| May 14. Wild cards | |
 | Sometimes life deals only the wild cards. That would be our hand right now. Made 6,5 km in only 2 hours when we hit the worst lead possible. 500m/1500ft wide, with a thick cover of rubbery black ice. Too weak to ski, too thick to paddle, too wide to brake up. It branched off to southwest in a myriad of smaller leads and continued all the way on the horizon to the east. For hours we tried everything, pacing its shores like restless animals. As a last resort the drysuits came on and we ventured out on the skin-deep ice. The entire ice sheet swayed and ski tracks with water formed behind us. The ice was breaking up and we must turn back as we wouldn't have had the power to swim back for hundreds of meters through this thick soup of broken ice-pans. We now camp on the bank, hoping for the lead to freeze over night. In the meantime, the drift is back and we are rushing east 700m/2100ft an hour. If this continues we will lose up to 3 longitudes over night, placing us dangerously close to the southeasterly Lomonosov polar drift trap. We hold our breath and rest. We had planned for a rest day later on but there will be no need for it now, given the two half rest days lately. And by tomorrow, we will be dealt a new hand of cards. N 87 16,9 W 68 15,3 D 6,7 km TT 4 h TD 470,2/54days DNP 302,1 km, sleds w 115 kg, T(UTC-5) 8.00 p.m. -8C/10ktsSW, St, As 8/8, sf. Contrast: mod, Sky: white, visibility: 3 km. Ice crystals: light. GPS: 1011 mbar (-), pos am 8714,4/6859,2 drift NE 2 km |
| May 13. Black skies, black ice and Bluetooth | |
 | The falling barometer brought a change in wind direction to NE and clouds switched from cumulus to stratus. The lead was still there, covered with a rubbery black ice. Above it, our first sight of "water sky", the lead mirrored on the white sky like a black, horizontal smoky streak. Made another try to walk around it, but an hour later we just threw in the sleds and swam. Hearts pounding we balanced the wobbly sleds, crushed the ice before us and crawled up the slippery shore. But we crossed at last and it probably saved us from a camp lie up wait for freezeover. Swam/paddled another one before the end of the day, quite happy to have this option. The leads are large and numerous now. And then it was time for a historical, first ever bluetooth transmission on the Arctic ice! Used it to send pics between our PDAs. There you have it; it worked on Antarctica, it worked here - the bluetooth wireless technology WORKS! N 87 13,9 W 69 17,2 D 17,8 km TT 10 h TD 466,2/53days DNP 307,6 km, sleds w 117 kg, T(UTC-5) 10.00 p.m. -6C/4ktsNE, St, As 8/8, sf. Contrast: mod/poor, Sky: white, visibility: 3 km. Ice crystals: light. GPS: 1014 mbar (v), pos am 8704,4/6910,0 drift NE 0,1km |
| ExWeb update May 13, Wayne The Weatherman on moist air and drift | |
| "The problems with moist air will continue and get worse.
A North Atlantic Low is waiting to pump some moist warm air over the ice, and it will be back to the fog again, once in a while a high pressure near Spitzbergen will stop this flow, but it will be mostly fog." "A drift of 20 miles in a few hours is possible! Given the right wind conditions, by right I mean at this time of the year when everything is broken up, and the winds are going in the same direction of the current. Right now the winds are not going the same way, and when they are, you'll see monstrous speeds, this is why it is not wise to be on the ice at this time of the year....." | |
| May 12. Walking along the riverside | |
 | -2C/30F high today, and a rainlike snow drizzle. Everything smells and feels damp. We wonder if the heavy clouds are here to stay, have seen the sun twice in ten days. Worked our way over open or collapsed leads and pans all day. This last lead we followed west for 30 minutes, finding no crossing. The lead too wide to swim, we made an early camp and took the chance for rest, falling asleep immediately. Pretty amazing how our bodies in this state still keep us going for 10 hours each day. Are waterproofing our sleds with pieces from a foam mattress. The leads now clearly the biggest threat to our goal, we are getting ready to swim and paddle. With nowhere else to go, our camp is right in the middle of the open waters. The barometer is falling, which is a bit unsettling in this position. N 87 04,3 W 69 11,5 D 8,1 km TT 6 h TD 446,3/52days DNP 325,3 km, sleds w 120 kg, T(UTC-5) 9.00 p.m. -2C/0kts, Sc 8/8, sf. Contrast: poor, Sky: white, visibility: 1 km. Ice crystals: light. GPS: 1019 mbar (v), pos am 8700,4/6846,5 drift NE 1 km |
