The Fan Hitch Volume 2, Number 3, May 2000

Newsletter of the Inuit Sled Dog

Table of Contents

From the Editor
*
Nunavut Quest 2000:
More Than a Race
*
Nunavut Quest 2000:
Drivers' Meeting
*
Nunavut Quest 2000:
On the Trail
*
Nunavut Quest 2000:
Race Results
*
Poem: Dogs of the Sledge Trail
*
Inuit Demand Inquiry of Historical Dog Extermination Policy
*
Memories
*
Nunavut's Official Symbols
*
Niels Pedersen, D.V.M:
The Veterinary Service in Greenland
*
ISDI Foundation:
Acknowledgements
*
Sled Dog Problems in Iqaluit
*
Baking: Dog Cookie Recipe
*
Crafts: Save That Hair
*
Behavioral Notebook:
Social Order
*
Book Review:
Polar Dream
*
In My Humble Opinion: 
Sharing the Trail
*
Update:
Ihe ISDVMA Meeting


Navigating This Site

Index of articles by subject

Index of back issues by volume number

Search The Fan Hitch


Articles to download and print

Ordering Ken MacRury's Thesis

Our comprehensive list of resources

Talk to The Fan Hitch

The Fan Hitch home page


ISDI home page



Editor's/Publisher's Statement
              Editor: Sue Hamilton
              Webmaster: Mark Hamilton
The Fan Hitch Website and Publications of the Inuit Sled Dog– the quarterly Journal (retired in 2018) and PostScript – are dedicated to the aboriginal landrace traditional Inuit Sled Dog as well as related Inuit culture and traditions. 

PostScript is published intermittently as material becomes available. Online access is free at: https://thefanhitch.org  PostScript welcomes your letters, stories, comments and The editorial staff reserves the right to edit submissions used for publication.

Contents of The Fan Hitch Website and its publications  are protected by international copyright laws. No photo, drawing or text may be reproduced in any form without written consent. Webmasters please note: written consent is necessary before linking this site to yours! Please forward requests to Sue Hamilton, 55 Town Line Rd., Harwinton, Connecticut  06791, USA or mail@thefanhitch.org


 reviewed by Mark Hamilton

Here is a "living my dream" story for the over-thirty crowd. Helen Thayer was fifty years old when, in 1988, she set out on skis for the Magnetic North Pole. Her goal was to be the first woman to solo this pole, unsupported. All her supplies were to be carried on the sled she would drag behind her. After learning about polar bear behavior from Inuit hunters in Resolute Bay, she was persuaded to take along a dog. Just three days before her departure for her starting point, the Polaris mine on Little Cornwallis Island, she acquired a wonderful ISD she named Charlie, an experienced bear dog.

For ISD enthusiasts, and dog lovers in general, the story quickly becomes a chronicle of the relationship that forms between the author and Charlie. Thayer had no previous experience with Inuit Sled Dogs yet she capably describes many typical ISD behaviours. She also quickly learns to trust Charlie's ability to deal with the bears they encounter as they travel north along Bathurst Island past Polar Bear Pass, three on only their second day on the trail. Charlie in turn quickly bonds with his new owner and progresses from his responsibilities as bear dog into a partner, companion and friend. The two form a team that proves capable of meeting every challenge their journey presents, long arduous hours, sudden violent weather and approaching starvation.

Polar Dream by Helen Thayer was published by Simon & Schuster in 1993, ISBN 0-671-79386-1.

Return to top of page