cover image Polar Dream: The Heroic Saga of the First Solo Journey by a Woman and Her Dog to the Pole

Polar Dream: The Heroic Saga of the First Solo Journey by a Woman and Her Dog to the Pole

Helen Thayer. Simon & Schuster, $21.5 (254pp) ISBN 978-0-671-79386-9

In March 1988, Thayer, a 50-year-old New Zealander, set out from Resolute, NW Territories, to ski to the North Magnetic Pole, located just south of King Christian Island; she pulled her supplies (160 lbs.) on a sled. Three days before departure, a hunter gave her a black husky, Charlie, as protection against polar bears. The animal proved to be an ideal companion, saving her life and her sanity. It was a grueling journey: woman and dog fought off polar bears, barely escaped drowning, survived storms. Near the end, a gale blew away most of Thayer's food supplies; her daily ration during the final week was a handful of walnuts and a pint of water. After 364 miles, 27 days, Thayer and Charlie were picked up by plane on Melena Island--mission accomplished. This is an exciting story of human endurance and of a remarkable animal. Photos. First serial to Cosmopolitan; author tour (with dog). (Jan.)