Team retraces route of Scots Arctic explorer
A four-man team is set to retrace the footsteps of a Scottish explorer, undertaking a gruelling 400-mile Arctic expedition they hope will raise awareness about his remarkable exploits.
Dr John Rae, who was born in Orkney in 1813, charted vast areas of unmapped territory on a series of expeditions and is credited with discovering the final part of the Northwest Passage trade route.
However, his reputation was destroyed when his grisly report about the fate of another Arctic expedition was leaked to the press and shocked Victorian society.
While looking for Captain Sir John Franklin’s ill-fated expedition of 1845, he was told by local Inuits that some of the crew had resorted to cannibalism in an effort to survive.
The four-man team recreating his journey is made up of Scots David Reid and Richard Smith plus Canadians Frank Wolf and Garry Tutte.
They plan to set out during the weekend and will be hauling 90kg sledges on skis for nine hours every day.