| May 11. 87 degrees North | |
 | Snowfall tapped on our tent canvas all night and we woke to another gray day. We sure are glad that we aren't reliant on solar power this time. Good news were that the digits on the GPS were still, the drift has stopped! Skied in contrast so poor that we bumped right into snowdunes 2 meters/6ft tall, thinking it was flat ice. The ice conditions were lousy; collapsed pans, countless blue pressure ridges and new rubble, all covered by soggy, deep snow and that gray fog. A ghostlike, ugly maze of an unsettled frozen ocean. Were pretty wasted 10 hours later, but wanted revenge on this bad day and added an hour to enter 87th. Feels good to have come down with victory. Fixed up Toms shoe sole with super glue and it has hold up the entire day. N 87 00,1 W 68 54,3 D 20,0 km TT 11 h TD 440,3/51days DNP 333,2 km, sleds w 124 kg, T(UTC-5) 10.30 p.m. -6C/0kts, Ns, Sc 8/8, sf. Contrast: poor/nil, Sky: grey, visibility: 1 km. Ice crystals: light. GPS: 1023 mbar (-), pos am 8649,4/6853,5 drift NE 0,3km |
| May 10. Carry on! Carry on! | |
 | A strong wind picked up last night. Drifted in and out of sleep obsessing about the icedrift. Struggled all day in wind, zero visibility and snowfall, but managed to compensate west. Received your messages and this poem last night. Got us back on our feet. It's easy to fight when everything's right, And you're mad with the thrill and the glory; It's easy to cheer when victory's near, And wallow in fields that are gory. It's a different song when everything's wrong. When you're feeling infernally mortal; When it's ten against one, and hope there is none, Buck up, little soldier, and chortle: Carry on! Carry on! There isn't much punch in your blow. You're glaring and staring and hitting out blind; You're muddy and bloody, but never mind. Carry on! Carry on! You haven't the ghost of a show. It's looking like death, but while you've a breath, Carry on, my son! Carry on! And so in the strife of the battle of life It's easy to fight when you're winning; It's easy to slave, and starve and be brave, When the dawn of success is beginning. But the man who can meet despair and defeat With a cheer, there's a man of God's choosing; The man who can fight to Heaven's own height Is the man who can fight when he's losing. Carry on! Carry on! Things never were looming so black. But show that you haven't a cowardly streak, And though you're unlucky you never are weak. Carry on! Carry on! Brace up for another attack. It's looking like hell, but - you never can tell; Carry on, old man! Carry on! There are some who drift out in the deserts of doubt, And some who in brutishness wallow; There are others, I know, who in piety go Because of a Heaven to follow. But to labor with zest, and to give of your best, For the sweetness and joy of the giving; To help folks along with a hand and a song; Why, there's the real sunshine of living. Carry on! Carry on! Fight the good fight and true; Believe in you mission, greet life with a cheer; There's big work to do, and that's why you are here. Carry on! Carry on! Let the world be the better for you; And at last when you die, let this be your cry: Carry on, my soul! Carry on! (Robert W. Service) N 86 49,3 W 68 56,6 D 20,2 km TT 10 h TD 420,3/50days DNP 353,1 km, sleds w 127 kg, T(UTC-5) 10.00 p.m. -9C/14ktsSW, Ns, St 8/8, sf. Contrast: poor/nil, Sky: grey, visibility: 1 km. Ice crystals: light. GPS: 1021 mbar (-), pos am 8638,5/6907,2 drift E 5,5km |
| May 9. Escaping Sedna | |
 | The drift is unreal now. We can see it on the GPS, the digits changing by the second! We drift 10m/30ft per minute and since last night we have lost an entire longitude! We have moved about 8km/4NM east. This is certainly not a place to linger around, we must run west/north until we are out of reach from this invisible sea force. The ice brakes up and there are waves in the open waters. The weather has improved at last, sun all day but also a south-westerly wind pushing the ice even further east. Last night we had a nightly visitor. Didn't recognize the tracks but they resembled the ones of a hare. Record distance today much to our surprise, were pretty tired all day. (Note: Sedna is the Inuit name for the goddess of the Arctic ocean). N 86 38,4 W 68 51,2 D 21,2 km TT 10 h TD 400,1/49days DNP 373,2 km, sleds w 130 kg, T(UTC-5) 10.00 p.m. -14C/10ktsSSW, Sun. Contrast: good, Sky: blue, visibility: 10 km. Ice crystals: mod. GPS: 1020 mbar (-), pos am 8628,0/6927,1 drift NE |
