Introducing Malamute Joe Henderson

Joe breaking trail toward Barter Island. [Photo by Andrea Loveland]

"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

By Thom “Swanny” Swan

My home community of Two Rivers, Alaska is perched on the very edge of civilization. Traveling due north from my back door I could drive my dogs to the North pole encountering only a single dirt road and perhaps a couple of long-abandoned mining claims, but nothing else recognizable as manmade. Like the frontier communities of the eighteenth and early 19th century America, we enjoy only the basic trappings of civilization such as a small postal station, a general store and our own version of a colonial tavern. 'The Lodge' is the de facto gathering place of our community. It hosts town meetings, wedding celebrations and funeral wakes. It's where we learn the news and gossip of the day and argue over current events. Workers are hired and fired over a pint and valid real estate contracts are sometimes scribbled onto beer or whiskey stained bar napkins.

We are a community of characters and The Lodge reflects the character of our community. One of the characters I most enjoy seeing at The Lodge is "Malamute Joe" Henderson. He and I share a love of northern history experienced behind a strong team of traditional sled dogs and our conversations quickly turn to strong dogs, cold camps, earlier times and adventures of the trail. Names heard in our conversations frequently include the likes of Samuel Hearne, Alexander McKenzie, John Franklin, George Back or Dr. John Rae.

Joe in his winter traveling garb with lead dog Ben. [Photo byAndrea Loveland]

Malamute Joe isn’t a 'historical reenactor' as we usually think of the term, yet he has done the most astounding historical treks I know of. During the winters of 2005 through 2008 Joe reenacted the arctic explorations of the nearly forgotten arctic explorer Ernest de Koven Leffingwell.

Leffingwell started as a leader of the Anglo-American Polar Expedition (1906-1908) to explore the Beaufort Sea, north of Alaska. The expedition fell apart when their ship, the Duchess of Bedford, became ice-bound and had to be abandoned. Most of the expedition members were rescued by whaling vessels, but Leffingwell and Einar Mikkelson, stayed behind. Using supplies and lumber salvaged from the wrecked ship they built a cabin on the Alaskan Arctic coast. Mikkelson stayed one more year before hiking out to publish his journals, but Leffingwell persevered and spent six winters exploring and mapping the Alaskan Arctic coast and parts of the rugged Brooks Range.

Henderson’s reenacting goal was to follow the roughly 4,500 dog sled miles that Leffingwell explored and to re-shoot photos of some of the same geographic and geologic features to document the changes that have occurred in this incredibly isolated region since its earliest exploration by nonindigenous people. At some point during Joe’s reenactment of Leffingwell’s travels he was bitten by the Arctic exploration bug, and bitten badly. Every winter since, Joe and his of team of Alaskan Malamutes have spent more than 100 days on the North Slope, exploring a new region each time.

The primary difference between Malamute Joe and Ernest Leffingwell is that the latter enjoyed the assistance of Inupiat Eskimo helpers. Joe travels alone, relying on a team of up to 25 dogs to haul everything needed to spend the entire winter exploring the most inhospitable region of our planet with no hope of resupply. At the start of Joe's expeditions his train of three sleds contain as much as a ton and a half of equipment and supplies.

Tandem sleds haul supplies.

Joe doesn’t make a conscious attempt to duplicate historical appearances or methods, and doesn’t claim to be anything other than a unique 21st century adventurer. Nevertheless, most of the equipment and supplies he relies on for his very survival would have been immediately recognized by any Hudson’s Bay Co. engage' at Churchill or North West Company voyageur on the Mackenzie River. "The old time Arctic explorers were provided the most modern and best equipment available to them." Joe said. "However, through experience they learned what worked best in the Arctic. Most of the stuff that worked best then, still works best today."

One of the most obvious examples is the clothing Henderson wears during his expeditions. In his account of the Anglo-American Polar Expedition, Ejnar Mikkelson wrote “According to our way of thinking, furs, properly made, are far superior to wool, as they are warmer and lighter, while the spare clothing which we have to carry weighs considerably less than when wool is used by a sledge party. But, of course, if furs are worn they must be soft and light, such as our clothing, which was made by natives, entirely in native fashion and from the skins of fawns shot during August and the beginning of September. A complete fur suit consists of two parkeys, that is, coats to be pulled over the head, with a hood fringed with wolverine skin attached to it. The inner parkey is usually sufficient for traveling, but whenever the party stops both ought to be put on. The fur is turned inwards on the inside parkey and out on the outside one.” (Mikkelsen 176)

Taking a break at camp.

