We’re Off for Real!!

March 25, 2009 9:18pm

85.0654N,077.7453W


We finally got the green light and take off from Eureka at 9:30. Bellow
us Ellesmere island is shrouded in a frozen blanket of ice. Soon
the coastline replaces the mountaainous terrain and annouces what we
will navigate for the next five weeks or so. Troy, our pilot, puts down
on a smooth pan of ice. Smooth is relative of course as the plane
bounces like an ice shaker until it comes to a reassuring hum. The door
opens and the cold air of the pack ice hits us like a shot of
adrenaline. I was hoping to film the plane as it left us in the white
vastness. But a suspicious ding in the fuselage will have the pilots
confer with their base and standing is cold! Keith and I bid our
farewells and start moving. It is 2:15 and our coordinates are N
84:59:861 and W077:06:940. It will take about 400 miles to get us to
the pole in an estimated 35-40 days. The euphoria is soon replaced by
the effort and the heat generated from pulling the heavy sledges. We
navigate through an endlless field of rubble the size of cars. After 4
hours and 15mn we have made 4.1 nautical miles. We are spent and after
a delish meal courtesy of chef Heger, it is time to sleep Cold out!
Over and out.

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