January 13, 2013

2013 Expedition Has Begun

Yesterday, Joe and 23 of our malamutes departed for the 2013 Arctic Expedition. They left just before 1am on Saturday morning and traveled safely up the Dalton Highway to their starting point. We are so thankful for Merrill Powers and his family for all their help getting Joe’s sleds and gear to the starting point each season. We couldn’t do this without their logistical support.

It was –25°F and windy when Joe got up there yesterday afternoon, but by mid morning today, it was 25°F above and looked like a little storm might be moving in. It always takes Joe a few days to organize his gear and pack up the sleds once he makes it up north, so he plans to start breaking trail with the team either tomorrow or the following day.

This is the first year since I’ve known Joe that he hasn’t traveled with a satellite phone. It’s already weird not to be able to hear his delayed, tinny voice on that phone at least once a day, but the good news is that he is traveling with a DeLorme inReach tracking and communication device, so we can text each other. Let me tell you, I already love the DeLorme! I tracked his progress on the road yesterday and it worked like a charm. I can’t wait to see how well it holds up in the extreme cold.

Stay tuned for more expedition news!

*DeLorme provided the inReach device, but as always the opinions shared on this blog are our own.

  • http://gravatar.com/laurab69 laurab69LauraB

    So exciting! I cannot wait for the updates – and glad the texting is available to you! Kota will be looking forward to the word on Ben.

  • LP

    Tell us about the mals. I can’t imagine 23 mals getting along with each other. Were they raised together? Are they just too tired at the end of the day to fight?

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  • Karen Whitmore

    Hope all goes well, big support from The Whits and The Woos who met Joe last August in the UK at AMWA and Joe had a go on the scooter with Guiness out friends woo xx

  • Rick Wehrli

    I wish Joe Henderson the very best in his 2013 expedition. I just completed reading Joes’s book, Malamute Man. It is obvious he has the heart of a lion and a love for the dogs. I found his book an excellent read. Hope he will continue to write about his adventures including his 2013 expedition.

  • http://www.familytravels.net/suhail Suhail

    Looking forward to receiving exciting updates. I will be ordering the book ‘Malamute Man’ soon.