Arctic odyssey a lifelong dream for Siberian husky owner

Inspired by her Siberian huskies, Clyde woman Lyne McFarlane longed to explore the Arctic led by a team of dogs. Earlier this year she leapt at an opportunity to take that unique journey.

Ms McFarlane's interest in sled dogs stems from her partner Ray Logie, of Clyde, who travelled in the Antarctic with dog teams between 1960 and 1963.

However, it was at the top of the world that the Lincoln Universitytrained wildlife biologist would embark on her own icebound adventure.

‘‘I always wanted to do some research in the Arctic and I contacted the ANWR office in Fairbanks and they put me on to Joe,'' Ms McFarlane said.

ANWR (Arctic National Wildlife Refuge) is administered by the US Fish and Wildlife Service in Fairbanks, Alaska.

Joe Henderson, of Fairbanks, has spent the past three years retracing the steps of geologist Ernest de Koven Leffingwell (1875-1971) with his team of dogs: 22 Alaskan malamutes.

Leffingwell was a member of the Anglo-American Polar Expedition exploring the Beaufort Sea, north of Alaska when the ship, the Duchess of Bedford, became ice-bound and had to be abandoned in 1906.

Using supplies and wood from the ship, two of the crew, Leffingwell and Mikkelson, built a cabin on the Alaskan Arctic coast.

Mikkelson stayed on for a year then returned to publish his journals, but Leffingwell, a geologist and scientist, stayed on for nine summers and six winters to continue mapping and identifying the Alaskan Arctic coast and parts of the rugged Brooks Range.

Using those maps, Mr Henderson travelled the roughly 4500 sled miles sharing some of the same terrain, hardships and logistical difficulties experienced by Leffingwell.

Ms McFarlane and Katy Fitzgerald, of Colorado, had similar aspirations to each other and embarked on a month-long journey with Mr Henderson and his team of 22 dogs aboard three toboggan-type freight sleds.

‘‘For three people who didn't know each other it's always a risk, but we got on really well.

‘‘We formed a strong bond, but basically you have to survive.''

It was early spring in Northern Alaska when Ms McFarlane flew into Kaktovik. The population in the village on Barter Island is about 280, mainly Inupiat Eskimos.

‘‘It was everything I thought an Arctic village would be.

‘‘It was bleak and windswept at the top of the world.''

There in the Beaufort Sea, 60 miles from Canada and 200 miles north of the Arctic Circle, she met Mr Henderson and her other travelling colleague for the first time.

‘‘You couldn't walk away from the village because of the risk of polar bears.

‘‘We had three rifles on the sled with us, as there was always a risk of being attacked.''

Those who lived at the village were intrigued to meet a New Zealander from the bottom of the world.

‘‘They all knew about Kiwis . . . they new about Vegemite and Marmite - they thought it was disgusting.''

Field officers at ANWR were also excited to meet Ms McFarlane and gave her a book about Alaska which she now treasures, Seasons of Life and Land, a photographic journey by Subhankar Banerjee.

‘‘It's a reflection of the uniqueness of the area and potential threats of future oil and drilling and that sort of thing.''