20th March 2010 - Return to Iqaluit

So we are back in Iqaluit after a fantastic 10 days training.I have an hour before i board my flight back to Ottowa so thought i'd write a quick entry to my blog. The scenery here is spectacular. Quite simply incredible. As Ian mentioned in his last entry the concept of tidal movement had completely escaped me when thinking of walking on a frozen sea/ocean. Perhaps i'd thought that tides just stopped happening when the water froze but here on Frobisher Bay we have had a crash course in understanding the dynamics of sea ice on a huge scale. Firstly it's important to point out that here in Frobisher Bay they have a tide of about 11.6metres which in itself is pretty huge. So out on the ice we would camp next to enormous sheer ice cliffs of several metres height when it is low tide and yet by morning when you come out of your tent the ice cliffs have gone and the sea ice looks flat as the entire bay, including the ice, tents and us have risen overnight by up to 6 or 7 metres. As a result there is as you can imagine a large amount of sheer zones and boulder ice which is caused by the rapid and dramatic movement. in addition we regularly were skiing over huge cracks in the pans of ice which are caused by the movement of the sea below and there is something incredibly nerve wracking about seeing the open water a few feet below the ice you are sleeping on! (don't mean to worry you Mum and dad!).
It's been great to experience some really cold temperatures and i have a few cold related injuries to an ear and my cheeks which reminds me of the importance of checking and double checking that all skin is covered at all times especially in the wind but it's also been reassuring to know that i can sleep in a tent at -30 degrees quite comfortably which is not something i ever thought i'd say!
I've al;so really enjoyed being part of a smaller team/group. The efficiency of camp life and hauling the sledges is far easier in a smaller group and theer is less time to get cold as it's easier to move as one unit. It's also possible for everyone to contibute to the team and to have a role or purpose which is something which helps the team dynamic to form.

Thsi morning i ventured out to help Matty McNair (very successful polar explorer - having reached north pole, south pole, first ever all woman team, fatsest ice kiting across greenland etc etce etc). We had dinner with her last night and she said she was taking her 14 dogs out with the sled this morning for a days sledding across the Bay and she invited me to help her harness up the dogs which was great. I am now covered in puppy drool but very happy having spent an hour playing with and photographing the dogs before helping to harness them up and set them off on their day out!!
Yet again I have missed family and friends - i have taken about 1000 photos and videos which you will all be subjected to overteh next few weeks.
Unfortunately my flight home from montreal has been caught up in the BA strike so i cant get back now till tuesday morning having flown from iqaluit to ottowa then to montreal then to chicago before finally back to london! but i'm looking forwarsd to seeing you all when i get back. Big polar hugs and kisses. ali x

18th March 2010 – Day 8 –by Ian Belcher

Well, here we are at the end of our final day of advanced polar training. After a beautifully still night littered with glimmering stars and stunning Aurora, we awoke to a complete change with the previous calm being replaced by a strong wind and cloudy sky. The wind added a certain bite to the temperature and we all felt the sting as we struck camp and headed into the wind toward Iqaluit. The plan for today was simple, walk to near Iqaluit, set up camp and explore the boulder ice. What has not been mentioned on previous dispatches, but what might have been deduced by the more nautical amongst you, is that the ice we are skiing on is influenced by the tidal flow of the sea it is sat upon. What this essentially means is that for the last eight days the ice has been going up and down in time with the incoming and outgoing tides. The effect of this is a sight to behold with towering walls of ice lining most of the coastline at low tide and broken ice boulder fields present at high tide – some of the boulders were much taller than the team members! It was these boulder fields we spent the day learning how to ski through both with and without a pulk. The reason for this training is that this type of boulder ice is quite prevalent on the Arctic Ocean so it is key that we know what to expect and how to negotiate it. This was a new experience for us all and certainly highlighted just how difficult travelling through sea ice can be. The training has now sadly come to an end and we are all safely housed in the Discovery Lodge in Iqaluit. It was an incredible experience that brought our competence levels and experience much closer to that of fully fledged Polar Explorers. Farewell for now and thank you for following our progress.

