Polar Explorer Eric Larsen
Day 20: Back on the Trail
overcast, snowing, relatively calm -34C
22 March 2010 | Arctic Ocean
Snow? The must be an open lead somewhere close. In 2006, during my summer North Pole, Lonnie and I called this type of snow 'lake effect'. Big compound flakes floating slowly down from an overcast sky. With AJ scouting the route, I stop and tilt my head back and watch big conglomerate flakes falling toward me. I try to catch one in my mouth. How many times have I done this same simple act as a kid?

On the trail again after a day off - well not really a day off. We spent most of the day repacking gear and food as well as fixing and modifying equipment. Still, we enjoyed not hooking our Granite Gear harnesses to our sleds and enjoying a bit of extra tent time. All told, we lost six miles while we camped.

Happy Spring! Here we are in relative light nearly 24 hours a day. However, we still use our Princeton Tec headlights to write in the evenings.

It was a tough day. Our sleds are heavy again. Luckily, there was relatively flat ice with a few bigger leads and we were able to get back to the same latitude we were (actually, a little farther north) two nights ago. We have now crossed the 85th parallel three times. OK, cross your fingers, please We don't want to do this again.

We have been out here for 20 days now and the Arctic Ocean has become our life.

Image: An icey yours truly.

The Save the Poles expedition is sponsored by Bing with major support from the University of Plymouth, Terramar, Seventh Generation, Goal0, Atlas, Sierra Designs and Optic Nerve.

Remember, it's cool to be cold. Save the Poles. Save the planet.

For more information, please visit www.ericlarsenexplore.com

For information about guided Antarctic expeditions, please visit http://www.antarctic-logistics.com/

For media inquiries, please contact lora@screamagency.com

For technical inquires, please contact webexpeditions.net
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