readers informed of our adventures and experiences through articles appearing on the web page and in the paper on a regular basis. 



    If you would like more detailed information about our project, please write or call: 

    Irene Ojala 
    Russeluft 
    N-9500 Alta 
    Norway 

    Telephone: 011-47-784-33297  

    or 

    Lars Fredriksen 
    5639 Elinor Ave. 
    Downers Grove, IL. 60516-1025 

    Telephone: 630-968-9903 
    email: fredriks@mcs.com  

    Trip Log

    This section contains information about the different legs of the trip.

    Sponsors

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