Leffingwell wrote, "On the upper part of the body a light fawn-skin shirt is worn with the fur next to the body. A similar shirt is worn over this one, with the fur outside. When the snow is drifting a light silk or cotton shirt is worn over all, to keep the snow out of the clothes. The writer preferred to wear a sleeveless woolen undershirt next to the skin, but this is objected to by others .... These fur shirts are furnished with hoods which fit tightly around the face. There is usually a fringe of long fur, such as wolverine or wolfskin, around the opening of the hood."

“The boots come to the knee and fasten with draw strings. For travel inland, where the snow is dry, the best boot has soles of bull caribou and uppers made from caribou legs. The soles are worn hair inside; the uppers may have the hair either in or out. For travel over sea ice, which is usually salty, soles of the hide of the bearded seal are the best which can be obtained in the country. Insoles of some kind must be worn for warmth and dryness. These insoles may be made of several thicknesses of blanket sewn together into shape or be made of grass or shredded rope. (Leffingwell 28)

Like Mikkelsen and Leffingwell's garb, Joe’s outermost garments are made from the hides of caribou that he harvests and tans himself. He takes two parkas on his trips, one made of skin harvested in August for what he considers “everyday winter travels”, and the other of the thicker October fur for extremely cold temperatures. Cut square like a blanket capote or 18th century workman’s frock, these simple hooded garments help him survive actual temperatures as low as -70 degrees F, even when the wind chill factor is considerably colder.

Joe’s malemutes.

Joe’s mukluks are also made of August hides and he wears two pair. The first is donned with the fur on the inside and the second pair slip over the first with the fur facing out. He always carries two or three extra pairs of mukluks in the sled in case the ones he is wearing become wet. His caribou hide mitts are made with the fur facing in. Because he completely wears out several pairs during a winter of travel, he carries materials to make replacements while in the field.

During a conversation at the lodge, Joe explained why historical clothing is superior. “Even the best synthetic materials trap moisture. Most of us won’t notice it too much if we’re only out for two or three weeks and have a chance to dry our gear regularly. If you have to wear your gear for longer than a few days even the best synthetic insulation and materials trap enough moisture to ice up, and then it’s like wearing a very cold suit of armor.”

Joe can only rarely ride one of his sleds until nearing the end of his trips. The weight of cargo alone is all his massive dogs can draw through the deep, dry arctic snow until they’ve consumed a lot of food. There are no established trails, so Joe spends day in and day out breaking trail on snowshoes. Once again his preference is for traditional wood and rawhide webbed snowshoes, rather than the aluminum and nylon monstrosities of today. "Nylon, plastic parts and even some metals become extremely brittle at 40-below and colder," Joe explained. "When the temperature is as cold as 70-below I'd end up destroying the things in the first mile”

Malemute power.

On the windblown drifted snows of the North Slope, Joe prefers the type of snowshoes historical Athabascan Natives called “hunting” snowshoes. Today they are called ‘Alaskan’ or ‘Alaskan trail’ snowshoes. Joe’s raquets are 12 inches wide by 60 inches long. The long, narrow shoes allow him to walk or trot with the long stride that is necessary when trying to stay ahead of 20 or more eager and energetic dogs. Though he frequently has to repair the rawhide babiche webbing, Joe says he has not yet broken a wooden frame, but that the frames do wear down relatively quickly. "Most people don't realize that the fine snow of the arctic is extremely abrasive." Joe explained. "It works on wood just like sandpaper, so I replace snowshoes when the frames are starting to get pretty thin." Joe can usually get two seasons out of a pair of new snowshoes, but during 2013 expedition he completely wore out a new pair. "I was spending my time up in the Brooks (mountain) Range, in narrow valleys where snow tends to drift and accumulate. It was just a tough year on my snowshoes.”

There is very little natural shelter on the arctic slope, yet shelter from the 80 mph winds and -70 degree F. temperatures is crucial to survival. The closest thing resembling trees are patches of windtortured willows that border streams. Some Inuit people were adept at building temporary snow houses but Alaska’s Inupiat and Yupik Eskimos more commonly relied on tents.

Joe spent several years trying to find a tent that would meet his needs, but nothing commercially available worked. He experimented with his own designs until settling on the one he has used for many years now. While researching for his reenactment of Leffingwell's expedition, he was shocked when he saw a photo of Leffingwell's Native-designed tent. It was nearly a mirror image of the design that Joe spent so many years trying to develop.

