May 17, 84 34.30''N:76 09.48W
Welcome to our fine establishment. Would you like a hot drink? Please, rest your travel-weary body. Don't bother trying to stand, the ceiling is only 40" above the floor. How about a warm bowl of noodles? No need to get up. Everything is within arm's reach at the Hilleberg Hotel.
Today was exceptionally delightful in our five-star nylon abode as we were officially on vacation - at least for the morning. We revelled in our new-found freedom to stay in our sleeping bags until almost 10. Our vacation day was doubly luxurious as we only had to travel 4.5 hours in the afternoon.
A cold mist froze on our glasses as we headed northwest. We are heading slightly to the west of north to get on the 77 degree meridian and to help compensate for the easterly drift. We also hope to by-pass, to the north, dark water clouds low on the horizon which indicate very large leads.
You may be wondering why we keep talking about Cape Wind and other clean energy projects if the real reason for the expedition is to save the polar bear. Well, the only way to save the polar bear is to stop global warming. Most of the carbon emissions that create global warming come from electricity plants. If we reduce the amount of dirty power we use by choosing clean energy, we might be able to save the polar bear.
Word of the day: deckchair - the one thing the Hotel Hilleberg does not have.
May 16, 84 28.30''N:76 25.35W
Which would you prefer: mind-numbing travel on a flat pan, the physical strain of powering over pressure ridges, or the emotional stress of negotiating fractured ice and leads? Having a hard time deciding? Don't worry, we'll give you all three.
Don't get us wrong: Our journey is not all hardship and pain, but each day seems to bring a different problem that we have to work through. Our vote, by the way, would be for flat ice.
Today started on an incredibly flat pan of ice. We whooped and hollered at our luck. The nautical miles cruised by effortlessly for almost three hours. We spotted two dark cigar-shaped clouds in the distance (these form above leads and generally mean lots of open water) and tried to veer in between them.
At first we seemed to have missed most of the fractured jumbled mess we'd been expecting, but then we entered an area of slabbed pressured ice, then some flatter drifty areas, then several bigger leads and pressure...ad infinitum.
Later in the afternoon we had a great stroke of luck as we just missed an area of huge thick slabbed pressure to the east. All we had to do was cross one small gap and we were out of the worst of it.
It was truly incredible to ski along five-foot-thick ice blocks shaped in hundreds of different angles, the larger ones appearing blue. In some places ice piled up to almost 20 feet! There is a subtle beauty in much of the Arctic Ocean, but this ridge was just the opposite, still starkly simple, but awe-inspiring as well.
Now we are in the tent celebrating the fact that tomorrow is a half day of rest and we get to sleep in. Bye for now; noodles beckon to be eaten.
Word of the day: invigorated - what we hope to be after our half day rest.
May 15, 84 19.41''N:76 43.39W
The good: our day started out under clear blue skies. It was, hopefully, a positive omen. We set out skiing for over two hours through a heavily drifted area of old pressure.
The bad: we crossed an area sometime during our late morning (roughly latitude 84:15, created by the end of the continental shelf) consisting of a series of lake-sized leads. One even rivaled Lake Superior. The going here was arduous at best and we were forced west to find any connecting pans. We did it all over rubble, big gaps, small cracks, ice walls and ice ledges. It was physically exhausting, spirit-draining work.
The Great: Then, like a phoenix from the ashes, we emerged into a large expanse of relatively flat ice. For the first time, we could see quite far in every direction. We also noticed that we could no longer see Ellesmere Island!
It was a record day for us in two areas: we traveled for 9 hours and we made 9 nautical miles
Word of the day: bonanza - a sudden increase of wealth or luck - our newly acquired flat traveling conditions.
May 14, 83 22.44'N:77 18.00W
We were roused from a deep sleep sometime last night to find the skies had cleared and it was clear blue all the way to the horizon. We gave each other groggy high fives then snuggled back in our sleeping bags. Little did we know that the upcoming day's travels would yield the worst weather we've seen to date.
Once out of the tent, we realized that, while clear, it was really cold with a stiff wind still driving from north. Regardless, it was nice to able to see the terrain for a change.
That lasted for almost two hours.
The sky darkened and an ominous fog rolled in. Soon, it was nearly a whiteout, but this time dampness permeated everything. We were chilled to the bone and skied along face down trying to hide as much exposed skin as possible behind our hoods. At one point, we even thought we could taste salt in the air.
Eventually, we found the source of all this foulness: a huge wide open lead - and a million smaller leads.
We got lucky and were able to skirt the biggest lead, but had to catamaran the boats to cross a second, then weave back and forth for almost two hours to get through all the fractured ice. At one point, we had to leap across a four foot gap. It was hard work, scary at times, and every other emotion as well.
Finally out of that jumbled mess, we ended the day just as it started, in an old pressured area with lots of drifts and the sun shining.
On a more serious note, we heard that a proposal to build the biggest offshore wind farm in the nation won approval from Texas state officials. That's great news to us, but also reminds us of other projects like Cape Wind that need to be approved.
Word of the day - robot. We are machine-like contraptions covering our daily miles.
May 13, 84 05.55'N:76 16.10'W
This has been our fourth day of white-out conditions. If we only had the sun. Our spirlts would improve as well as our ability to see where we are going. To make matters worse, a brisk north wind froze our faces.
If you want to experience a bit of the Arctic Ocean wherever you are, here are a few suggestions to make your daily life more like the North Pole. First, find a blank sheet of white paper. Next, hold it in front of your face - about three inches. Now try walking, grocery shopping, whatever. It's like your own personal whiteout. Here's another fun one: Take 8 hours out of your day to stand under the fan in a commercial walk-in freezer of your choice.
Seriously, Lonnie had a scary thing happen today. His ankle froze up. After several attempts to move it through stretching, he managed to get it working again. What a relief.
Still we are managing to press on despite all this.
Sincerely, two very tired boys.
Word of the day: postponed (we weren't going to make this the word of the day, just mention that we were postponing it until tomorrow, but now it's our word of the day).
May 12, 84 00.17'N:76 22.36'W
The terrain we traveled over today must surely be beautiful. If only we could have seen it. Completely overcast skies created white-out conditions once again and traveling today was just as grueling for our eyes as our bodies.
We plodded through most of the day, taking turns misjudging the topography and blindly plunging down near vertical drift faces. Still we snailed forward and finally emerged from the 'canyonlands' that we've been traveling in for the past few days into a series of very large pans and easily negotiable leads. Unfortunately, it seemed more like purgatory than providence as we tried to keep focus.
We have also been shifting our travel schedule to be able to take advantage of the cooler nights and firmer snow. Therefore today's travel was exceptionally tiring as we were short on sleep. Tomorrow, which will actually still be today, will begin at 6 pm and on the trail by 8.
The good news is we made 6 nautical miles and have crossed (barely) the 84th parallel - look out 85, here we come..
Word of the day: muddle
Squeak, slide, squeak, slide, squeak, slide.
It is a rhythm that under good skiing conditions is the beat of our daily life. On a bad day, it is the only thought running through our minds over and over and over. One step, squeak, next step slide, then squeak, ad infinitum. Minutes tick by unnervingly slowly in between breaks. That's a bad, bad day.
On a good day, our minds wander effortlessly like a feather on a lilting summer breeze. Staring into the snow for hours on end, new thoughts drift in and out. We can ponder an idea for 20 minutes and not even know it. Our daydreams bring us happiness, comfort and usually a smile. They remind us of who we are and where we've been. They connect our past with future and fantasy with reality.
Out here on this huge sheet of ice, we live in our minds.
