European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 12, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wor by Marjorie Anders associated press a s Spring arrived in the Arctic a Frobisher Bay in Canada s Northwest territories eight adventurers with five dogsled set off across the Frozen sea in search of the elusive Point where the View in every direction is South. Where East and West disappear. The top of the world. In the More than 75 years since Robert Peary planted the Flag at the North pole the pole has been reached by plane snowmobile skis dogsled and even submarine. But the Steger International Polar expedition is attempting to reach the pole in  same Way Peary did in 1909. There will be no fresh dogs no dry clothes no extra food. Expedition Leader will Steger is a Purist. His team carries Only a 50-Day Supply of food no Coffee no sugar no Salt. The expedition took off March 8, a week after the Sun appeared ending the Winter Long darkness. As Spring turns into 24-hour Daylight the Sun will Circle the horizon in a Wavy line never setting. By the end of april the Sun warmed ice will weaken and begin to break up making travel treacherous. So they have to move fast. In the unrelenting Whitness the subzero air and biting wind freezes exposed skin. It blisters and peels. Eyes ache from Snow blindness. Eyelids swell shut. Frostbite threatens fingers toes and noses. Team members look out constantly for one another because a person suffering hypothermia can be unaware of it. It s More than a sledding adventure. It s a Challenge to the human spirit and intellect says Steger a 41 year old woodsman. Steger was convinced his team of five americans including one woman two canadians and a new Sealander would make it. Not everyone shares that Confidence. New Sealander Bob Mckerrow was forced to leave the expedition april 2 after a 1,000 Pound sled rolled Over him causing no fractures but leaving him in pain they re crazy said Oola Hanee Coman an inuit Indian who married a White trader in Frobisher Bay where for two months the team practice constantly refining equipment and supplies establishing routines that later would have to be repeated flawlessly. It has t been freezing at All. It s been warm crazy weather she said. Outside the thermometer measured 20 degrees below Zero. Normally at this time of year it s minus 40. I did t think i was going to be afraid said nala Boddy an inuit and wife of expedition member Brent Boddy clutching her 5-month-old daughter Crystal. She has lived in the Canadian Arctic All her life. A wiry intense Man with a twinkle in his Eye Steger has logged 20,000 Miles of dogsled travel in Arctic conditions. A Bachelor he lives in a Cabin seven Miles from Ely minn., without electricity or plumbing reachable Only by Canoe foot dogsled or skis. Steger has a Bachelor s degree in geology and a master s degree in education but supports himself by writing articles and teaching Winter travel and survival skills. He is also a photographer and is under contract with National geographic to document the trip. In december 1984, he and several team members took off from Duluth minn., on a 5,000-mile, five month training expedition to Point Barrow Alaska the northernmost Point in the United states. It was there that he met Geoff Carroll 35, a wildlife biologist from Juneau Alaska. Carroll was working on a census of the Bowhead whales off Point Barrow when he got word that Steger s group had pulled into town. I figured if i wanted to make it All the Way to the pole this was the group to sign on with Carroll said. It was Steger who rounded up 30 corporate sponsors including Dupont and the National cover the Steger International Polar expedition by a team of eight adventurers is the first unsupported attempt to reach the North pole since 1909, in an environment that would Frost any Man s Beard. Page 14 the stars and stripes proposed sled route North pole War Hunt is Fefe of of a a Al Ernst of a t1 Ixa f a be fr6hisher 1 pfc.  Northwest territories geographic society to help underwrite the expected $500,000 Cost. Then after announcing their plans to the world at a news conference at the explorers club in new York City where Peary was a member and one of his sleds is on display they headed for Frobisher Bay. It being Boddy s Hometown they got a warm reception from government  and set up Headquarters in the old Baffin Island jail. Baffin Island is the perfect place for training perfect weather lots of wind extremely rough ice and 40-below temperatures Steger said. Boddy 31, who runs Nuna Kuzuk outfitters is a guide to Hunters and tourists from the  he owns one of Only three dog teams in this Arctic outpost. The 49 dogs Are the heart and soul of the expedition. If they fail the Mission fails. They incorporate the Best features of the Greenland and alaskan huskies and the Canadian Eskimo dog. In addition to Boddy s team two teams were borrowed from inuit Hunters. The rest bred by Steger at his own kennels Are one eighth Wolf. They weigh about 70 pounds have thick Coats Large Tough paws and unflagging spirits. The dogs pull five 16-foot sleds made of Spruce each weighing 1,000 pounds loaded. Eighty percent of that cargo is dog food Frozen Seal meat and dried mix. After about half the food is gone some of the sledges will be empty and half the dogs will be airlifted out. The unneeded sleds will be burned to melt Snow for drinking water and cooking preserving the White Gas fuel. Despite Steger s aversion to outside support the party carries two radios and an emergency locator transmitter whose signal is relayed by a soviet satellite. Having a radio is necessary to confirm their feat. When they reach what they believe is the pole they will transmit a request for a flyover by Canadian military a illustration planes to verify their position. Then a private chartered plane will return them to the Mainland. Each week they radio their position and physical