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.