| Welcome to the 2009 North Pole Dogsled & Ski Expedition Blog. We will begin the daily dispatches on April 8, 2009 - so check back soon! Take me to today's dispatch! |
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April 8 The team has arrived! After much anticipation and planning we are very excited to officially kick off the 2009 North Pole Dogsled & Ski Expedition. The team met this evening for a welcome reception and dinner where they had a chance to reconnect and meet with Karolina and Chris (our mushers and guides). After dinner they went back to the hotel for a gear check and more talk about the expedition. Tomorrow they will stay in town for expedition preparations and review. All are excited and eager to get the show on the road! Check back tomorrow for another update! April 9 Today the team spent the day in Longyearbyen prepping for the expedition. They are now all packed, with gear at the airport ready for the charter flight in the morning. They had a nice dinner in town and they are all excited (and a little nervous) about the upcoming adventure. Check back tomorrow for more details and to learn their starting coordinates. April 10 Today the team departed Longyearbyen for the Borneo Ice Station. The charter flight took about 2.5 hours, and they landed on the ice to a beautiful sunny day with cool, crisp temperatures around -30C. These are ideal conditions for traveling in the Arctic and the team is very excited to be starting. They will spend the night at the Borneo Ice Camp which is currently located at N89.38.75, W41.24.39. Tomorrow they will take a helicopter south to their starting location. All the team members and all the dogs are doing well. Make sure to listen to their audio dispatches below! One each from Dave, Koen and Lieve! Listen to today's audio dispatch from Dave Morris Listen to today's audio dispatch from Koen Listen to today's audio dispatch from Lieve April 11 Today the team got dropped off at approximately 88.15.00 N and W76. The helicopter ride was exciting as it lifted off the ice at Borneo and headed south. Upon touching down the team reorganized their gear, hitched up the dogs and took off for the North Pole. The terrain was filled with rubble and it was difficult to navigate. "A real team-builder of a day" as guide Chris put it. Ultimately they made 3 nautical miles North and did a great job working together. Their current position is N88.18.39. All are well and having a good time despite being tired. Make sure to listen to the daily audio blog. Check back tomorrow for another dispatch. Listen to today's audio dispatch from Koen Listen to today's audio dispatch from Chris April 12 The team woke this morning to learn they drifted 1/2 mile to the south while they were asleep. It's always frutrating to drift south overnight, but losing only 1/2 mile is not so bad. Once they started traveling they ran into more rubble with blocks of ice the size of cars and trucks everywhere. Yet despite the ups and downs (literally!) the team is doing great. The temperature was a frigid - 33C but everyone stayed warm and dry. In order to detour around heavy blocks of ice they traveled due east for about an hour before resuming their northerly course. They had one great pan of flat ice today and while they were on it they traveled fast and had a lot of fun. Moving from heavy rubble to a flat, open pan of ice is a wonderful feeling and a great reminder that there is always an end to the rubble somewhere! The team's position this evening is N88.20.51, W75.56.08. Make sure to listen to the daily audio blog! Listen to today's audio dispatch from David April 13 After losing 2 miles to a south drift overnight, the team got underway and traveled 8 nautical miles to end at N.88.26.02, W74.21.07. They have been experiencing a strong easterly drift with winds out of the east/north east. They started the morning with a few areas of heavy rubble, but by mid day they were traveling across large pans separated by rows of rubble. They likened it to traveling across an English countryside, with field after field separated by hedges or stone walls. They were surprised to discover some bear tracks which looked like a mother and two cubs. The tracks looked relatively fresh, and the team will keep on the lookout for any other signs of polar bear. In addition to the bear prints, the team passed some huge blocks of ice - some the size of double-decked busses. There were many older leads that were stable enough to cross without problem. When they called in, they were all together in the tent comfortably sharing a meal and some hot beverages. Check back tomorrow for another dispatch! Listen to today's audio dispatch from Koen & Chris (english version at end...) April 14 Today the team is happy to be relaxing after a long day of work. They traveled for approximately 8.5 hours and made 5.75 nautical miles north, the majority of that made in the afternoon hours when they reached several nice pans of ice. They have been steadily drifting to the east and a bit to the south (they lost 2 miles last night). No more bear prints today, just the beauty of Arctic pack ice on a sunny day. Tonight as they sit in the tent they are enjoying hot drinks (coco & chai) and Chris is about to cook up some quesadillas for the group. Their current position in degrees, minutes, and seconds is N88.29.54, W71.56.45. Check back tomorrow for another dispatch from the ice! Listen to today's audio dispatch from Lieve April 15 Today the team reports its best day yet with just over 9 nautical miles of travel. The wind has been strong, therefore making the temperatures feel extra cold, but everyone is doing well and the team is getting into the groove. The team had nice traveling conditions today, with big pans of ice and not as much rubble. Blue sky and sun brought out the beauty of