Expedition - postponed till 2011

Unfortunately on Monday before flying back to the UK we were given the very disappointing news that due to the state of the Arctic ocean and the sea ice conditions not being safe enough the expedition has had to be postponed until 2011.


For full details please see the press release which went out yesterday.

Obviously the team was very disappointed and emotions were running high as it’s hard to feel so focussed on something for such a long time and to have it all change at the final moment. However, we are all looking at this as positively as we can – firstly this is not a failure but merely a rescheduling until a later time and secondly everything we have done so far has been a tremendous step forwards in our Polar training for example the kit we’ve bought (or that has been bought for me by friends and family) has still been used, will still be used on future training and will be used as part of the expedition in 2011 and the training we have done will remain with us and the next year will enable us to further develop what we have learnt and consolidate it in time for next year’s exped. It also gives us time to raise further sponsorship and awareness of our aims and goals and to further work to ensure the scientific data the expedition obtains is purposeful and worthwhile.

At this point i wish to say an enormous thank you again to my sponsors who have been understanding of the true nature of expedition life. In particular to Unearthed, Park Cameras and Lucozade Energy.

As we are now not going away as planned and people were fired up ready for a challenge we thought it unnecessary to waste the opportunity to still go away and work as a team and to further satisfy our need for adventure.

So....
On March 9th I will be flying out to Ottawa with members of the team and from there flying out to Baffin Island to a place called Iqaluit (an Inuit town) where we intend to spend another 10 days carrying out training on the frozen pack ice around Frobisher Bay.


View Larger Map

Currently temperatures there are around -35 degrees so it will give us another excellent chance to continue our training in an extreme and harsh environment, there are polar bears (perhaps I may get to see one this time!) for us to practise bear drills, there is miles of frozen sea ice to walk on and hopefully the right conditions for us to carry out the much anticipated cold water immersion training!!.

So as you can see my Arctic adventures for 2010 continue and in the true spirit of expedition and adventure these kind of trials and tribulations can only act to make us a stronger and more prepared team for the Arctic Pole expedition in 2011.


Ali

I'm back!

So i'm finally back in Englands green and pleasant land and it's great to be back!. I do miss the beautiful scenery and having been outdoors that i've had for the last month but I am stil enjoying the feeling of a warm bed, food that doesn't need rehydrating and a glass of wine (or two!) with friends.
Svalbard training in itself has been an incredible experience filled with highs and lows tough bits funny bits, cold bits etc but my overall feeling is one very much that I want to pursue this crazy adventure of mine and to walk across the arctic ocean as part of this expedition.
I have lots of photos which will be avilable soon on my photo section of the website but i've uploaded a couple here.....








I have more news to come so watch this space for a new post to follow.....

Day 12 - Adventdalen Valley – by Claire Mcaleer

N78 11 34
E16 03 18

Distance travelled 12.1km

Well here we are at our last campsite on the penultimate day of our training expedition. It definitely seems like we are coming back to civilisation now. Having not been able to see any light at night other than starlight for the previous few days, tonight we can see the lights of Longyearbyen in the distance and even the mine that had become clear at the start of our expedition is now behind us, seen as an orange glow halfway up the mountain.

Marcus is leader today and decided on a relaxed style of leadership which apparently makes miracles work as even myself and Yolanda had our tents down and our pulks packed ready to go ahead of schedule. It snowed during the night so we all woke with a nice dusting of snow on our tents this morning and the skies continue to be overcast all day today such that even after the day got lighter our surroundings were distinctly grey and eerie still.

These conditions make it difficult to judge the contrast of the terrain ahead but as usual we ploughed ahead at a steady pace led by Ali our navigator at the front. Over the last 10 days we have definitely become more skilled at pulling our pulks at a steady pace and today while skiing next to Ali and looking back at the rest of our team skiing in formation I felt really proud of what we have achieved.

As the valley opened up on the route home we had our closest encounter yet of several caribou. It was at this point that Howard had decided to delay our progress home by getting us to simulate skiing in whiteout conditions by tying up to together in our lines and staying close to the person ahead of you. The caribou watched for a while before heading off uninterested and we continued to experiment with ways of tying ourselves together.

The grey conditions also made distance perception rather tricky today and it was slightly bewildering to find that although we could see the spot we were heading for quite early on in the day it never seemed to get any closer until a few hours later all of a sudden we arrived.

We have reached the road back to town now and decided to make camp next to an old disused building which would once have been used when the mining industry here was more active. Simon has built a Taj Mahal style luxury snow latrine to celebrate our last night camping.

Tomorrow we will trek the last 7km back to the guesthouse where I’m sure there will be lots of queues for the showers where we can all get ourselves properly clean. I think everyone’s looking forward to getting back for a nice meal that is not rehydrated and a warm bed with no bear watch to wake up for. The mood of the team is buoyant, we’ve all learned a lot and I think it’s safe to say that we have all enjoyed ourselves and worked well together.

