Staying on track

From Andrew

We awoke this morning to a thundering gail. Really powerful winds coming in from the South. We ate a hasty breakfast and sprang from our sleeping bags out into the cold.

Our first task was to take down the tents in 30 mph winds. In a way, it is what I imagine doing origami while skydiving must be like. Richard holds the upwind end while I unfasten fastens and collapse poles. If we make a mistake, there is a chance that the tent will get ripped apart by the wind or blow its way off down the Arctic plateau leaving us stranded. An expedition ender, so we need to be careful. After we have everything packed up, the four of us stand side by side and look straight into the wind at our goal of the day - 15 miles to the South. A collective sigh, which is instantly ripped out of our mouths by the wind and carried hard ten miles away.

My turn to lead. I looked down at my compass which wiggled suggestively in its bevel. I set it to 180 degrees, and I look out for a point in the distance. The key is to find something as far away as you can see, so you can ski towards it in a straight line. So, you need to pick something good.

That forty foot gust cyclone snow that the wind is shooting into the air - not a good choice, this is going to move. The cloud up above that looks like a regular cloud, but has been ripped flat hundreds of feet long because of the 200 mph winds above your head - also not a good choice.

In the distance, a pile of ice that looks like a grand collection of broken teeth, a perfect first waypoint. Then twenty minutes of skiing later, gaze beyond it and see another pile of ice that looks like a collapsed sideways skyscraper. Another twenty minutes moving to that and finally another patch of snow ahead that looks like a gleaming pile of axes. One last waypoint of the day. We stop and now it is time for our ten minute break.

While sitting shivering on our sleds, we eat 100 grams of salami and 100 grams of cheese which have indeterminate taste because they have been frozen through for days. We try to eat the edges off a Clif bar, but you can’t actually eat it because it is frozen, so you put it back in the jacket, so it can thaw in 4-5 days. Do five more of these for the day - as if on repeat.

Especially rough day today because the wind brought 2-3 inches of soft snow with it. When the sleds are on ice, it is relatively easy to pull them. It’s like feeding a puck across a hockey rink. Due to the heavy snow today however, it is like pulling a Buick without wheels. Anyways, we still managed to make 15 miles, and we are very proud.

It is a big day tomorrow for the expedition. By the end of tomorrow, we will have completed one quarter of the total mileage. Perhaps a small milestone in the scheme of things, but it is enough to keep us going.

Thanks for your support and look for more updates soon.