the polar sea. Their current position is N88.36.42, W68.13.29. Make sure to listen to David's delightful account of the day! Listen to today's audio dispatch from David April 16 The team reported a good day with 6 solid hours of travel on pan ice followed by 2 hours of much more challenging rough rubble. They lost 2 miles during the night due to drift. Winds continue to be out of the west-southwest. They made a total of 8.5 nautical mile. Their current position is N 88.43.52, W65.03.54. They were enjoying some aquavite in the tent before getting a well deserved good night's sleep. Listen to today's audio dispatch from Koen April 17 The two degree and one degree dogsled teams are now one as the one degree team joined in. They were given a bit of a boost to N 89 degrees and from there began a fairly full day of travel. They had fair conditions for travel, encountering more open water than in the past few days but they also had some good pans of ice which helped their progress. They did run into a few rubble zones but were able to negotiate them skillfully. They were on the move for 6 hours. The winds were out of the West at 15 knots and temperatures hovered around -5 F. Their current position is N 89.08.02, W 63.20.47. Listen to today's audio dispatch from Chris April 18 Vernon called in the report today- it was his first full day on the ice as he joined the team yesterday. It was a classically perfect day- clear and calm. They traveled on old leads and nice pans of ice, allowing them to make good time. The team made 10 miles in 8 hours which is excellent progress. Their current position is N 89.16 Listen to today's audio dispatch from Vernon Listen to today's audio dispatch from Koen April 19 Today's reports came in from Lieve and David. David's message is
encouraging all of us to think about Earth Day (April 22) and what
we can do to reduce global warming and minimize our negative impact
on the Earth. One of the reasons David came on this expedition was
reading last year that the North Pole could be melted in 30 years,
he wanted to be able to experience the majesty of the polar region
for himself and be able to share his experiences with his children
if the North Pole no longer existed. The North Pole is one of the
greatest wonders of the world and it is amazing to experience it
first hand. Listen to today's audio dispatch from Lieve Listen to today's audio dispatch from David April 20 Today the team reports a good day with sunny skies and a fairly strong wind that shifted from the west to the north. This means that the team was skiing and dogsledding into the wind all day. It's these type of conditions that make you don your face mask and tighten up your fur ruff. Without full face coverage you could risk getting frostnip or frostbite on your nose or cheeks. But the team reports no problems with the cold, rather they enjoyed the day's travel. They had an exciting lead crossing, where the ice was actually moving before their very eyes, closing the lead and making the crossing smaller by the second. Another lead required them to ski alongside looking for a way to cross. The lead was trending to the E/NE, and they skied along-side it for the better part of the day before finding a snow bridge just wide enough for a sled which allowed them a narrow passage across the water. Everyone is in good spirits tonight (including the dogs who are doing a great job). The team was just about to have some seafood chowder and hot drinks when they made their report. There current position is N89.30, W51.30. Listen to today's audio dispatch from Koen Listen to today's audio dispatch from Vernon April 21 The team awoke to strong winds "howling" winds, but they decided to break camp and push on towards the pole. It's never easy to lie in your warm sleeping bag as you listen to a cold wind buffeting the tent, and know that you have to go out into that the harsh environment. Yet they did just that and they were rewarded with good ice conditions and the satisafaction of making 9 miles North. The conditions were quite terrible. The wind was blowing so hard it was easier to walk rather than ski, so the skiers took off they skis and walked across the snow, which was very hard-packed from all the wind. Now the team is in their tents enjoying a hot meal, but unforunately still drifting to the south. Their current position is N89.32.48, W43.10. Check back tomorrow for another update! Listen to today's audio dispatch from Lieve April 22 Another hard day with winds out of the west, but not nearly as difficult traveling conditions as yesterday. Still, the team found it easier to travel on foot than by ski. The dogs are doing great and the team members are becoming excellent mushers, as they maneuver the heavy sleds across the polar sea wih its pressure ridges and leads. Today the ice was mostly old pans that were very well packed. A few new leads provided some excitement and a break from the pans. They made 9.5 nautical miles in 8 hours to end at N89.38.11, W34.16. Check back tomorrow for another dispatch! Listen to today's audio dispatch from David April 23 They are getting closer! The team today traveled about 8 hours and made 8 miles North. Koen stepped into a crack while on foot and went into the water up to his chest, but Chris was right beside him and got him out of the water in moments. Though it must have been a big surprise for Koen he is doing just fine and managed well throughout the rest of the day. Thankfully the wind has died down significantly and the sun is out. The visibility is excellent and the team is looking forward to a big push tomorrow to get them within striking distance of the pole. They are optimistic and excited and everyone is hoping that the weather holds, and that the drift subsides. Keep your finger's crossed, and check back tomorrow for another