The most beautiful day...

The team called in today to say that they had an incredible day with some of the most beautiful conditions that Rick has ever seen on the Arctic Ocean (and he has been guiding North Pole expeditions since 1993!)

They traveled 10.5 nautical miles over pans of ice separated by medium pressure ridges that posed little challenge. They encountered their first open water of the expedition, a lead that ran NE/SW approximately 20 feet across. They skied along the lead for about 20 minutes before finding a place where the two sides pinched together and they were able to scoot across.

A typical lead will vary in size from just a few feet wide to a kilometer or more.
If you're lucky you'll find a spot where the lead naturally pinches closed forming a small bridge

This picture is from one of our ski expeditions, but you can see
how the team travels along side the lead until they find a spot to cross.

The temperature was close to -15 C with virtually no wind and full sun. That's almost as good as it gets! When they reached camp the usual rush to get inside the tents was replaced by a desire to linger outside and enjoy the evening. Most team members didn't even have their parkas on!

A beautiful day on the Arctic Ocean

An exciting moment today was when the team encountered fox tracks. Though we've seen fox tracks before on the Polar Sea it is very unusual and a real treat. The closest land is nearly 400 miles to the south, so this is one intrepid fox! Looking for food no doubt, perhaps following the scent of a seal carcass? But with so little open water he will likely not see many seals, alive or dead!

Make sure to listen to Wendy's audio report today on which she introduces the dog teams. And check back again tomorrow for another update from the ice!