The two degree dogsledding team made good progress today, making it to 89 degrees even. Way to go Paul, Tony, Nancy and Chris! Though the going was rougher and longer than their first couple of days they were less tired at the end of the day, a sign that they are becoming much more efficient and experienced. The weather was calm, clear and sunny - giving them yet another day of glorious conditions!
The team has encountered numerous pressure ridges and frozen leads that are all on a E-W trend. Two of the frozen leads that they had to cross today would have been "show stoppers" had they been open, because they were 100 meters across and 75 meters across respectively. Luckily they were very solid, though the second lead was about four feet lower than the level of the snow and the team had to build an on-ramp so that their sled would not make a four foot drop. This is a common strategy to get a heavy dogsled onto a frozen lead without the shock of suddenly dropping onto the ice.
Talk amongst the team today had to do with lactation. Yes, lactation. It's amazing the things you think about when surrounded by nothing but snow and ice! Tony had recently read a book about anthropology that mentioned a group of men who lactate...and that was all it took to get them on the subject for a good portion of the day. Of course much of the day one gets lost in his or her own thoughts, and there is no communication. Then the team will take a break, or encounter an obstacle and everyone starts thinking as a team again.
Late in the evening the one degree dogsled team, who just spent the last two days at Borneo, touched down via helicopter and met up with the two degree team. Together the two teams will complete travel to the North Pole as one expedition.
Before they arrived Wendy, Ken and Rick spent the day at Borneo meeting Russian VIP's who flew in to take a helicopter to the North Pole, and taking time to refine their kits. No doubt it feels good to put all the anticipation behind them and start the actual expedition. Make sure to listen to Wendy's audio report below, and check back again tomorrow for another update from the team!
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| Good pans of ice are often separated by areas of high pressure. |
The team has encountered numerous pressure ridges and frozen leads that are all on a E-W trend. Two of the frozen leads that they had to cross today would have been "show stoppers" had they been open, because they were 100 meters across and 75 meters across respectively. Luckily they were very solid, though the second lead was about four feet lower than the level of the snow and the team had to build an on-ramp so that their sled would not make a four foot drop. This is a common strategy to get a heavy dogsled onto a frozen lead without the shock of suddenly dropping onto the ice.
Talk amongst the team today had to do with lactation. Yes, lactation. It's amazing the things you think about when surrounded by nothing but snow and ice! Tony had recently read a book about anthropology that mentioned a group of men who lactate...and that was all it took to get them on the subject for a good portion of the day. Of course much of the day one gets lost in his or her own thoughts, and there is no communication. Then the team will take a break, or encounter an obstacle and everyone starts thinking as a team again.
Late in the evening the one degree dogsled team, who just spent the last two days at Borneo, touched down via helicopter and met up with the two degree team. Together the two teams will complete travel to the North Pole as one expedition.
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| High tech vs. low tech. A dogsled standing next to the MI-8 helicopter. |
Before they arrived Wendy, Ken and Rick spent the day at Borneo meeting Russian VIP's who flew in to take a helicopter to the North Pole, and taking time to refine their kits. No doubt it feels good to put all the anticipation behind them and start the actual expedition. Make sure to listen to Wendy's audio report below, and check back again tomorrow for another update from the team!
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