A 240-kilometre feat across the Norwegian Arctic

A Maltese woman living in Rome has completed a gruelling 240-kilometre trek through the Norwegian Arctic, raising funds for the Friends of the Scott Polar Research Institute, which helps to fund research of the poles.

Betta DeGaetano was one of 12 who completed the trip, being pulled on dog sledges, accompanied by a guide, an expedition leader and a doctor.

"Temperatures reached -36°C with wind chill factor; even my eyelashes froze over on occasion. But I still have all my fingers," Ms DeGaetano said, still animated with enthusiasm.

Allied Newspapers learned of her attempt last autumn and subsequently sponsored her, in addition to publishing her story. This was in turn picked up by Maltese artist Charles Bezzina, who lives in the UK and paints the Arctic. He donated some of his paintings to help her raise the funds she needed for her trip but the Scott Polar Research Institute liked them so much they decided to keep them and knocked £900 off the £3,250 she had to raise to take part.

Preparing for the trip involved months of physical training.

Ms DeGaetano was running three times a week until the day before she left. However, controlling the sled and its four dogs, trying to keep them from overspeeding, left many muscles groaning at the end of each day, she admitted. On one day, they covered an impressive 60 kilometres.

"The dogs were stars! They all worked incredibly hard and were very good-natured. Each had their own character, from calm and patient to hyperactive, which sometimes made their handling somewhat challenging," she said.

There were also minor mishaps. One time the dogs suddenly veered off and she was airborne!

The temperatures were daunting. On one occasion, the winds brought the temperatures down to -36°C and when they stopped in cabins for the night, it was sometimes not much better: -2°C, until the stoves warmed them up.

"It made me wonder how the first Arctic explorers found the strength and willpower to complete their journeys. In their days, there were no Gore-tex jackets, no technical equipment, no satellite navigation, all in all, very little in comparison to the commodities we are used to today," she mused.

The days started with breakfast - for the humans as well as the dogs - and then the sleds were packed and the dogs harnessed. The group covered different terrain every day, going across a frozen lake, through trees and desolate snow.

"I could see nothing but the sledge and the sounds of the dogs panting," she said of one day when everything was different shades of white.

The evening meals were robust and she was most impressed by the taste of reindeer but it was not always easy.

"We didn't really stop for lunch, which was no bad thing because my sandwiches froze solid and there was no way I was biting into them!" she wrote in her diary on the second day.

One of the challenges was taking photos.

"The trick was to keep my camera warm (along with my Mars bar) in the inside pocket of my Arctic suit! I had to be very quick taking it out of my pocket, out of its case, snapping a few pictures, sometimes while still moving on the sled! We all mastered it in the end."

The wilderness was in stark contrast to the warm welcome they received in the lodges. The contrast in technology was also dramatic: Some places had no running water or electricity but they always had mobile phone coverage!