Today has been another great day, no doubt about it. Mike and I have skied 21 km today. Last night we actually drifted 2 km south, as the wind became westerly. Fortunately it turned once again during the day, into a nice, even tailwind.
We’re now 651 km from the North Pole, position N84?10’01”, E103?46’. The ice continues to be excellent, better than I can remember at this latitude – and that really helps us. Both of us are hoping that these conditions continue for a long time!
We are seeing more open leads. The ice obviously breaks up a bit in the shifting wind – and the wind is stronger than normal. But we’re glad the leads are very narrow. Usually we’re able to find a safe crossing point immediately nearby, although we did have to swim once today.
We have kept up a steady pace for 9.5 hours. First we walk 2.5 hours in one stretch early in the morning to put a bit of distance behind us, while our oatmeal breakfast is till giving us lots of energy. Then we pause for ten or twelve minutes, before taking turns leading, switching every 80 minutes. In the course of the day, we have five breaks.
I’m not so hungry as I was before the weekend. We’re getting enough calories now. Everything is working really wall, and our routines function perfectly. Talk to you tomorrow!