| May 8. Drift wood | |
| This month there are several hundreds of climbers on Mount Everest. Each season, around 1000 people cross the Atlantic ocean in private yachts. Right now we are 5 people between 3 expeditions on the Arctic ice. The morning was lousy. The weather foggier then ever, we've now had a week of whiteout. In addition, a very cold westerly wind gave us 2 km drift east over night. Snowfall again, the snow now a wet blanket of sticky slush beneath our skis. Tired and disoriented we headed out. Our faces are covered with cold lumps, our knees, feet and backs are very sore. We have lost much weight and some days we hallucinate in the fog. The ice begins to rotate. It's a dreamlike, eerie state of mind, disrupted only by the arrival of another pressure ridge to crawl over. Today we found driftwood in the ice. Perhaps it came from a sailing boat. Perhaps from an ancient North Pole expedition. There is no base camp here to provide rest and a good meal. No boating sunsets with a grilled catch of the day. This is just brutal, cruel and wild adventure. We have done it since December last year. It's May now. It's been a long time. N 86 27,8 W 69 55,8 D 20,1 km TT 10 h TD 378,9/48days DNP 393 km, sleds w 132 kg, T(UTC-5) 10.00 p.m. -16C/10ktsSSW, St 8/8. Contrast: poor, Sky: grey, visibility: 2 km, sf. Ice crystals: light. GPS: 1019 mbar (-), pos am 8617,1/6945,1 drift E |
| May 7. Let's lunch, darling | |
 | Another misty day and again we found ourselves traveling amidst silent, ghostlike silhouettes of ice. At a giant nearly frozen lead we suddenly encountered what must be Caros and Ann's tracks. Trouble was that the trail vanished into piles of broken ice. We figure the expedition is one day ahead at the most. This collapse of about 500m/1500ft must have happened in the last 24 hours! We skied the remains of the lead hoping to have our hot midday soup at the end of it. An hour later however, the lead still went on. And so it came about that we had lunch on a floating 5m/15ft ice pan in the middle of the Arctic ocean with 3000m/9000ft of water beneath us! Thanks again guys for all your kind and encouraging messages on the board. And congrats to Paul, Swee and Apu (the dog) at the pole. It's Pauls third, Apus second and Swees first time! Finally to Greger and his flightcrew: On your next transatlantic cruise, why don't you guys tell the passengers the cabin pressure is low, tie up that guy in Business class with that skinny face and long beard, dip down to about 300 ft just outside of Greenland and make us a drop of beer and Danish smorrebrod. And whilst you are at it - drop Jon too, the sleds are screaming for him. N 86 17,0 W 70 03,2 D 18,7 km TT 10 h TD 358,8/47days DNP 413 km, sleds w 134 kg, T(UTC-5) 10.00 p.m. -10C/4ktsW, Sc 8/8. Contrast: poor, Sky: grey, visibility: 2 km, sf. Ice crystals: light. GPS: 1018 mbar (-), pos am 8607,1/7023,3 drift E |
| May 6. 86 degrees North | |
 | The new latitude greeted us poorly. For 4 hours we hit open leads every 5 minutes. The snowfall lately made for slushy, deep snow. Got pretty worried for a while, especially as the temperature was an incredible -5C at midday. Hey Arctic, we are not melting here, are we? At one point, a snow bridge started to sink under Tom and he slided into the water. In the last minute, Tina got hold of his pulling line and dragged him back on shore. We don`t fear leads, to us they are crevasses with water in them and to any mountaineer ; water in a crevasse is actually good news! But we still don`t wish to fall in without our drysuits on. It`s cold, it`s wet and current could pull us beneath the sea ice. The warmth is new to us. Everything is now wet instead of frozen. We skied without hats, gloves - Tom only in his netting undershirt! The second part of the day obliged with pans and a great frozen northbound lead, which saved our distance today. Got news that Alain and Dixie now are off the ice. The men battled for 70 days in horrible conditions until the end. And Pom from the British women team was taken off after skiing with severe frostbite on her feet for 50 days. Those guys fought the toughest battles but must leave without the prize. Our hats off for them. N 86 07,0 W 70 24,6 D 17,3 km TT 10 h TD 340,1/46days DNP 431,4 km, sleds w 136 kg, T(UTC-5) 10.00 p.m. -8C/0kts, Sc 8/8. Contrast: poor, Sky: grey, visibility: 3 km, sf. Ice crystals: light. GPS: 1019 mbar (-), pos am 8557,6/7011,3 drift SE |