The First Shall Be Last

You got one thing wrong in “Iron Will” [December]. You said Steger’s was the first dogsled team in Antarctica. It was actually the last, due to the Antarctic Treaty banning dogs for potential diseases affecting native species. Ever heard of a rabid leopard seal? Dogs were used there when Roald Amundsen first cruised to the Pole in 1911, with a pack of strong dogs. Dogs have not been used in Antarctica since 1993. The ban was enacted because of evidence that the canine disease distemper was spreading to Antarctica’s seals. (This evidence is up for debate.) The British, who had used their dogs intensively through the early 1970s, were the last to remove their dogs. Maybe they were making up for not using them earlier: Robert Falcon Scott’s expedition’s failure to make good use of sled dogs, while the Norwegian explorers were experts at dog handling, is considered one of the main reasons that Amundsen beat Scott to the South Pole. Also, the Norwegians used skis. (Hello?! Does this make any sense on snow?) They also dressed like the Inuit, with mukluks and native fur clothing. Scott and his gang did not want to sink that low and take part in the ways of the “primitives.” They chose a more “noble approach,” with canvas clothing and leather boots, no dogs and no skis.

Per Breiehagen
Minneapolis

Breiehagen’s photos from Antarctica appeared in last month’s cover story.


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