March 18, Churchill, Manitoba
"Did you feel that?" It was 4:30 am and we riding on a Via Ria train toward Churchill, Manitoba for two weeks of training and testing gear. A sharp jolt followed by a series of loud bumps made us understandably nervous.
The electrical fire, we would learn later, was simply a can of Pam falling on the grill in the kitchen car and exploding. The cause of the bump and jolt was the train derailing. When the smoke cleared, we learned that the last three cars of the train had slipped off the track. Luckily, we were able to unhook from those cars and continue on to the next town. It was the beginning of an adventure the found us in buses, small towns, restaurants and finally another train in Thompson.
After 48 hours in transit from Grand Marais, we arrived in Chuchill only four hours behind schedule. We were experiencing high adventure before even setting foot on the sea ice of Hudson Bay. Of course, we are now faced with the small dilemma of not having our boats - which didn't fit on the bus. (Although, the 120 pounds of sandbags that Eric brought along arrived unscathed.) Time now for Plan B.
Lonnie and Eric plan to ski out on sea ice and set up camp. The boats are scheduled to arrive on the train tomorrow morning. The boats will be relayed out to the pack ice where they will begin training in earnest. How will the slacs perform? Which boots will fit the best? How is Lonnie's cooking? You'll have to wait for the next update.
You're trying to cross what? When? What is it like up there? Are you crazy?
These are just a few examples of the many questions that the One World Team fields while presenting about their upcoming adventure.
If you're wondering what ice conditions will look like this summer, then this picture is for you. Open leads, melt water pools and rotten ice and not much else. Oh yea, there will be the occasional polar bear!
But realistically, this is what makes the One World Expedition so extremely difficult. Lonnie and Eric will need to travel equally efficiently over ice and water. Not such an easy task when faced with ice conditions like these.
Seven pairs of boots and nearly $4,000 later. The team's footwear is is still under evaluation.
OK, if we were undertaking a winter expedition, no problem. We'd take the boots shown above, the Norwegian Moedre Alfa Extremes. But, its not and therefore, we need boots that we be durable, light weight, not too warm, can function while wet and dry easily. Its a tall order and one that the team has not taken lightly.
To date, boots tested by Lonnie and Eric include the following manufacturers: Mendell, Fischer, Alico, Alfa and Garmont. The One World team's upcoming trip to Churchill, Mantiba will be a crucial boot evaluation time.
What would you pack for a three and a half month adventure on the Arctic Ocean? Sarah Allen, expedition graphic designer, added her elbow grease last week and divided nearly 20 gallons of powdered energy drink. Also divvied out were four gallons of olive oil, 20 pounds of dried salami, 25 pounds of dried caribou, a mountain of powdered goat's milk, 300 dried rye bread rounds, more oatmeal than you can shake a stick at and much more.
Special thanks go to Clara Weitz of Pack Lite Foods.
Training in Grand Marais - take 207. If the expedition were a movie, the director would be getting a bit tired of all the different 'takes'. The team's relentless training schedule finds them in all sorts of odd situations day after day after day. Lake Superior has proven to be an ideal location for testing equipment and travel strategies.
Inching their way along the ice, Lonnie decides it's time to hit the road - so to speak.
Thanks to Joel Sheagren for the photo.
Ten years ago, Eric spent over a month north of Great Slave Lake dog sledding across the tundra. Seems like just yesterday. Of course the large collar, royal blue fleeces aren't quite as fashionable as they once were. And the hair? Its pre-pony tail length with a four-week grease factor. Hey, you can't blame the guy - it was the '90s. The Internet barely even existed. From those humble beginnings, Eric has gone on to dogsled over 10,000 miles in locales ranging from Michigan to Montana to Hudson Bay.
And what was Lonnie doing in the '90s? Pretty much the same thing he's doing today: exploring. It was in the middle of the last decade that Lonnie conceived, planned and embarked his Greenland Expediton, the first circumnavigation of Greenland by dog sled and kayak. It was during this adventure that Lonnie first imagined a trip across the Arctic Ocean might be possible.
While Lonnie and Eric are both experienced dog mushers, the One World Expedition will find their roles a bit juxtaposed. This time, they are the dogs - pulling and paddling their fully laden slacs for 1,240 miles.
With temperatures hovering at a balmy -10 degrees F, the One World Team spent a few hours playing in Lake Superior. The cool dip was a welcome break (if you can believe that) from the strenuous business of fundraising. Appearing in Salt Lake City at the Outdoor Retailer and at several talks in Minneapolis, Minn. Lonnie and Eric have been more like road warriors than polar explorers. Mad Max look out!The numbers don't lie.
With only 93 days until Lonnie and Eric's official departure in May, life at OWE headquarters has taken a decidedly different tone. While fundraising is still a priority, there is a palpable trend towards arranging logistics and finalizing gear selections. The trip to Salt Lake City and the Outdoor Retailer was crucial toward filling the minor gaps. Time now is spent tinkering: a heat exchanger here, a new boot gator design there. The list is check and rechecked.
The team is pleased to have ASNES Skis a sponsor. Special thanks go to Gary Neptune of Neptune Mountaineering who made it all happen. Also thanks to Bill Rogers who stopped in Grand Marais to snap a few pictures (like the one above).
