Project Leffingwell Expedition

Leffingwell Expedition On November 23, 2005 Joe set out from Kavik River, Alaska on the first year (winter) of an unprecedented journey in Alaska's arctic Brooks Range and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). He and his team of 22 Alaskan malamutes, pulling three sleds with 2 tons of supplies, mushed for five months into some of the most rugged and inaccessible regions of the arctic. During the expedition they faced 70 mph winds, -100° Fahrenheit wind chills, and 72 days of no sun. Five months later, Joe returned to Kavik River with the dog team, three completely empty sleds, and many tales of the adventure. The expedition is a tribute to the "forgotten explorer," Ernest de Koven Leffingwell (1876-1971). Leffingwell was a member of the Anglo-American-polar Expedition (1906-1908) which established that there was no land North of Alaska. Leffingwell is credited for mapping much of the arctic coast and the Brooks Range, which is now part of ANWR, between 1908 and 1914. Over the next several winters we hope to follow roughly the 4,500 sled miles Leffingwell may have traversed and re-shoot some of the same geographic/geologic photographs, thereby sampling a "then-and-now" look at the arctic. Joe will be using replicas of the same maps that Leffingwell used and share many of the same terrain, hardships and logistical difficulties that he must have experienced. FREE MONTHLY E-NEWSLETTER! Travel with Joe and the team as they retrace Leffingwell's pioneering route in ANWR and experience the thrill of the arctic! Please us to request your subscription! Click HERE to read one of Joe's articles about the Project Leffingwell Expedition (as seen at explorenorth.com and featured in Mushing Magazine)!