Jennifer McPhee
Northern News Services

Resolute Bay (May 27/02) - Two First Air pilots picked up Scottish explorer David Mill on a pan of ice about 300 kilometres from the North Pole May 19. It was Mill's third unsuccessful attempt to walk unaided to the North Pole.

To date, no one has accomplished this feat alone without resupplies. But some say Southern and British media have blown the rescue out of proportion.

News accounts based on Mill's Web diary said he would have been permanently trapped in a week's time. Another said he was airlifted from a "rapidly disintegrating prison."

Those at First Air disagree.

"He was on a pan of ice that was quite stable," said First Air base manager in Resolute, Mike Kristjanson.

"This was not an emergency. It was standard pickup," he said. "The British papers grabbed it and ran with it."

Kristjanson said a combination of factors led Mill to call off the expedition two days before he was picked up.

Mill started his trip late in the season, and had trouble getting his camp stove to work.

"He came up later than most people do," said Kristjanson. "He didn't have enough time and with the delays he couldn't reach his objective."

Kristjanson added ice conditions this year were more "technically challenging" and "it wasn't a good year for him."

The two First Air pilots -- Karl Zberg and Kevin Heslop -- left at 11 a.m. and returned around midnight.

"By the time I got to bed and everything, BBC kept calling all night," said Kristjanson. "It's like, guys, it's 3 a.m. I'm trying to sleep here."

Terry Jesudason, owner of High Arctic International in Resolute, has assisted modern-day explorers since 1978.

She said she admires people who mount challenging expeditions, but added that Mill seems "pretty quick at catching up with the media before he actually accomplishes anything."

The First Air pilot who rescued Mill landed on a makeshift runway that the explorer cleared.

"He was happy to see us," Zberg said.

Zberg, who has 34 years experience flying the High Arctic, then walked the floe edge and marked off a strip smooth enough for takeoff.

He said Mill was in no immediate danger. "I've seen people in worse situations that got out of it."

According to Mill's Web diary, there were polar bear tracks in the area, "but polar bears are the least of my problems right now. I am more worried about thinning ice. I have made a mental note to brush up on what's going on with global warming when I get home."

Mill, who was still in Resolute at press time, did not return phone calls. His corporate sponsors covered the cost of his pickup.

-- with files from Nathan VanderKlippe