Nearest the Pole / a narrative of the polar expedition of the Peary Arctic Club in the S.S. Roosevelt, 1905-1906

by Robert E. Peary

July 1st.—Am glad to be over this first stage of our return journey short as it is.

The storm continued throughout the 29th and 30th, rain falling during the middle of the day, and snow the rest of the time, with continuous strong southwesterly wind.

This morning it moderated, and I got out at once and moved everything down to the ice-foot where we had left one sledge. A small cairn with a piece of box embedded in the top of it was built not far from the ice-foot upon the low foreshore. While this was being done a lemming was caught, thus adding this animal to the fauna of Jesup Land. No previous cairn exists on or near this cape nor does it appear from Sverdrup’s narrative or his map that he reached this point. The two sledges were then loaded and we started on our return, but not by the way we had come.

While not exactly an open polar sea, our outward track was now impracticable to anything unable to swim.

The four days since we came over it had worked surprising changes and what with the direct melting, and the water poured on to it from the land, the ice was completely flooded.

We made a long detour into the bay lying between our camp and the next point to the east, picking up the rest of the meat the boys got on the 28th, and landed on the point after four hours of wading.

I reached the land a little farther up the bay than the sledges, and saw a deer grazing.

After the sledges came ashore, the tent was set up, I made tea, all our gear and clothing, saturated by the trip, was spread out on the gravel to dry, as the sun gave symptoms of appearing; then I sent the boys to bring in the deer which they did in about an hour, (a buck with small horns in the velvet).

This made twelve obtained thus far. A fresh track was seen between the tent and the sledge which we left; and another deer was seen on the opposite side of the bay.

Our camp here was well located, the tent pitched on a mound of fine, dry gravel close to a small brook by which the dogs were fastened, and which at a pool a little farther up furnished us with clear cold water.