By Kurt Lykke Lindved, Author, Lecturer and Ambassador
I wonder if we have seen it all Dax……..
An adventure, which was extended to the boundary of human, physical and mental strength.
The book, which includes everything from my own and others’ experiences with the world as a playground. A “multi-biography” in which people’s emotions, behaviors, attitudes and actions are described along with the many different cultures I encountered on this expedition, which also is about my two dogs, that saved me in several situations, where I would otherwise have capitulated and disappeared from the earth’s surface.
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Excerpts from the book’s first chapter ….:
The ‘Sirius Patrol’ of Greenland – Danish Special Forces in the High Arctic
The topmost Northeast portion of Greenland is largely uninhabited. The territory is comprised of a large area of preserved parkland. For sixty years, the Danes have monitored and protected this icy land using Special Forces, traveling by dog sledge and sea kayak. Sirius Patrol keeps a two-man team present in the area year-round. These rugged men monitor Danish sovereignty.
The dogs are bred especially to pull the sledges and work with the personnel of the Sirius Patrol. As they are being raised, the pups are judged by their disposition. Any young pup that shows the least aggression towards its human handlers is put down. No one on patrol in a polar winter can afford an injury while breaking up a fight. The Sirius Patrol, named after the ‘Dog Star’, never travels by powered vehicles. If you are pinned down by wind and cold for days at a time, you can’t eat a skidoo.
A lovely day in June I waited in Copenhagen `s airport on departure to Thule Air Base – A Danish / American base built in collaboration with the Department of Defense, the DAC and the Danish Foreign Ministry.
All I knew about this base was the establishment of much big and powerful radar and the presence of some 10,000 American soldiers and many Danes, who was responsible for all civilian jobs on base.I should not stay at the base – The Sirius Patrol had their own barracks outside the base, which was merely a turning point for our raids between Thule and Station North. A journey by dogsled which lasted between 3 to 4 months depending on wind and weather which sometimes could be very harsh with snow and hurricane strength, where nobody could stand erect without being blown away.
My first task was to find some suitable dogs for the first trip from Thule and 350 km north to Station North. The key is to find a good lead dog that contains a good physique, mentally balanced and above all an ability to show the other dogs where to run or walk. A guide dog must also be closely linked to its masters, it is necessary to train intensively with both the lead dog and the rest of the dogs to get a “team” that can withstand even dangerous situations.
If you see a dog in the eyes and remain fixed for a while without the dog looking anywhere other than your eyes, you usually grab a dog ready to say “OK – We are on equal footing and I’m ready to follow you ” I found such a dog among 24 other dogs, trained by a professional breeder who incidentally was brought to Thule Air Base from the United States. The dog was named Dax and I had to walk around with this dog for three weeks with a special program created by the dog breeder…………
…………….Buy the book when it’s released in January 2012.
Pre-order the book by mail to k.lindved@mail.dk
Price: Euro 22. -
Kurt Lykke Lindved
Cavalaire-sur-Mer, France
