Danish Prince, Team Conclude Arctic Trek

Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark and five expedition companions fired off flares in celebration as they completed a 2,200-mile Arctic dog-sled trek through northern Greenland’s coldest regions.

The team, which began the trek Feb. 11, concluded its journey Tuesday at 11:30 p.m. in Daneborg, a tiny Danish naval base on Greenland’s northeastern coast, according to the Wednesday edition of expedition Sirius 2000’s Internet diary. The six were greeted by members of an elite Arctic naval unit bearing beer, chocolate and cigars.

“The participants and their dogs are tired and need some rest,” Jeppe Handwerk, a television producer who waited for the expedition in Daneborg, said on the Internet site. “They have all become thinner since I last saw them in March.”

Daneborg is the base of the Sirius patrol, the Danish naval unit that patrols the world’s largest island, a semiautonomous territory that is part of Denmark. The expedition marked the 50th anniversary of the founding of the naval unit.

Frederik is the oldest son of Queen Margrethe II. In April, he received a hasty visit from his parents, who spent a few hours in the Arctic snows and went on a dog-sled ride.

This week, the prince celebrated his 32nd birthday in one of the rare wooden shelters along the route.