Sent directly from Eagle City, Alaska to Collier's Weekly, Roald Amundsen's journal is a thin volume, handwritten entirely in Norwegian. Written primarily in the past tense, the journal is clearly not a diary or a captain's log, but rather an accounting of the journey written soon after the voyage had ended.

The penciled script is impeccably neat and fluid, but unfortunately a bit too light to create color scans from. To compensate for this, the images shown below of the first five pages of the journal are presented in high-contrast black and white (you can click each image to see a larger version of the page). The painstaking work of creating a word-by-word English translation of the journal was done by Astrid Weeder.

To see larger versions of the journal pages, simply click on the images below. 

For a complete English translation of the journal, please click here.

Gjøa is a yacht 46 tons, 73 feet long, 20 feet wide, and draws 10 feet when loaded. She is not especially built for Arctic ice covered water but has lately been strengthened by oak planks - cross beams & knees, & everything else that can serve to break the ice. She has a petroleum motor of 13 horse powers with which the vessel (craft) in calm weather and smooth water can achieve 3 knots. The motor is therefore not the main source of power. It is only meant to be used in calm weather. Gjøa's motive power is in her sails and like all vessels of this type, she does her "things" excellently. The expedition's goal was to force its way into the region about the earth's magnetic North Pole & there make observations at a fixed station for a long period of time. For this purpose the expedition was mainly . . .

. . . supplied by magnetic instruments. Prof. Dr. G. Neumayer, previously managing director of "Deutsche Seewarte", Prof. Schmidt, director of the magnetic observatory in Potsdam, Dr. Edler at the same observatory & meteorologist Aksel S. Steen at the meteorological observatory in Kristiania were the ones who conducted and suggested the supply of equipments outfitting Gjøa expedition's magnetic instruments. The expedition was therefore very well equipped—needless to say. In addition, we brought instrument for meteorology, oceanography and astronomical observations. The provisions were carefully examined by Prof. Torup at Kristiania University. The task of supplying a polar expedition these days is not a piece of art - if one has enough money. One has to take . . .

. . . advantage of previous exp. as an example. What is even better is to hear from an experienced adviser. Nobody could be in a better position than me. The one who was behind all of this was Professor Fridtjof Nansen. If Gjøa expedition is successful, it is mainly because of this man. The expedition numbers 7 participants. The next in command is the Premier lieutenant in the Danish navy, Godfred Hansen. The remaining are Norwegians. During the night between the 16th and 17th of June, 1903, the expedition left Kristiania. Since we were heavily loaded Gjøa took it easy in the water. We set course north of Scotland and approx 4 weeks later we were under Cape Fawel, Greenland's southern point. It took us a long time to get to Godhavn . . .

. . . on Disco Island since we had head wind all the way. In the last days of July we finally arrived there. The purpose in stopping here was to establish a magnetic station and to take more sledge-dogs on board.   We brought with us 6 dogs from Kristiania - dogs that had been on the second Fram expedition.—After we ended our work in Godhavn, we left the 31st of July. We now were facing the dreaded "Nelville Bay". On August 8th we passed "Devils Thumb" & started the passage over the bay. The 14th we were in "The North Water", so called by the Scottish whalers. The North Water is for the most part free of ice & allows for an easy sail. At Dalrymple Rock—at Greenland's NW side—we had to stop . . .

. . . to take onboard the provisions the Scottish whaleship captains Mine & Adams had deposited there for the expedition. Dalrymple Rock is only a small islet, consisting mainly of mountains. We anchored close to shore to stay as close to the depot as possible and therefore do less transporting. Through a wall of icebergs, we passed on the 17 through into Baffin Bay. Good conditions and nice weather made this sail over this bay a pleasure. We arrived Beechy Island the 22nd & anchored there in order to take a magnetic station. This station would be decisive for the remainder of our journey, since it would be the closest to show us the location of the magnetic pole and thus show us the way we have to take. The observations show the pole to be to the southward, so we sailed that direction ... after having lifted anchor the 24th—going south towards Peel Sound.