Friday, April 10th till April 5th
Daily reports to be added soon
Sunday, April 4th
Daily Positions:
• Start: 89° 02' 24" N 118° 53' 31" E
• End: 89° 16' 18" N 121° 37' 42" E
This morning we awakened to bright sunshine and a temperature of -32°C. There was very slight wind out of the south, which is welcome indeed. During the night we drifted some 600m towards the north, so that’s the right direction :-). The ice pack also drifts towards the east. Currently we are around 121°E, which is somewhere above China, a bit east of Mongolia and west of the Korean Peninsula.
During the day we made excellent progress. Weather remained sunny, not too much wind, and the terrain we traversed was mostly flat with occasional compression zones where we had to take off our skis and drag the sleds over the ice rubble. We didn’t have to cross any open water yet. Overall we covered 14km, and set camp 81km away from the pole.
When camp was made in the evening, temperature was around -24°C. Of course everyone in the group expected to be cold in the North Pole region, but expectations and realities are different concepts. In fact, cold is taking its toll on several team members, particularly with discomfort in their extremities. Fingers are particularly vulnerable since gloves are removed from time to time to manipulate equipment or to take a picture. It is also only normal that each body must acclimate in its own time to such temperature variations, and no one with polar experience is surprised to see that on Day 3 the adaptation is not yet complete for several members. For Sabine it is at present uncertain if she can continue the expedition, as she has frostbite in one of her fingers. A final decision about her ability to move on will be made tomorrow morning. In any case for the next days it’s imperative that everyone keeps a close eye on him/herself and the other team members to check for signs of frostbite or frostnip.
The weather forecast shows some potentially challenging conditions from Tuesday, April 6th onwards. Therefore, the team hopes to cover as much distance as possible tomorrow. Should the inclement weather (snow & increased winds) arrive as predicted, then the team can wait it out safely & comfortably in their tents if need be. The easterly drift which has pushed the team today may also change to an undesired southeasterly drift. What is certain is that temperatures will rise and snow will fall the day after tomorrow.
Good news from Joost: he returned to Longyearbyen today and was treated and released from the hospital there. While his frostbite is extremely uncomfortable, he seems to have caught it in time to prevent severe damage. Joost is now arranging his travel plans to return home to Belgium.
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Saturday, April 3rd
Daily Positions:
• Start: 89° 02' 31" N 119° 05' 53" E
• End: 89° 09' 05" N 118° 14' 28" E
Today proceeded very nicely and progression was smooth although in a “zig zag” manner instead of a straight line. The terrain was mostly flat, interspersed with compression zones that were mostly running in north-south direction. Altogether we covered 12 km, still 95 km to go to the Pole. While temperatures were indeed cold (-25°C to -30°C) there were no unusually harsh conditions – no exposure to open water, no assault from high winds.
Shortly after setting up camp, Joost called Dixie to his tent to show him his fingers. Dixie was shocked to see that visible frost-bite was apparent on 3 of his fingers and called over the doctors in the team to offer their opinion. A unanimous decision was made to call in the helicopter. Luckily, the weather and ice conditions were good for a helicopter landing at the team’s campsite and after a quick on-site examination by the Barneo Station doctor, it was determined to proceed with strict prudence and Joost was evacuated back to Barneo Ice station. It goes without saying that this is a difficult moment for Joost, and also for the rest of the team. Due to the rapid succession of events no one can really place what has happened. Joost’s enthusiastic approach to Dixie almost 3 years ago was a decisive factor in commencing with the Northbound Quest in the first place, and his positive attitude has flowed through this team ever since. This will be a first serious mental test for everyone involved.
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Friday, April 2nd
Daily Positions:
• Drop-off point: 89° 00' 40" N 119° 43' 11" E
• End: 89° 02' 21" N 119° 17' 06" E
Around 10:00 our Antonov 74 airplane took off from Longyearbyen on its way to the Artic Ocean. The pilot of our flight into Barneo must have been a bit of a “show-off” because he provided his passengers with a perfect landing on the ice. Truly a soft kiss and a gentle roll.
We spent our first hours at Barneo taking care of details such as:
• Loading fuel for stoves
• Receiving 2 rifles, 2 day/night flares and 2 warning guns
• Equipment check and final meeting with the Vicaar staff in the Barneo mess tent
Next we received a spot on the first helicopter flight to the Last Degree drop-off point at 89° N. We quickly unpacked our sleds and were ready to go. Arriving on the ice cap was a truly surreal, exciting & humbling experience. The sun was shining, no single cloud in the sky, virtually no wind and temperatures around –30°C. Welcome to the Arctic!
