18th March 2010 – Day 8 – 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.
Showing posts with label Baffin Island. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Baffin Island. Show all posts
Friday, 19 March 2010
Thursday, 18 March 2010
Frobisher Bay – Training Expedition Diary - St Patrick’s Day
Frobisher Bay – Training Expedition Diary
17th March 2010 – Day 7 Wednesday – Claire Mcaleer
St Patrick’s Day
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.
Ice Warrior Expeditions
17th March 2010 – Day 7 Wednesday – Claire Mcaleer
St Patrick’s Day
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.
Ice Warrior Expeditions
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