An intrepid Arctic explorer is back home in Perthshire after a gruelling 70-day expedition which saw him battling polar bears, fighting frostbite and rescuing his team leader from an icy fate.
Benno Rawlinson, from Abernethy, set off on an epic quest with fellow adventurers Jamie Anderson and Alex Hibbert in January.
They had planned to become the first to cross the legendary North West Passage, on the most northerly tip of Canada, under their own steam.
But the trio were forced to change course after an early accident which saw lead explorer Alex knocked unconscious in temperatures of -32C.
With Alex recovering back at base, Jamie and Benno decided to continue along the east coast of Baffin Island, an arduous 620-mile trek.
Benno, 28, said that the harsh conditions made it impossible to stay on the North West Passage. “Baffin Island was still a long distance,” he said. “It’s longer than going from Land’s End to John o’ Groats, but we also had a 150-200 kilo sled to drag behind us…”
He said that Alex’s accident was a “real shock to the system”.
He said: “Myself and Jamie were in the tent when we heard one of the dogs growling. I went outside with my shotgun. I couldn’t see Alex at all. I had a look around and saw a light beside a sledge where I found him passed out.”
Alex had been lying in freezing conditions for about two minutes. Jamie and Benno pulled him into the tent and got him warmed up. “We didn’t really think about the trip, we were just focused on getting him better.”
When it became apparent he needed further treatment, the pair decided to “pull the plug” on the passage attempt.
Benno and Jamie instead continued along the Baffin Island trail with two dogs, Tala and Colin, who acted as look-outs for polar bears.
They did have one encounter with a bear. The dogs failed to chase him off and then Benno fired several non-lethal bangers to finally scare him off.
Benno is now considering his next major expedition. “Definitely somewhere warmer,” he said.