condition to a base Camp in Resolute Bay Northwest territories population 160. The message is recorded and relayed to a special Telephone number in new York so that armchair explorers can follow the Progress of the expedition. The Call of the wild hot line was set up by Dupont a major expedition sponsor and manufacturer of the insulating fibres found in almost All the garments worn by the team As Well As in the 10-Pound sleeping bags. They have twice the warmth of Ordinary bags and Are fitted with a Cone shaped breathing Hole about four inches wide. There Are no wardrobe changes. A zippered Fanny Flap is immensely practical. The synthetic fibres Are supplemented by traditional fur. Feet Are covered with Waterproof Sealskin booties or mukluks and the parkas or anoraks Are trimmed with " Wolf fur. Windproof leggings of Sealskin called Kamiss also will be worn on Days when the wind rips across the ice Over their gloves Beaver Mitt s that come up to the elbows will be worn. From Frobisher Bay the team and sledges were shuttled by Small plane to Ward Hunt Island the Northern tip of the Canadian archipelago. From there it is 500 air Miles to the pole. But because of shifting ice and open water the trip is expected to be More like 1.000 Miles. The first 50 Miles is a Shear zone Rife with extreme pressure ridges. Like the plates of the Earth s crust huge masses of ice pushed together by tides currents and wind Rise up giving birth to Hills of ice 40 to 70 feet High. Team members use ice axes pry bars and picks to chop a track through the ridges sometimes using ice screws and ropes As pulleys. It is there on the rim of the continent where also roam the Polar bears the Earth s largest carnivores. Steger s team is carrying two rifles just in Case. The Icecap is just 12 feet thick on average. It never completely melts but great rifts open up some up to a mile wide. A rift could open up under a tent or Swallow the sledges or dog teams but the members Are counting on the eerie rumbling sound it makes to warn them. If the rift is Small they can wait for it to freeze then Cross the thin ice but if it does not refreeze they la have to make Pontoon Bridges by lashing together slabs of floating ice. If they Are faced with a really Long Lead or a pan of open Ocean team members can scout a course around it using two inflatable rafts. But too Many detours can dangerously delay the trip. Cold weather is our ally Steger says. The team uses no maps. On sunny Days expedition co Leader Paul Schurke 30, of Ely minn., takes a Sextant Reading of the Sun s noon position. On Cloudy Days they rely on a Astrug Long Wavelike ridges of hard Snow formed by the prevailing wind. The Only people with Peary for the final push to the pole were three inuits and Matthew Henson a self educated Black Sailor whose knowledge of the inuktitut the Eskimo language and of navigation made him indispensable. The push to the pole was the culmination of 20 years of work charting Greenland s coast and searching for a land route to the pole. Finally on april 6, 1909, Peary staked his claim to Fame. Or. Frederick a. Cook Peary s chief rival claimed he beat Perry to the pole by a year. Both men s claims were investigated by scientists and in 1911, Congress declared Peary the discoverer of the North pole. But did either party really make it could Peary really have made the 30 Miles a Day he claimed the Steger expedition Hopes to shed Light on the plausibility of the claims of Early explorers. I think he came very close within a degree Steger says. A degree equals 72 Miles. But he notes Peary had massive support nearly 150 dogs and 35 inuit guides who basically nursed Peary to the  for the final dash they took the Best dogs fresh because they had not been pulling. Along the Way Steger s team is recording data that could Lead to a better understanding of the relationship of pack ice movements with Polar weather systems. They also collect ice samples to study How airborne acid is deposited in the Arctic. In addition they collect urine samples to study hormonal changes caused by extreme stress and cold and blood samples to measure whether their fat Rich diets affects their cholesterol Levels. Their 7,000-calorie daily diet is the same menu Polar explorers and inuit Hunters have been eating for centuries. The one pot dinner consists of 4 ounces of butter 4 ounces of cheese 6 ounces of egg noodles and a half Pound of Pemmican a mixture of 60 percent dried meat and 40 percent fat pressed into a Block that could pass for Pate until you taste it. It s the Best food you can imagine at 50 below Steger says. In the summer you could t get it  for breakfast each gets nearly a Pound of Oatmeal. Each is allowed 100 ounces of treats. Steger also took along eight ounces of Bourbon 60 ounces of Frozen Lemons and 32 ounces of Seal Jerky. As a trained emergency medical technician expedition member Ann Bancroft 30, an elementary schoolteacher and Mountain climber from Sunfish Lake minn., is in charge of first Aid and rations. Richard Weber 26, of Cantley Quebec is a former Canadian National Cross country ski Champion and works As a Whitewater raft guide. Because of his skill on skis he serves As scout. Making Camp is a ritual. Everyone has a specific Job to do and do fast. Putting up the two four person dome tents starting the stoves and staking the dogs takes five minutes. Each member of the team carries a different fear. Steger fears being  Schurke who runs a wilderness school for handicapped kids fears going through the  Robert Mantell 32, of Anchorage Alaska says his i biggest worry is mane vering a half ton Sledge. It s quite easy to fall and be  a photo Brent Boddy left and Geoff Carroll during training Are among team of eight on route to North pole by dogsled. A photo saturday april 12, 1986 More than a sledding adventure. A Challenge to human spirit and intellect expedition Leader will Steger. The stars and stripes Page 15