Across the Arctic Ocean

Book excerpt: An unparalleled look at the first surface crossing of the Arctic Ocean, and probably the first expedition to reach the North Pole by surface travel, through the words and images of the man who led it On February 21, 1968, Wally Herbert and his team of three companions and forty huskies set out from Point Barrow, Alaska, embarking on a route that would take them some 3,800 miles over sixteen months, across the North Pole and the frozen Arctic Ocean via its longest axis. Though their achievement was overshadowed by the Apollo moon landing, it stands today as one of the greatest expeditions of all time. Featuring an impressive team of expert commentators and illustrated with stunning photographs, this exceptional photography book is an engrossing firsthand record of an astonishing journey—one that will probably never be repeated. The Arctic Ocean as a whole is attracting worldwide attention because of global warming, the shrinking ice cap, the opening up of new northerly trade routes, and competition between nations for potentially vast untapped mineral resources. Across the Arctic Ocean is therefore a truly timely account of the last great frontier in a rapidly changing world and will appeal to all those interested in exploration, polar science, the great outdoors, and human endeavor.