17th March 2010 – Day 7 – by Claire Mcaleer

After a rather chilly night last night the team were all up this morning by 6.00am and found it to be a beautiful morning with clear blue skies and a spectacular sunrise. So many of us chose to sit outside and eat our breakfast whilst enjoying the view. We packed up camp and set off skiing with our pulks behind us ready to tackle a full day of skiing aiming to cover at least 16km. Ali set a brisk pace and we soon got quite warm despite the low air temperature. After a brief stop at 10.00am for some nose bag food we pushed on another 2 hours stopping at 12.00pm for a well deserved break and with 9km already under our belts. On nearing Deception Reef Ian took over as pace setter and we turned northwards heading for Monument Island. On turning away from the sun and slightly more into the wind there was a noticeable bight to the air and we made sure our faces were suitably covered. After another break and having covered 12.5km Jim took over as pace setter and we continued onwards with the town of Iqaluit becoming clearer in the distance as we moved towards it. Just before the team reached Monument Island Jim decided it was time to play casualty to give us a bit of a challenge and broke away from the rest of the team, heading off in a random direction and throwing away his gloves and hat. It didn’t take us long to realise that this was something more than Jim’s usual crazy behaviour and the team set about dealing with the situation. Simon and Ian went to catch up with Jim and calm him down, while Lee sorted out the pulks and equipment, Ali made a hot drink and started the stove for warmth and Dom and I put up the tent for some shelter. It soon transpired that Jim had been hypoglycaemic and with a hot drink and some chocolate he was back to his usual self. Challenge completed. With one tent up the team decided to pitch camp just south of Monument Island. Having achieved our target distance and covered 16.5km today, we have just had the privilege of watching a spectacular sunset over the ice and with low temperatures again tonight are getting ready for a hot meal and then bed.

16th March 2010 – Day 6 – by Ali Kershaw

Having awoken at about 6.00am to wind and snow, it appeared that yesterday’s stormy forecast was finally materialising. As no one else seemed to be up and about camp I went back to my cosy sleeping bag and made a coffee. As the wind wasn’t showing any signs of disappearing we made the decision to wait it out and all stayed holed up in our tents. It’s good training for us to appreciate what it’s like to be tent bound during an Arctic storm. Firstly it’s difficult to stay warm as you can’t move around and generate heat, secondly it’s important not to over use the stoves, as it’s tempting to make another hot drink and fuel is a scarce commodity. Finally it’s the frustration; it’s not long before you’ve read your only book and rearranged your pockets and kit and there’s nothing else to do but chat with your tent buddy and wait it out. Thankfully we were only tent bound until about 3.00pm today as Lee, my tent buddy, had managed to sleep for 20 hours straight and as such had been rubbish entertainment! Finally at 3.00pm we set off for a few hours ski and managed to cover about 7km with the wind behind us, -25° and the sun over our shoulder. As the views were so spectacular various photos and videos were taken along the way and finally as the sun went down we again made camp in the middle of Frobisher Bay. Tonight feels quite cold, -40° with the wind chill so I am writing this in the tent and hope to wake tomorrow to a still and sunny day. Love to everyone back home from all of us.

15th March 2010 – Day 5 – by Simon Lewis

Last night brought the predicted wind and snow, so as a result we awoke to a rather hostile sounding environment. After a swift recce by Jim we decided to have a lie-in to see if the wind would abate. It did during the course of the morning and with Jim cheating by ringing for a forecast, we discovered stronger winds were predicted, gusting to 60 kilometres per hour so with a majority vote we elected to stay put, but with the requirement to realign the tents for a change in wind direction. Me and Dom moved our tent whilst Ian, Mini, Ali and Lee gassed for a few hours. No wind arrived but Jim made the call again only to discover the wind was due later. After a quick confab we decided to move the camp to an alternative bay and at 2pm we left on a swift several kilometre ski led skilfully by Ian. Having now put the tent up for the second time today we were treated to Ali having a semi naked snow bath as a late afternoon entertainment. Spirits in the camp are excellent, we have all benefited greatly from the additional skills Jim has imparted on us over the last few days. With the temperature hovering around a balmy -13C and a rather bland sounding chicken and rice dinner to finish off a stop/start kind of day, I sign off in advance of another potentially windy night.

14th March 2010 – Day 4 - by Lee Howell

Woke up around 6:20am and by 07:00hrs all were up, dressed and eagerly anticipating the day ahead, much relieved that our bear practice drill yesterday was not needed overnight. Phone calls home to say “happy Mother’s Day” were a great bridge back to reality and it was so nice to hear voices of loved ones, albeit briefly. After a brief period taking photos for our sponsors we put on skis and made tracks into a beautiful sunny day, sunglasses on for protection from the dazzling sun, warming up to a balmy -10C. We have selected our location for our cold water immersion and before our eyes a magnificent vista appeared of wonderful natural ice sculptures - the highlight of our training so far. Tension built within the team as we nervously anticipated the cold Arctic depths. Stripping off to our base layers we headed out to meet Jim who had a knowing look in his eyes and a rope around his arm ready to rescue us. Cameras ready, the moment had arrived, we skied onto the waters edge and into the ice cold water. It really is as cold as you imagine. Every one of us was pleased we had experienced something during our training that hopefully we won’t experience in reality on the ice. To celebrate Ali had bought some miniature alcohol bottles to make irish coffees that were quickly consumed and with warm clothes, some chocolate and a good team chat we were a happy team again. Jim found some open water leads and showed us how to cross them, then, given the snow and high winds forecasted for tomorrow, we made our tents storm proof and closed down for the night. A memorable day.

