WHITE ODYSSEY

One man and his team of dogs decide to sled across the 8,000+ kilometers of Canada. Crazy, if you ask me.

If you think "First Dude" wannabe Mr. Sarah Palin is tough for winning a 2,000-mile snowmobile race with a broken arm, think again. French adventurer Nicolas Vannier had a bet to settle: He wanted to break a record (you know, one of those records that only one crazy person probably ever tried in the first place). Vannier said he could race a sled pulled by a dog team from the Pacific to the Atlantic, across Canada's "Great White North" in 100 days. To you and me, that is over 8,000 kilometers, at a pace of about 120 kilometers (75 miles) a day.

The documentary White Odyssey wastes no time starting the adventure. We meet Nicolas Vannier and his crew that consist of not only him and his dog team, but also a couple of teams of snowmobilers that ride ahead of him to break the trail. When the snow is too powdery, it is difficult and exhausting for the dogs to run. The snowmobiles not only provide a flattened surface for the dog team, but also provide a trail for them to follow. The plan is for the first snowmobile team to ride about 24 hours ahead, followed by the second team on their trail (creating a well-worn path). Of course, things never go as smoothly as planned.

Despite the fact that it is 1999 when Vannier makes his attempt—with the help of GPS devices, occasional roads, and satellite communication—things still are not easy. The Rocky Mountains prove to be a hugely difficult obstacle, as the snowmobiles are forced to ride over boulders, down cliffs, and wedge into crevasses. At another point, Vannier vents his frustration at the path he is following, seemingly right through a thicket of bushes (and the viewers see that the path also causes squabbles among the snowmobile teams hours earlier). Sometime the terrain crossed is dangerous for the dogs, with an icy surface that is like fine shards of glass on the dogs' feet.

As Nicolas Vannier as his crew threaten to break down from exhaustion, bickering, and repeatedly getting lost, it seems that the whole trip may come to a screeching halt. But while arriving at another completely remote town in the middle of nowhere, they find that, yet again, the locals are waiting for them in excitement, with open arms and encouragement. Vannier slowly realizes that they are being carried across the continent by a human chain. As they finally arrive in Quebec City on the Atlantic coast, it is evident that the dogs are the heroes of the moment, but a greater force has also been at work. What starts as an adventure across the wilderness turns into a surprising story of the strength and power of the human spirit.