A dramatic story of the rescue of eight men on a prospecting mission in the Arctic that covers a period of four suspenseful months in the fall of 1929. This true story began in August 1929. A group of eight prospectors, led by C.D.H. MacAlpine of the Dominion Explorers, flew into the Arctic in search of mineral wealth. Grossly underequipped, the expedition ran out of fuel and was stranded above the Arctic Circle. Within days, Western Canada Airways sent a rescue team headed by Captain Andy Cruickshank, in what was to become the most extensive aviation search in Canadian history. The searchers encountered trouble: turbulent weather, forced landings, and plane crashes. The prospectors were also struggling, as they waited edgily for freeze-up and the anticipated crossing to Cambridge Bay. While Cruickshank and his team were trying to reconstruct a damaged aircraft, MacAlpine and his men were forced to run more than 112 kilometres on barely frozen ice to arrive at Cambridge Bay, where they still awaited rescue.
"This is a well-crafted story that captures the heart and the imagination. It portrays in colourful detail the hardships suffered by both the lost members of the MacAlpine Party and the group of dedicated searchers.... If you enjoy a tale designed to keep you glued to your seat from beginning to end, this book is for you."
Rex Terpening
"Kerry has used the diaries of her grandfather Andy Cruickshank, one of the search pilots, and Richard Pearce, one of the survivors of the MacAlpine Expedition, to bring a human dimension to the technical aspects of the 1929 aerial search and rescue as well as some new information. What is already a riveting story is all the more fascinating when Kerry brings to light that lessons learned from the
Shirley Render
"Combining entries from her grandfather's diary with other reports and sources from the MacAlpine expedition, Karram's book tells a tale of misadventure and recovery that is worth reading."
