Abstract
A documentation of the first stage of the sledge trip to the South Pole, that was begun on October 20, 1911, is provided in this chapter. Included are the identities of the dogs, their sledge team groupings, and their team drivers. The passing of Robert Falcon Scott’s farthest south at 82° 17′ is recounted. Roald Amundsen begins to implement his strategy of reducing the number of dogs along the way. Events of the trek include the party’s entering a treacherously crevassed area that threatens the dogs, the decision of how to handle fatigued dogs, the surprising strength and speed of the sled dogs as the caravan makes progress, and the loading of even more provisions that result in heavily loaded sledges that the dogs must pull. Also documented is a miscalculation on Amundsen’s part and an unexpected criticism from the realm of the sled dogs. Included in this chapter is a listing, compiled by the author, of the names and sled teams of all 52 dogs who made the South Pole trek.
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References
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Tahan, M.R. (2019). Snow Trek. In: Roald Amundsen’s Sled Dogs. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-02692-9_29
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-02692-9_29
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