Paula White
Northern News Services

INUVIK (May 14/99) - Kazuo Kojima is on his way to Angmagssalik, Greenland, and he's using good old-fashioned dog power to get there.

But the 55-year-old musher from Tokyo, Japan, didn't start his journey in Inuvik. He didn't even start in Canada or Alaska for that matter. He started in Irkutsk, Russia.

That's right -- Russia.

The journey, entitled the "Last Great Expedition on the Earth," began on March 3, 1997. Kojima travelled for just over a month from Irkutsk to Cherskii before returning to Japan for the summer. Kojima can only travel during the winter months, from about the beginning of December until June or so. When he isn't mushing, he is the vice-president of a company in Tokyo. How is it that he gets so much time off to mush?

"President is my wife," he laughed. "She makes money. I spend the money."

The following year, Kojima flew back to Russia at the end of January. Little did he know that the journey was about to experience its first roadblocks. Kojima said upon his arrival in Yakutsk, Russia, he was met by government agents.

"Beginning of trouble," he said. "They checked everything about us."

For eight days Kojima was questioned. Finally, when the agents were convinced he wasn't a spy, they let him go. On Feb. 3, he was back on his sled, heading to Schmidt. When he got there, however, he was held up again -- this time for 36 days. Finally Kojima was allowed to go, and he flew with his dogs to Shishmaref, Alaska, where he stayed with a friend.

"I stay at his home two weeks. Training."

Kojima explained that after the 36-day delay, his dogs' muscles were gone, so he had to get them in shape again to continue the trek. On April 15 he began again, making his way to Point Hope where he stayed with a local musher, Russel Lane. At least he was a local musher.

"Now he's a great musher," Kojima said, explaining that since that stay in 1998, Lane has run the Iditarod, the famous Alaskan dog sled race.

Kojima travelled on to Point Barrow, his final destination for 1998. There he met up with his current guide, Roger Scott Oomittuk, who is travelling by snowmobile.

This year's trip got under way on April 12. Kojima arrived in Inuvik on May 3. As in Alaska, Kojima has a couple of people in Canada helping him. Here, Gerry Kisoun with Parks Canada helped him replenish his supplies for the next leg of the journey. But Kojima's main contact is Frank Turner from Whitehorse, Yukon. Turner, also a famous musher, owns Muktuk Kennels.

"(My) favourite food, muktuk," Kojima said. "With whisky. Much better than caviar."

Kojima's next stop is Tuktoyaktuk. Eventually he will make his way to Cambridge Bay, estimating it will take him about two weeks to get there. He then moves on to Grise Fiord before heading across to Greenland. His final destination is Angmagssalik, which is located on the eastern side.

"It's a nice place," said Kojima, who first visited there 31 years ago as a mountaineer. "There are so many unclimbed mountains there."

Unlike Canada and Alaska, Kojima can travel by dog sled in Greenland in the summer months.

"Best season for running the dogs," he commented.

By the time the trip is over, Kojima estimates he will have travelled about 30,000 kilometres. His reason for the trek is to follow the trail of his Mongolian ancestors.

"This expedition will trace our ancestors' footprints, visiting old remains and Arctic native villages to study and exchange cultures throughout this journey," a prepared statement read. "During this journey, we hope to understand the spirit and core of the migrating Mongolian people who travelled this route long ago."