13th March 2010 – Day 3 – by Dom Larose

After a much warmer night, we awoke to the snow Jim described in the last dispatch. After a pleasant breakfast, hot blueberry and granola (tastes so good out here) and brief musing of what might be happening at home, the rugby sweepstake will have to get settled next week. We set about the day’s chores; our first training exercise included fanning out from our position to locate the best direction for a runway. On a real expedition we will get picked up by a twin otter aircraft on skis. As well as visibility, wind and precipitation concerns we need to ensure an obstruction free landing strip of about 1200 feet. Picking a strip with an ice boulder or a major crack would not be good and is not unknown. Having established our runway we then marked it out, exercise complete. Sadly no plane to whisk us away to a frothy latte appeared. We then made steady progress with Lee setting the pace and Claire navigating. We had our first experience of boulder ice and picking our way through, we also came across refrozen sea ice. Jim tested the ice with Lee, Claire and Simon following after which we quickly moved on and completed 7km before striking camp. As I write we are now near an area of open water so Jim will be able to complete our cold water immersion training tomorrow, all being well. I have been nervously anticipating this for years ever since my polar dreams began and it seems that I am not alone, in fact it could well be that Jim wants me out of the way for some peace and quiet from the volume of nervous questions about cold water immersions! On that note it appears that another snowy night awaits and so I will sign off with love to all expedition members, friends and family back home – goodnight.

12th February 2010 - Day 2 - by Jim McNeill

After a cold night we woke at 0600 and slowly but surely struck camp, with the team hoping to improve the process before we left at around 0900. Tea for 10 minutes and then adjusted ourselves, a few alternations to gear and skis and clothing, then on for an hour. After this break we talked about hypothermia with a view to having a full “walk through” scenario in the following 30 minutes. The team handled this very well. We continued southerly across the bay towards Hill Island. Quick chat about bear encounters and the rest of the day we spent travelling. It’s quite cold at -25 but fortunately no wind. Pitching camp we made special effort to ensure that it was wind proof. Good learning atmosphere and teams beginning to work very well. As night approached we could see the snow approaching and by morning had several inches of fluffy snow and so cold temperatures to match, in other words, in had warmed up considerably.

11th February 2010 -Day 1 - Jim McNeill

Got to Iqualuit at around 1400 and then Matty’s at around 1500. Went to work preparing to go out, packing pulks and sorting clothing and equipment. Eventually after a lovely cup of tea and quick demo of tents, which were new to the team, by Matty, we said our farewells and skied off into the night. With little light left we pitched camp not quite 9km from our start point. Coldish night.

.......and they're off.......(again!)

So we've spent the day buying food for nose bags, packing dehydrated meals, ice axes and electronic equipment (satellite phones/emergency beacons etc) and tomorrow we get up at 6am to fly to Iqaluit. The plan is to get off the aircraft and head straight out on to the ice once we've collected out pulks and some fuel so tonight is my last night in a warm bed for a while! Temperatures are currently looking to be -47 degrees C including windchill which is far colder than we have experienced so far so I have to be honest i'm nervous but at least now with some experience behind us there's slightly less trepidation than last time.
We will be making the usual daily updates so check out the link i left on the last blog entry for news of our adventures and i will write again personally in 10 days time when we return from the ice.
Love and hugs
Arctic Ali !

Arctic training - Stage 2!

Well it barely feels like i've got back and already i'm packed up and about to set off for the next phase of my arctic adventures.
This afternoon i fly out to Canada to Montreal where we then get a 4 hour flight connection up to Baffin Island to a place called Iqaluit - an Inuit town on the edge of Frobisher bay.
Then the next 2 and a half weeks will be spent hauling pulks across pack ice and enudring the cold once again - i checked the temperature yesterday and with windchill it was -47degrees C - am missing my warm bed already!

As before we will be sending back daily dispatches so you can read about how we are getting on with our training expedition but as i'm not sure whether they will be uploaded here it's worth looking at the following link for news of my progress!
Daily despatches


See you all in a few more weeks
lots of polar love!