Jillian Rogers
Special to Northern News Services

Cambridge Bay (July 30/01) - Early in June, Frank Turner survived a month-long mushing trek across the Arctic's flesh-numbing landscape and had just returned home to Whitehorse, eager to rest his tired legs.

Instead, he was faced with the gruesome task of sawing the legs off a dead horse. Days before his return, the decaying corpse washed onto the shore of the Takhini River, right in front of Turner's house.

He had to take a saw to the carcass for easier disposal. It proved to be the tougher than any challenge he faced in the Arctic.

There were no harsh arctic winds, no polar bear threats -- there wasn't even any frostbite.

Yes, his arctic adventure with friend and fellow musher, Kazuo Kojima, was pretty easy. Back in civilization Turner also discovered that part of his driveway had washed away, his generator had broken down, his new house was leaking and one of his 89 dogs had been run over by a car and had broken its leg in three places.

"It's Murphy's Law," laughed his wife, Anne Tayler, a couple weeks after Turner's return home. "I was prepared to go on an expedition myself."

Turner and Kojima's expedition began in Cambridge Bay on May 1. Their destination: Grise Fjord.

An epic challenge

Turner, a longtime Yukon musher, joined this year's segment of Kojima's five-year journey from Russia to Greenland to trace the path once pursued by his ancient Mongol ancestors.

Kojima began the epic quest, dubbed the Last Great Expedition on Earth, in 1997. He hopes to complete it next year.

This year, because of the barren landscape, Turner and Kojima had to improvise when it came to the simplest of tasks.

For instance, when setting up their tent after a long day, they discovered a frozen fish serves as a stout tent pole when there are no trees around.

The two dog teams followed a trail laid by two guides from the NWT who were equipped with a snowmachine and a komatik loaded with supplies, not to mention decades of arctic experience.

But Turner and Kojima are not strangers to the Far North. They both raced in the Hope '91, from Alaska to Russia, where they faced gale-force winds and daily whiteouts.

Surprising conditions

But this spring in the Canadian Arctic, both men were pleasantly surprised by gentle conditions. They faced a couple of minor whiteouts and a few frosty days, but that's about it.

Most days were sunny, with temperatures hovering around -20 C. The coldest it got was -27.

"It was not so good for the TV camera," laughed Kojima, who was filming the trip for Japanese television.

"It was so nice, so easy -- too easy," he added.

Since the weather was so warm, the pair travelled at night, when it was a few degrees cooler, trekking about 50 kilometres a day.

But night or day, the sun never set, so the pair donned protective glasses to prevent snow blindness. They also became a trifle disoriented when they switched their schedules from night to day, said Turner.

Both dog teams -- Turner used 10 dogs while Kojima used eight -- held up well in the Arctic, said Turner.

"We had some minor shoulder problems, but nothing big. The dogs took turns resting in the Komatik," he said. "Kazuo had one dog that would eat his harness when we stopped, so we always had to take it off him. A week after we were back here, the dog threw up about half a harness."

Though Turner sent 1,600 dog booties north for the expedition, he only needed a couple hundred of them because of the above normal temperatures.

"We were happy because the dogs were happy, a musher's heart moves to the dog's heart out there," said Kojima.

Along the way on their epic journey, the pair was halted by polar bears wondering just 100 metres away.

"The second day of our trip, my dogs got really excited, like they were chasing something. Finally I saw the bear, but he was going the other way. It was very exciting," said Turner.

They saw a few other polar bears and plenty of tracks in the crusty snow. "I tried to take a picture, but polar bear so fast, faster than Ben Johnson," laughed Kojima.

Though the duo was never in any immediate danger, the threat of death was always looming, said Kojima.

Occasional pieces of landscape passed en route to Resolute Bay brought memories of past explorers who had perished in harsh polar conditions.

Though they never saw open water, they always knew it was nearby, he added.

"Between Cambridge Bay and Resolute, there is no escape route," said Kojima. "That is the most dangerous spot."

Cambridge Bay and Resolute residents cautioned them about dangerous spots along the way. They also had satellite images to show them open spots in the ice, and they packed a radiophone and GPS.

After manoeuvring between massive islands, the two men reached Resolute on the southern tip of Cornwallis Island on May 19.

Unsettling news

Upon arrival, Kazuo heard of the death of his friend, Japanese explorer, Hyoichi Kohno.

Kohno was hoping to walk from the North Pole to Japan in a six-year exploration. He is presumed dead after failing to make contact with his support crew in Resolute.

His skis and other gear were spotted by rescuers near open water on Ellesmere Island. He apparently fell through the ice.

"A few days after we left Resolute his wife and children arrived," said Turner, adding that Japanese TV crews also arrived to cover the fatality.

Despite the sad news about his friend, Kojima persevered over the "moon-like" conditions of Cornwallis Island.

Near the end of May, he and Turner reached Grise Fjord, where they remained for a few days. The men and their dog teams flew to Cambridge Bay and on to Yellowknife where they were faced with temperatures as high as 30 C.

"Quite a shock from minus 20," said Turner.

Now that he's home, Turner can't wait for the first snow fall so he can begin training for 2002 Yukon Quest.

This will be his 19th consecutive Quest. Next year, Kazuo will continue from Grise Fjord across Greenland to a village on the east coast.

"I am so close, so close," he said.