602 THE FRIENDLY ARCTIC 



has frequently been described. This shoeing has no serious dis- 

 advantage except that on a side hill the sledges are inclined to 

 slide sidewise. In that respect ice shoeing is not much worse 

 than German silver or copper, and one advantage of our steel 

 shoeing is that it has sharp edges like a skate and v/hen there is 

 an inclination to slide it "bites" into the ice. When spring comes 

 the ice shoeing melts off, but a sled can be made with steel shoe- 

 ing underneath so that one has it to fall back on when the weather 

 gets warm. 



With a strong wind, low temperature will result also in frost- 

 bitten faces with the men and frozen flanks with the dogs. Al- 

 though a facial frostbite is no more serious than sunburn, the 

 freezing of a dog's flanks may lead to a sore which incapacitates 

 him for work. 



Strong local winds were now blowing from the Raglan Range, 

 and on the way up the west coast of Hecla Bay we had to remain 

 in camp several days to prevent the dogs from freezing. Our re- 

 liable thermometers had long ago all been broken and the ones 

 we had with us gave only approximate temperatures. The lowest 

 recorded at any time was on the portage between Liddon Gulf 

 and Hecla Bay, 62° below zero. This was probably at least five 

 degrees too low and certainly not an extreme temperature when 

 one remembers that the United States Weather Bureau has re- 

 corded a temperature of 68° below zero, corrected reading, from 

 northeastern Montana. Indeed, I know of no arctic explorer who 

 has recorded temperatures as low as are found within settled por- 

 tions of the United States and not nearly as low as those of cer- 

 tain farming districts in Siberia. 



Because this was perhaps our most uncomfortable winter trip, it 

 may be interesting to compare as to comfort our traveling methods 

 with those of some other explorers. I quote Nansen's "Farthest 

 North," published in New York, 1897, Vol. II, pp. 145 ff: 



"As soon as Johansen had finished with the dogs . . . the sleeping- 

 bags were spread out, the tent door carefully shut, and we crept into the 

 bag to thaw our clothes. This was not very agreeable work. During the 

 course of the day the damp exhalations of the body had little by little 

 become condensed in our outer garments, which were now a mass of ice 

 and transformed into complete suits of ice-armor. They were so hard and 

 stiff that if we had only been able to get them off they could have stood by 

 themselves, and they cracked audibly every time we moved. These clothes 

 were so stiff that the arm of my coat actually rubbed deep sores in my 

 wrists during our marches ; one of these sores — the one on the right hand 

 — got frost-bitten, the wound grew deeper and deeper, and nearly reached 

 the bone. I tried to protect it with bandages, but not until late in the 



