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April 13th, 2009

WE ARE ALREADY AT 89° NORTH!

Posted in North Pole 2009 | Tags: North Pole | by Olav Grinde | No Comments »

Incredible start. The Plane took of at Longyearbyen at 16:05 and we landed safely at the drifting ices where the Barneo Base is situated at 18:30. We were in the air again just one and a half hour later, heading out to our starting point.
That flight was quite long as the wind picked up. That meant we had to get to a point were we did not have the drift against our direction. With the ice breaking up and the ice going in the wrong direction we could have faced a very big challenge trying to reach the North Pole.

The Antonov 74 has landed safely at the ice

But we got there and camped directly. Sunny, -30°C, wind 6-8 m/sec. The ice is drifting quite fast and breaking up in places, but we are safe and happy in our two tents. In the Norwegian one is Max, Thorleif and Gunnar. In the other Tom, David and me.
Tomorrow will be a calm day were we work on routines and learn how to travel safely and well through the pack ice.

GOODBYE AND HELLO!

Posted in North Pole 2009 | by Olav Grinde | 2 Comments »

Since I last wrote, Salvatore and Stephen have left for home. They had a very successful journey to the North Pole and were as happy as could be. – Nothing pleases me more. That makes it really worth it for me.
In the meantime my new team has gathered in Longyearbyen. Together we will challenge the Last Degree to the North Pole. That is going to be a 110km adventure that will be with us for the rest of our lives.
Among the participants is my son Max who happened to turn 21 yesterday! We all found some time to celebrate, though most of the day we packed, checked and prepared everything for the expedition.
The plane is set to leave Svalbard at 1600. All is set, all of us are very well prepared, and the weather is good. It is GO!