After skiing for two hours we set-up our first camp. We experienced that setting up a tent and getting the stoves going is quite a bit more tedious at the current freezing temperatures than it was back in Longyearbyen. But soon the stoves were purring at each tent site as we were settling in for our first dinner on the Arctic Ocean.
The weather forecast, provided by our own Belgian climatologist Marc De Keyser from World Wide Weather Expeditions looks good for the next 2 days to come, so we are looking forward to what's coming
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Thursday, April 1st
It has come so far. Tomorrow morning at 10:00, we will take-off from a perfectly good runway in Longyearbyen and land some 2½ hours later on the frozen Arctic Ocean at Barneo Station.
Who is the April Fool? Actually, we are if we underestimate the engineering marvel that composes Barneo Station. Accompanied by Troy and Dixie we attended this evening to the general meeting hosted by Vicaar, the Russian company which runs all activities in and around Barneo Station. We listened to an eye-opening account of the yearly Barneo installation, an intricate process which commences with parachute drops of fuel, followed by helicopter deposits of tractors. Those tractors then work in a final push for 2 solid days, round the clock. The result: a runway “sculpture” which defies the imagination. The first flight into that runway contains (obviously a courageous crew) and the tents and other equipment which compose the tent city of Barneo. And tomorrow it will open its doors (so to speak) to the first wave of visitors, which will include our group.
The safety portion of tonight’s briefing by Vicaar was a reassuring blend of strict organization and total professionalism. We were prepared for a basic flight, one in which we are expected to wear our expedition clothing and are encouraged to practice self-restraint as there will be no toilets on board. Each passenger was also asked to bring a thermos full of hot water for his/her arrival into Barneo. That thermos will provide us with our first refreshment once we are out on the ice – the kitchen staff at Barneo simply does not have the time nor the resources to supply every incoming expeditioner with a full thermos of boiled water.
We also said goodbye to our sleds and expedition equipment, which have already been loaded into the cargo section of the airplane.
All that is left for us to do is eat a nourishing final dinner in Longyearbyen, get a good night’s rest, and step into the airplane which will transport us to a mysterious place – a place which will slowly reveal itself once the aircraft gently kisses the Arctic ice and each individual steps into a world of surreal beauty.
Wednesday, March 31st
The settlement of Longyearbyen is preparing to close most of its shops & services for the long Easter weekend which begins tomorrow, Maundy Thursday. Fortunately, restaurants & bars will remain open, so we can enjoy a proverbial Last Supper tomorrow night before our departure on Friday. It was a day of much scattered activity – last shopping trips, final packing and weighing of equipment, and a strenuous ski tour and tent set-up in one of the neighboring valleys just outside of Longyearbyen. We refined our tent assembly skills in a biting relentless wind. During initial exposure to bitter polar cold, Dixie teached us to relax instead of fight the cold or resist the wind. It takes practice, but once the reflex to relax becomes natural, intricate movements feel less complicated.
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Tuesday March 30th
Practice and reality blended together today as we attempted to set-up our tents in particularly harsh Longyearbyen weather conditions. Temperatures hovered at -25°C and persistent winds made for an excellent imitation of the Arctic environment which awaits us in just a few days. New couples were formed among the group in order to already establish a routine within each of the 6 expedition tents: Gijs & Patrick, Joost & Raf, Boudewijn & Jo, Sabine & Ruud, Doug & Perry & Wim, and Dixie & Troy. We also received our individual sled. This may seem like a simple allocation, but one's sled becomes a partner and assumes life-like qualities which can please as well as exasperate any expeditioner. It is an extremely important task to organize the contents of one's sleds, but even more important is the duty to establish a graceful cadence with it. Just like a dance partner, our progress will depend totally upon the rhythm established between expeditioner & sled. The important chore of food organization also occupied much of our time today. A first of possibly several disappointments during such a journey occurred – the Belgian Oud Brugge cheese unfortunately got spoiled during the shipment from Brussels to Longyearbyen. We will have to make do with Norwegian cheese, which is also delicious in its own way. Tomorrow we will spend the early part of the day with the tedious task of weighing all equipment. Due to the extravagant cost of each extra kilo on board the flight to Barneo Station, the measurements need to be exact. Later in the day, Dixie hopes to take us on a ski tour around Longyearbyen in order to test the boots, skis & bindings.
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Monday, March 29th
The first challenging step toward the quest has begun – we were all able to walk away from our loved ones safe in the knowledge that we have done everything possible to prepare for a safe & rewarding expedition to the North Pole. Dixie, Troy & Perry are already in Longyearbyen and eagerly awaiting our arrival.
Next steps:
• Begin to acclimate with the semi-polar conditions in Longyearbyen
• Reign in our focus toward the goal. All other distractions should slowly begin to fade into their proper place
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