16 hours and 232 kilometers covered the team reaches DYE II

DYE II camp at first light

N66°29.538 W46°18.662 Elevation 6957 Feet

Looming in the distance, about 30 clicks away, was Dye II. A mere point on the horizon, this abandoned military building has been a reference target for distance in the first phase of our trip. Upon packing the camp this morning, it stood 232 kilometers away, a distance we had optimistically hoped to reach in two days. After just over 16 hours of hard and fast travel, we would reach it in a day!

This was a classic travel day. The kind that goes on and on, yielding perfect conditions that feel will never end.

Enjoying a cup of soup waiting for wind

N64°24.890 W46°20.333

“If we wanted to go fast, we could have taken a plane,” was the reply imparted onto me by my young friend. After sharing those words of wisdom, Eric showed me some tricks to keep the kite in the air in low downwind conditions. Kiting is naturally amped in powered up conditions. In marginal winds, especially heading downwind, while dragging heavy cargo through wet snow, it’s about as much fun as stumping your toe. Not only is it a lot of work just keeping the sail in the air, but the angle of travel forces a constant zigzag at really low speed, and the miles covered are abysmal. “Still better than pulling”, I kept telling myself.

This was the hole left by the tent after six days pinned down

Morning rises at 4:30 AM

N64°18.072 W46°20.307 Elevation 8191 feet

We left at night. And kited for twelve hours with only brief stops every 1.5 hours at first, and 1 hour towards the end of the run. By 1:30PM the following day, we had covered 158 kilometers. The winds started low and increased to a steady speed that kept us on the 10 and 12 meter Ozone Mantas traveling around 20 to 25 kilometers an hour for almost five hours.