Polar Pathways: Robert E. Peary's Arctic Expeditions

About the 1895 Sledge Voyage

 

Determined to repeat the Peary-Astrup 1892 sledge trip across the polar ice cap, Peary started planning for the sledge voyage across his “Arctic Sahara.” He ordered his team to hunt, prepare sledges, and purchase dogs. Finally, in 1895, Peary was ready. His team consisted of Matthew Henson, Hugh Lee, and forty-two dogs. Eleven of the animals were the best Peary could find-- hardened and trained bear hunters and sledge dogs. The rest were sturdy creatures, more than capable of pulling the loaded sledges. The passage was hard-- Peary and his team faced the dangers of the freezing winds, unpredictable terrain, and near starvation. The journey was so difficult that, of Peary's forty-two dogs, only one, Panikpah, would return. Quotes in the section are taken from Northward over the Great Ice, published in 1898.

peary arctic expedition panikpah sledge dog

"Forty in One" credited to Robert E. Peary, Peary MacMillan Arctic Museum Collections

Onward to Peary's Departure from the Lodge »

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