In case this is the last diary entry I’d like to say a few ‘thank yous’ to our staff, Howard, Em and Mary for keeping us safe and happy and to the rest of the team who have shared this experience with me, thanks for being such a great bunch of people and here’s to many more years of adventure and exploration.

Day 11 - Adventdalen Valley (under Trango and/or Marmot) – by Ness Lindsay

N78 11 09.8
E16 16 26.7

Distance travelled 10.9k - average speed 2.9km per hour

From the dulcet tones of Lee snoring to the very cross and assertive wake up, or rather get up, call from Simon at 7am for our planned early 9am departure (I’m sure Simon enjoyed it a bit too much!) At least it had been a mild night, so getting up wasn’t too painful and with Lee as leader, leading from the top, it was already a big day. After a brief waking, a few friendly reminders from Howard about hygiene and shovels and final dashes to the loo, we were off just after 9.30am – our earliest departure to date.

After a couple of kilometres heading right and west up the valley and some animal spotting, it was to be decided whether it was an Arctic fox, wolf or caribou, Howard called us to a halt for a little hauling exercise. An hour and a half later, all pulks pulled to the top to with some over excited crevasse kit use. Howard then told us about a simpler and quicker way of getting up the slope. A lunch time bothy stop at the top and we were off again to find a spot to belay us down to the valley floor again. After a brief discussion, each team were sent off over the edge, some more briefly than others! Unfortunately there was a small omission of bringing down Howard’s skis and an ice axe - sorry Howard, we promise to make it up to you! With us quickly descending and Phil and Mark back navigating in front, we caught up some ks before finding camp for the night just after 5pm, having had time to add our own impromptu assault course down a slope and various freestyle methods of getting down it with the pulks at our heels, most involved getting acquainted with the snow!

The camp routine is getting slicker, more designer loos were erected, I never knew there were so many different ranges! It’s been a very mild night and it’s strange to be in sight of the lights of the coalmines and orange hue of Longyearbyen in the distance again. I’ll miss the starry skies, night-time lightshows, frozen snowy white valleys and hills. At last for me it’s time for an early bear watch then bed. It’s hard to believe there is only one more night on our snowy mattress and with our tent partners, what will I do without hot blackcurrant drinks made by Lee every morning? Oh well, I’ve got 20 hours to decide what my last rehydrated meal of this mini expedition will be – oh the dilemmas! Good night and sleep well all. p.s. Lee’s leadership tip of today “The leader is only as good as the people around him.”

Day 10 – Adventdalen Valley – by Ali Kershaw

N78 11 29
E16 30 37

Distance travelled yesterday 10k. Getting up for bear watch is never a great feeling when you climb out of your toasty sleeping bag, but once you are out and a hot drink in hand it never feels too bad and last night’s shift was particularly enjoyable, as not only was the sky littered with more stars than I have ever seen but Dom and I were treated to two hours of nature’s very own lightshow with constant green dancing auroras which filled the sky. The two hours spent staring into space on reflection were probably not our most diligent bear watch to date but certainly one of the most enjoyable

Today has been another great day with clear skies most of the day and spectacular views around us. We packed up as usual and set off at Dom’s request, who is leader today and I think everyone was very pleased to get moving after last night, as it had been the coldest night we spent here so far.

With Mary and Mark setting a perfect pace for the group we climbed our way back up the valley we had passed through yesterday and sadly it’s time for us to head for home. I say sadly because the last few days have given everyone the chance to really see some beautiful scenery and I know many of us would have liked the chance to go further up the valley. However we were hampered at the beginning of our expedition by the bad weather and so last night’s camp will be our furthest for this trip

I think everyone enjoyed today’s walk, with perhaps the exception of poor Yolanda who wasn’t feeling great but battled on like the true team player she is and I know that everyone hopes the clear weather we have had for the last two days continues.

At about 4pm we started looking for a suitable stop to make camp and as we were looking we came to a stop where we could make out the movements of a large animal ahead, we lost sight of it in the darkness which was quite eerie put proceeded to prepare ourselves with flares at the ready and although we don’t know if it was a bear I for one will be slightly more nervous on bear watch tonight which will be from 3-5am. We’ve made camp and the usual hustle and bustle of camp can be heard from everyone sat in their tents. Stoves are roaring away heating water for dinner, drinks and water bottles; ice axes are chipping away to make room for ice screws and guy ropes; people are chatting, reading, or writing diaries and the occasional yell for a shovel or water can be heard.

