For you Paris Expedition Sled fans and other boreal fools

[sardog1]

In 2007 Børge Ousland and Thomas Ulrich retraced part of the 1895-96 sledge and kayak journey of Fridtjof Nansen and Hjalmar Johansen in the Arctic. Ousland and Ulrich towed kayaks over the ice and paddled when feasible, as did their predecessors.

Today I saw the Ousland-Ulrich video for the first time, which you can see free with iTunes as a video podcast at Ut i naturen: I Nansens fotspor. The spoken language is all Norwegian with no subtitles. Why would you, the non-Norwegian speaker, want to go to the trouble?

Well, partly because our little orange friend from South Paris, Maine, plays a prominent role in the trip. Ousland and Ulrich dragged Paris Expedition Sleds behind their kayaks. And the videography is fantastic otherwise, especially if you're boreal in your proclivities.

EDIT: Forgot to mention that an English version of Ousland's account of the trip, In the Footsteps of Nansen, will be published in February.

 

[Kevin Rooney]

Paris makes a good sled. If you use care to transfer the stresses on the hitch contacts points so those to places aren't overstressed, a sled will last a long time.

And, points for "boreal proclivities"

 

[Bob]

El Pulque never let me down!

 

[Jay H]

Good to hear the PESs that have gotten good use! I haven't had a chance to use mine yet this winter...

Jay

 

[DougPaul]

Good to hear the PESs that have gotten good use! I haven't had a chance to use mine yet this winter...

I used mine to haul shoveled snow last winter...

Doug

 

[sardog1]

I used mine to feed the woodstove in December -- through the woods, over the garage floor, over the doorsill, and alongside the stove. Although it wasn't camping, we were using headlamps at the time . . .

 

[Woody]

I just bought two of them. I found them at the local Aubuchon Hardware store when I went in to get ice melt for my driveway. I grabbed the last two in the store. I gave one to my brother. I haven't used it yet but hope to with some trips coming up.

Woody

 

[DougPaul]

I just bought two of them. I found them at the local Aubuchon Hardware store when I went in to get ice melt for my driveway. I grabbed the last two in the store.

If you can't find them in a local store, REI carries them.

Doug