dispatch! Listen to today's audio dispatch from Chris April 24 Continued progress North though the team encountered very challenging travel conditions today. In the first 4 hours of travel, they made 2 nautical miles. They encountered open lead after open lead, each 15-30 feet wide. At each lead, they would have to spend 30 minutes or so either building an ice bridge (cutting up blocks of ice and placing them together across the lead to be able to cross) or finding a way to negotiate around the lead. All of the leads were running NW to SE, all had similar characteristics in terms of the breaks in the ice. Very frustrating when they are getting so close! The winds were from the north but fortunately, calming down. The southerly drift appears to be abating though still present. Though this was supposed to be a 2 degree dogsled expediton, they estimate that overall they have traveled 3 degrees in terms of distance due to the southerly drift and need to negotiate around the leads. Their goal is to reach the North Pole tomorrow and we all are sending positive energy and hopes for less leads, less drift and favorable travel conditions! Their current position is N 89.47.67, W 9.29. Check back tomorrow for what they hope to be a celebratory dispatch! Listen to today's audio dispatch from Koen April 25 SUCCESS! After an epic 13 hour day, and against the odds, the team has finally reached the North Pole by dogsled and ski. Their final miles were studded with multiple leads which required significant collaboration and effort to surmount, but the team came together and worked incredibly hard for the final push. They arrived at the Pole after making a remarkable 14.5 nautical miles across ice that tried to block them over and over again. They are thrilled with their achievement and happy to be at the top of the world. We are so proud of them and all of their hard work. Everyone is doing very well. They arrived just in time for their pick-up from the Pole by helicopter which will transport them back to the Borneo ice camp. By the time you read this message the team will likely be on their way back to Longyearbyen where a celebratory dinner, hot showers and comfortable beds await the team. We congratulate our team on reaching the Pole, but we are most proud of them for their hard work, positive spirits and team collaboration during the many challenges of the expedition. Way to go!!! Listen to today's audio dispatch from Chris Listen to today's audio dispatch from Lieve April 27 The team has arrived safely back in Longyearbyen. They continue to relive their last epic day on the ice. On previous days, their longest trek had been 10 miles and on this day, they made 15 miles though in reality probably traveled 25 miles negotiating the leads. Everyone was at their limit but continued pushing a little bit more, a little bit further, a little bit harder until ultimately they reached their goal at 2:00 a.m. The sense of accomplishment was overwhelming. They well deserve their hot showers, fine meals and comfortable beds back in Longyearbyen. Major congratulations to all team members and we look forward to welcoming you back to your respective homes soon. Listen to today's audio dispatch from David Listen to today's audio dispatch from Lieve Listen to today's audio dispatch from Koen The Amazing Last Day in Review... Taken from the journal of a team member... read about their incredible final hours of the expedition. (These are real times and distances...) "On April 24 we went to sleep with thought of an impossible task before us. We were anticipating a south drift of 2-3 miles and an open lead stretching wide before us that gave no inkling of closing with the calming winds. We woke up 14.1 nautical miles south of the pole and the lead had opened 20 meters. Winds had calmed, drift had slowed and it was a beautiful day. We knew we had an epic day before if were we to reach our goal. 30 hours of potential travel lay between us and the elusive axis of the world. and we resolved to push on until we reached it or we could push no further. To the east our way was shut down by intense rubble and a southerly turn so we resolved to head southwest along the open reach. We went southwest for a mile before someone in the group noticed a possibility of putting together some pieces of snow and ice to create a dubious road across the lead with a steep incline on the far side. We decide to go for some serious and daring road construction. After an hour of team building we successfully crossed the lead with a intense sense of satisfaction but now our GPS read over 15 nautical miles to the Pole. We traveled through the day reaching southwest/northeast crack after crack and resolved to travel easterly on each until finding a way across. Our crossings included daring forays over rubber ice and building multiple snow bridges. Three miles from the pole Chris, who was out front, found just one more crack. He slammed down his pole, frustrated at being so close yet so far. What we had anticipated as a 1.5 hour finish turned into a 4 hour finish. After 14 hours and 20 minutes of nonstop travel we finally reached our goal at the top of the world. We knew we had arrived as we could see in the near distance the tent of John Huston and Tyler Fish who had arrived a few hours earlier after having completed their historic unsupported journey. By the time we were done we had skied 16 nautical miles north, 1.9 nautical miles south, .75 nautical miles west and approximately 6 nautical miles east equaling 24.65 nautical miles or approximately 28.3 statute miles. The dogs were tuckered out and the last mile was the longest mile. But the light still shined and we reached our goal weary and content as we collapsed at the pole...the prize we had stole. Until next year, cheers, from the PolarExplorers dogsled team." |