So what have I learnt whilst I’ve been here? Well lots! But some thoughts I have for now are - I’ve learnt that I hate the wet cold ice on my sleeping bag in the morning, I’ve learnt I love walking through the spectacular scenery we are surrounded by, I’ve learnt I’m a lot happier in my own company when skiing single file than I thought I’d be. I’ve learnt that I miss daylight, I’ve learnt that I hate getting up for bear watch but I’ve learnt that I love the time on bear watch to appreciate my surroundings in silence whilst everyone else sleeps. I’ve learnt that if I spill my food and I can just wait for it to freeze and flick it off, I’ve learnt that dehydrated ration packs are a commodity that can be traded. I’ve learnt how much I miss Charlie, friends and family but most of all I’ve learnt that for me surviving in the cold is going to be a challenge but one that I’m keep to pursue. To me this has been the last big stepping stone on a 2 year plan of getting to the point where I can undertake a polar journey, although I know that it will be tough, I’m looking forward to the next step of my Arctic adventure.

Day 9 - Eskerdalen Valley - by Louise Cameron

N78 12 46
E16 54 55

Distance travelled yesterday - 10.7km | Temperature -22°Centigrade

This is what it’s all about! Today, Day 9, was magical, really great! My excellently efficient tent mate Simon was team leader and more than rose to the challenge. He had us all in the meeting room (our big tent) by 9am, fed, watered, flasks filled and pulks packed for the morning greeting. An hour or so later we had tents down, were harnessed up and moving out, with Nessy (navigator) heading the charge and Simon leading from behind.

It was with mixed emotions that we left camp, as realisation dawned that a week today we will be back home and at our desks. Of course we can’t wait to see loved ones and friends (who are more and more in our thoughts as the days go by) and return to creature comforts (steak, red wine, showers, baths, beer and pizza, seem to be the most vocally missed!) As it was such an incredibly beautiful morning we also savoured the moment as we realised how special it is to be here.

At last the eternal twilight/night is lifting; we woke to a vast expanse of light blue from a cloud scattered sky and were teased by the suggestion of a sun behind a distant mountain. Which, combined with a nose dive in temperatures, (none of our thermometers seemed to work but this morning was noticeably colder with a bite in the air) and another good dusting of light powder snow last night, meant that we were all eager to get on the move and were in high spirits.

Nessy kicked out of camp at quite a pace, turning right (heading East) back into the valley. Adventdalen stretched out before us in all her magnificence – a rolling white wilderness of low mountains either side and a long, snaking, wide frozen river ahead and behind. Watching the group walking down the valley in parallel lines was an impressive and endearing sight; we are beginning to feel like the Ice Warriors we all hoped we might become.

Some six hours later we had made good ground passing through the Brentskaret and into the Eskerdalen Valley heading towards Sassendalen. We are beginning to work quite efficiently as a team now and only stopped for three short water, loo, and nosebag breaks today.

At 4pm having covered almost 11k at a speed averaging 2.7k an hour (it sounds slow but it really isn’t – on skis and the pulling part was uphill). We stopped to camp behind a pingo (knoll) and shelter from the wind. Already night was closing in and we needed head torches again.

Now it is 9pm and camp is quite apart from the crunch of bear watch feet outside. Skidoo tracks and an old mountain hut are the only signs of life out here along with reindeer trails.

After I’ve had my 4 hour turn under a galaxy of stars I’m going to snuggle down in my sleeping bag and bid goodnight. I’m going to fall asleep dreaming of my boys and hoping that tomorrow will bring another day like today…

Thank you Jim, Howard, Em, Mary and TEAM!

Day 8 – Adventdalen Valley – by Phil Thompson

N78 11 16
E16 34 02

Distance travelled yesterday was 7.5km. An uncertain start to this morning as the weather changed through the night from still to blowy and then snowfall and then back again.

We were concerned the weather would not be good enough to allow us to continue on our route, however after waiting for the weather to settle the day remained as expected so the group took two 5 minute stops though the day as we pulled our pulks through the Adventdalen Valley delta floor. The highpoints of the day were glimpses of blue sky. The sun itself won’t be seen until the 18th February. The lowlight reflects off the snow causing strange and unusual formations, so much so that we debated whether a cloud was the northern lights or not. We had a great opportunity for building complex snow holes into the bank to outdo each other and impress the neighbours who were a bunch of reindeers. The team is settling into a routine with bear watches through the night. Administration around camp is improving. Setting up camp is straight forward although getting the job done is still slow but as we are working to the same pace we all finish more or less together. Last night we broke camp and a mistake was made when a stove fell on a Jerry Can soaking my sleeping bay, bivvy and most of my kit in petrol. We tried our best to keep my sleeping system working but today I found my lunch has been permeated by the fuel. That could make me very ill in the night or hopefully just give me a bad headache. Just bad luck!