Despite the fact that the Barneo Ice Station has closed for the season, and most of the teams making their way to the North Pole have been pulled from the ice, there is still a little action to report on from up north.
The Catlin Arctic Survey team is still out there, and the past ten days haven't exactly been a stroll in the park. They were scheduled for a resupply more than a week ago, but thanks to bad weather, they've had to sit and wait for a plane to arrive, hoping it could deliver some much needed food and fuel.
The team, consisting of Pen Hadow, Ann Daniels, and Martin Hartley, have had to ration their supplies while they waited, and watched, hoping for a weather window to open. That finally happened yesterday, and the plane was finally able to land and not only give them the essentials they needed to continue their journey, but also messages from home and a smiling face from the outside world. According to their website, the team is already stronger in spirit, and the newly delivered food will soon have them strong in body again as well.
Now, the team can turn their attention back to what they are in the Arctic for in the first place. They are continuing to use their high tech gear, including ground penetrating radar, to check the effects of global climate change on the environment there. The team is currently at a little more than 85ºN Latitude, and they estimate they have another 300 or so miles to go before they reach the North Pole, but they'll forge ahead with their research none the less.
The Baffin Babes are also continuing their exploration of Baffin Island, although dispatches are few and far between. In their latest update, they wax poetic about the coming of spring to Baffin, as the world wakes up around them. When last we checked in on the girls, they were feeling a bit under the weather, but no mention of that now, as they continue skiing for ten hours a day through the Baffin landscapes.
Finally, Christina Franco posted on her site a few days back that she had finally returned to London following her last degree journey to the Pole from Barneo. Her biggest surprise upon her return to civilization? How green everything had become since she had left. That's what happens when you head to the North Pole early in the spring, and return home with it in full bloom. That has to be nice after days on the ice!
The North Pole season is all but wrapped up, but I'll continue keeping an eye on the teams while they're still out there.
No comments:
Post a Comment