A camp on the tundra.

Leffingwell wrote "The tent used by the Eskimo on the north shore of Alaska is the warmest and safest that is known to the writer. The framework consists of about 20 light, curved willow sticks, which are stuck up in the snow and lashed into a hemispherical form. Over this framework two thicknesses of light cloth are thrown. Snow is then shoveled around the margin of the tent to hold the cloth in place. The low, rounded form and the numerous sticks enable this tent to withstand anything short of a hurricane. The two light covers with the enclosed air space are many times as efficient in insulation as a single thickness of the heaviest canvas, so that at night the heat emanating from the occupants will keep the temperature notably above that of the air outside." (Leffingwell 21)

The old Eskimo design is simple and easily erected even in 60 mph winds. The tent was simply draped over a half-oval frame of willow sticks, creating a structure similar to an Eastern Woodland Native wigwam.

Camp Comparison

Joe explains that inside the tent it’s important to dig down several feet, or as far as possible when there is little snow, leaving a “cold hole” for the frigid air to seep into. The elevated sleeping and living platform takes up about two-thirds of the remaining tent space. Like Leffingwell, Joe heats his tent with a small sheet iron stove, burning the dead willows or driftwood he collects wherever he encounters them.

Ice-block entryway to Joe’s tent.

Most of the 'small stuff' in Joe's outfit is also as historically authentic, and as useful, as the tools of the 18th or 19th century Hivernant. His ice chisel with a 6 foot handle is identical to the 'tranche' referenced in many Hudson’s Bay Co., Northwest Co., and other northwestern fur trade documents, and is used for the same tasks. With a 26 inch handle, his axe is similar to the 'half-axes' that were a mainstay of the historical trade.

Provisions for Joe's expeditions contribute most of the weight to the massive load on Joe's sleds at the start of his expeditions. Most of that is feed for his dogs. Years of breeding the traditional Malamutes in Joe's kennel have resulted in dogs, some weighing over 100 lb., that are particularly easy keepers. Although Joe's Alaskan Malamutes are unusually large, his team of 20 to 25 dog teams require no more than 30 pounds of food per day.

Joe's own diet is restricted by gluten intolerance and sensitivity to sugars and salt. His provisions consist of meat, cheese, brown rice, olive oil and copious amounts of coffee. Like the explorers and fur-traders of old, he augments his provisions with fish and game harvested along the way. When the opportunity presents, caribou ranks high on the menu, but "I kill and eat a lot of ptarmigans." Joe said, referring to the 'white partridges' that were equally important to many historical hivernant's diets.

The remnants of the cabin Leffingwell built out of his ice-locked expedition ship, the Dutchess of Bedford.

The numerous lakes and rivers of the North Slope provide ample opportunity for Joe to use his ice chisel to cut fishing holes. With a simple hand-line he provides himself nutritious meals of arctic char, lake trout, whitefish and other far northern species. Henderson estimates he consumes between 8,000 to 10,000 calories per day during his adventures, and still looses weight. "In many ways, I've spent the past 30 years rediscovering what those historical explorers knew from the very beginning." Echoing the lament of many historical reenactors Joe said, "Those old guys were really good at writing down what they did, but they almost never explained how they did it. That leaves it up to us to rediscover what they already knew. Doing so is an art, and art is an ongoing process."

You aren't likely to find Malamute Joe Henderson hanging out around a rendezvous council fire or participating in a historical reenactment. Between May and October, if very lucky, you may run across him at The Lodge after work. Between September and December you might greet him on the wellestablished trails in our community as he trains and conditions himself and his dogs. The rest of time you'll have to travel even further, literally to the end of our earth. Be sure you're wearing and carrying the proper traditional gear, though. The modern stuff sold in even the best sporting goods stores won't serve nearly so well as that which has stood the test of history when traveling beyond the end of the trail. ~•~ To learn more about Joe Henderson's amazing expeditions, visit his website at www.arcticalaskanexpeditions.com, or pick up a copy of his book Malamute Man; Memoirs of an Arctic Traveler, by Joe G. Henderson, ISBN 978-0-615-58766-0.

References: • Henderson, J: Expedition Gear: Mushing #42, May/June: 2008. • Leffingwell, E: The Canning River Region of Northern Alaska: United States Geological Survey: Professional Paper #109: Government Printing Office, Washington DC: 1919. • Mikkelsen, Ejnar; Conquering the Arctic Ice; William Heinemann; London; 1909.