By Cliff White

Staff Writer

Pam Flowers is not your average Arctic explorer, if there is such a thing.

Those who listened to her speak April 17 at the Bonny Eagle High School auditorium saw Flowers stands barely 5 feet tall and weighs in at a haircut over 100 pounds. Yet Flowers has trekked in minus 40 degree temperatures to the magnetic north pole, completed an 11-month, 2,500 mile journey across the northern coast of North America and finished the Iditarod Sled Dog Race.

Flowers has the credentials – and the stories of survival and success – to prove even her biggest doubters wrong, something she has done repeatedly, and which she enjoys almost as much as actually accomplishing a goal. Her resume lists a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt – “No one can make you feel small without your consent.”

“I’ve found that the harder the challenge you choose for yourself, the more people will try to discourage you,” Flowers said. “You have to believe in yourself and keep going – I’ve found when you do that, you can accomplish anything.”

The 62-year-old Flowers, a Michigan native, has always carried an affinity for all things Artic. In her mid-30s, she followed her dream, moved from her native state to Alaska in 1981 to learn all she could about dog mushing. She ended up running a kennel for 25 years – a livelihood she said led her to pursue increasingly ambitious dog sledding adventures.

“I’m an obsessive planner,” Flowers said. “For someone of my size to succeed at what I do, I need to take the most advantage out of the factors I can control, and planning and preparedness are foremost among them.”

Flowers does the majority of her trips solo. It helps her stay focused and not dependant on others, and she’s never been much of a “people person” anyway, she said.

“I’ve spent a lot of time alone in my life,” Flowers said. “Being alone isn’t difficult for me – in fact, I prefer it. I like setting goals for myself and being reliant only on myself. It just seems easy for me to get up and work hard every day – I don’t need others to motivate me.”

Being alone in the middle of the Arctic is a powerful feeling, Flowers said.

“It may sound trite, but you really do become one with nature,” Flower said. “It’s very empowering to be a part of something so big and strong.”

Her biggest accomplishment to date was her 2,500 mile trans-Arctic solo expedition with an eight-dog sled team from Barrow, Alaska to Repulse Bay, Canada from February, 1993 to January 1994. The journey retraced Danish explorer Knud Rasmussen’s route across the Northwest Passage, also known as “the rim of the Arctic.”

“I planned for this trip for two years,” Flowers said. “I had been in the Arctic before, I knew what to expect, what the conditions would be like, and I was prepared.”

A remarkable episode in her journey occurred when her team encountered a polar bear with a cub, about 1,400 miles out of Barrow. Flowers lost control of her dogs, who ran toward the bear. 

“The bear just wanted to protect its baby. It got very agitated and kept making false charges,” Flowers said. “It began drooling and wagging its head – which is a sign it’s getting really mad – and I took out my shotgun and aimed it. Everything got very quiet, and suddenly the bear walked away with the cub. It took me three or four days to stop shaking. It was terrifying.”

More than 2,000 miles into her journey, the ice began breaking up around her – several weeks early – and Flowers was forced to spend five months in a small Inuit village called Gjoa Haven, waiting for winter and the return of the ice. Flowers said it was an enjoyable experience, and also an exercise in the most important characteristic to have when working in the Arctic.

“You need patience, incredible patience. It can get very frustrating,” Flowers said.

Flowers’ visit was organized by the School Administrative District No. 6 librarians with help from a Narragansett One Foundation grant. 

“She’s one of the best presenters we’ve ever seen,” librarian Cybil Shiland said. “We had her six years ago, but now we have a new group of kids, and so it’s all new to them.”

The many lessons Flowers learned in her Arctic experiences are all valuable for children to hear about, Shiland said. Flowers visited every school in SAD6 in addition to her presentation at Bonny Eagle High School, Shiland said.

“On top of just telling great stories, there are real lessons to take away,” Shiland said.

During her presentation, Flowers takes a minute to explain the resistance she has faced in her lifetime.

“People will find something about you to pick on that you can’t help,” Flowers said. “They’ll say you’re the wrong race, the wrong religion, that you’re too tall or too small, too fat or too skinny. You’re never going to do anything with your life if you let these people pull you down.”

Flowers’ new book, “Douggie, the playful pup who became a sled dog hero” is available at her Web site, www.pamflowers.com.