Against The Ice, The Classic Arctic Survival Story, by Ejnar Mikkelsen, Steerforth Press 2022 

When two expeditions disagreed over the geography of Greenland's Arctic, the result was a harrowing survival story that took us through terror and  isolation as two men on dogsleds found themselves, seemingly abandoned, racing over rugged sub-zero territory.  In 1909 there was a conflict over whether an earlier explorer could lay claim to territory, supported by his map of the Arctic, or whether the accurate outline of Greenland could be proven.  And the only way to discover the real answer was to "get on the bus," sail to the Greenland coast and search for the lost diaries of the Mylius-Erichsen expedition that would hopefully provide an accurate answer.  It was a long shot, and to readers over one hundred years later, a journey filled with tough challenges interspersed with deadly boredom - the search for food and shelter never let up.  And the environment did not favor human habitation; in fact, only a few creatures survived  there, and even their own lives were struggles.  

Snow storms and blinding snow fog made movement dangerous.  Although the two explorers, one of whom, Iverson, had served as a mechanic, were challenged to steer, ride and later push their own dogsleds over rough terrain on their way the cairn they hoped would yield previously hidden answers to their map quest, the nights and days on this journey were not kind to these two humans.  What  may have been envisioned as a journey measured in months stretched into years.  And still, the two survivors held on, found new food sources, hunkering down in two shelters created from the bones of the wooden ship The Alabama.  

And yet, the privations of their accidental journey paled in comparison to what we begin to see as the more extreme mental challenge - isolation buffeted by fears of ending their existence frozen into an Arctic glacier, alone and seemingly abandoned.  What may have begun as yet one more exploration adventure turned quickly into a test of human strength and resilience, an experience author Ejnar Mikkelsen had come to know through his own expeditions to frigid territories.  The two travelers became fast friends and co-workers by necessity; their will to survive took them through daily experiences that make readers appreciate their own hot meals and fresh bedding.  Readers beware - certain survival moves may set you back on your heels.

Against The Ice also offers us 15 black and white photos - sleds and sled dogs, shipmates, and those animal fur outfits, especially the boots, that kept these warm-blooded mammals alive and moving.  

Patricia E. Moody

FORTUNE magazine  "Pioneering Woman in Mfg" 

IndustryWeek IdeaXchange Xpert

A Mill Girl at Blue Heron Journal, on-line resource for business thought-leaders and decision-makers,  patriciaemoody@gmail.com