Roald Amundsen’s Sled Dogs: The Sledge Dogs Who Helped Discover the South Pole

Description

This book is an analytical account of how Roald Amundsen used sledge dogs to discover the South Pole in 1911, and is the first to name and identify all 116 Polar dogs who were part of the Norwegian Antarctic Expedition of 1910–1912. The book traces the dogs from their origins in Greenland to Antarctica and beyond, and presents the author’s findings regarding which of the dogs actually reached the South Pole, and which ones returned. Using crewmember diaries, reports, and written correspondence, the book explores the strategy, methodology, and personal insights of the explorer and his crew in employing canines to achieve their goal, as well as documents the controversy and internal dynamics involved in this historic discovery. It breaks ground in presenting the entire story of how the South Pole was truly discovered using animals, and how deep and profound the differences of perception were regarding the use of canines for exploration. This historic tale sheds light on Antarctic exploration history and the human-nature relationship. It gives recognition to the significant role that animals played in this important part of history. Front Matter ....Pages i-xxii Introduction: Dogs, the Arctic, and Amundsen’s Clandestine Switch to the Antarctic (Mary R. Tahan)....Pages 1-13 Front Matter ....Pages 15-15 The Vital Importance of Sled Dogs (Mary R. Tahan)....Pages 17-31 Two “Eskimos” to Care for the Good Greenland Dogs (Mary R. Tahan)....Pages 33-40 A Perfect Ship, a Professional Crew, and a Home for Pet Dogs (Mary R. Tahan)....Pages 41-49 Front Matter ....Pages 51-51 The Voyage of the Hans Egede (Mary R. Tahan)....Pages 53-58 Fram’s Test Voyage and the Island of the Misfit Dogs (Mary R. Tahan)....Pages 59-67 The Secret Passage and the Circumnavigating Pups (Mary R. Tahan)....Pages 69-75 Front Matter ....Pages 77-77 The Voyage South: Dogs First, Dogs All the Time (Mary R. Tahan)....Pages 79-93 The Wooing of Lasse and the Caring for the Dogs (Mary R. Tahan)....Pages 95-102 The Females and the Mother Ship: Woman Shall Not Come on Board (Mary R. Tahan)....Pages 103-111 Maren and Her Sons in Madeira: Enduring the Heat (Mary R. Tahan)....Pages 113-125 The Births and Deaths of October (Mary R. Tahan)....Pages 127-152 The Lady and the Sea (Mary R. Tahan)....Pages 153-173 Christmas Among the Ice Floes (Mary R. Tahan)....Pages 175-187 The Arrival in Antarctica (Mary R. Tahan)....Pages 189-202 Front Matter ....Pages 203-203 The First Sled Ride (Mary R. Tahan)....Pages 205-217 Great Surprise! It’s the Terra Nova! (Mary R. Tahan)....Pages 219-224 The First Depot Run: Flying on a High (Mary R. Tahan)....Pages 225-234 The Second Depot Run: Disaster for the Dogs (Mary R. Tahan)....Pages 235-249 The Third Depot Run: Third Time Is Not the Charm (Mary R. Tahan)....Pages 251-265 Born and Bred in Antarctica (Mary R. Tahan)....Pages 267-274 The Divine Trio: Fix, Lasse, and Snuppesen (Mary R. Tahan)....Pages 275-284 Hjalmar Johansen’s Charges: Camilla, Knegten, Uroa, and Rotta (Mary R. Tahan)....Pages 285-295 Don Pedro Christophersen and Balmy Buenos Aires (Mary R. Tahan)....Pages 297-304 A Midwinter Night’s Dream (Mary R. Tahan)....Pages 305-317 Now Is the August of Our Winter’s Content (Mary R. Tahan)....Pages 319-337 The Premature Start (Mary R. Tahan)....Pages 339-359 The Decisive Ejection and the Change of Plan (Mary R. Tahan)....Pages 361-383 Front Matter ....Pages 385-385 Snow Trek (Mary R. Tahan)....Pages 387-414 The Eastern Party’s Expedition to King Edward VII Land (Mary R. Tahan)....Pages 415-427 The Push to the Plateau: Kjøring Across the Ice Waves (Mary R. Tahan)....Pages 429-440 Pulling for the “Chief”: The Climbing of the Mountain Peaks (Mary R. Tahan)....Pages 441-458 Butcher’s Shop: “The Final Reward” (Mary R. Tahan)....Pages 459-467 A Devil of a Climb: The Devil’s Glacier (Mary R. Tahan)....Pages 469-487 The Dogs at the South Pole (Mary R. Tahan)....Pages 489-516 The Return Trek from the South Pole (Mary R. Tahan)....Pages 517-531 The Search for the Devil’s Depot (Mary R. Tahan)....Pages 533-550 The Eastern Party, the Fram, and an Australian in Antarctica (Mary R. Tahan)....Pages 551-563 The South Pole Party Returns Home (Mary R. Tahan)....Pages 565-592 Front Matter ....Pages 593-593 Their Final Destinations: The South Pole Dogs and Sled Dogs (Mary R. Tahan)....Pages 595-624 Impressions that Dog Us (Mary R. Tahan)....Pages 625-630 Back Matter ....Pages 631-640