Ice Dogs

From DocuWiki

1 General Information
2 Cover
3 Information
4 Screenshots
5 Technical Specs
6 Links

[edit] General Information

Travel Documentary hosted by Benedict Allen, published by BBC in 2002 - English narration

[edit] Cover

[edit] Information

Benedict's journey of 1000 miles with a ten resilient and strong-willed Chukotka dogs through Siberia in the worst winter in living memory. Assisted by two superb Chukchis, or “reindeer herders” Benedict made his way to the Bering Strait, and then set out alone with his dogs in an attempt to cross it. But it wasn’t that easy! Benedict had been suffering from frostbite from the first day of the trip; and now would be alone with Polar bears, wolves, and his dogs. Would his lead dog, "Top Dog" trust him enough, once they were alone together, and exposed to dangers of the Arctic?

[edit] First Day

On his first day's training he gets frostbite and is only saved from being dragged into the icy sea by one of his guides. Soon after there is a break in the weather, and in a place where clear blue skies are far rarer than frostbite they start on their epic trek. After his disastrous first outing, this doesn't seem such a good idea. Having successfully crossed a frozen bay, Benedict and his team go over a cliff before getting lost in the deadly Arctic night. On a hunt with a local official into the trackless tundra, they become disorientated and totally lost. Night falls and their snowmobile breaks down in the heart of polar bear country and the territory of the Arctic wolf, the largest in the world.

[edit] Third Leg

On the third leg, Benedict and his two native guides are hit by a massive storm and a wind chill of minus 60. As they head north the weather becomes more extreme and the settlements even more bizarre. Benedict's dog team remains unconvinced by his leadership and a near fatal journey down an iced-up river fails to fill them with confidence. As they continue north towards the Bering Strait one of the dogs has begun to listen to his commands, but with mountains ahead he needs his entire team's loyalty. Benedict discovers that one of his dogs has developed a potentially fatal neurosis and they are lucky to make it to the next settlement alive. Once there, the strain of starts to show and his guides begin to crack.

[edit] Last Leg

When they reach the home town of his guides he will be on his own. Coming across a family of nomads in the middle of nowhere shows Benedict that people can thrive in this seemingly impossible terrain. On his first night alone, his dogs start howling - there is an intruder in the camp. Alone on the frozen Bering Strait trying to cross over into Alaska, Benedict is right in the path of the annual polar bear migration, packs of Arctic wolves are patrolling about and gales come out of nowhere, plunging the temperature to -40 degrees. When the ice walls form a barrier ahead he is forced to leave his dogs and try to find a route through, but he loses his team, his tent and his supplies, and is left stranded.