Ryan dispatches March 19: Sometimes it is really hard to send dispatches, especially when there are so many challenges in every aspect of the day. Maybe though it tells a more full story to write when you at the bottom of your spirits. I was just outside trying to sew a repair on the sled but the cold wind drove me back to the tent, where I lay, back sore writing as small droplets of condensation fall on my face from the wind flapping the tent.

The crazy story from today happened as we stopped at the end of a section and happened to turn around to two polar bears walking casually behind us in our trail, and I mean right behind us. A mother and her cub who had been following us for a few hundred feet just kept walking toward us as we began to yell and reach for our flares, rather anxioussly I might add. Eric managed to get the gun out of a sled as I shot the third flare at the them which finally stopped their progress. A couple bearbanger shells from the shotgun finally sent them running off! Startled and kind of in disbelief we paced off the distance from where we had been to their prints where the finally ran, 15 feet.

Things continue to be hard here, the multi-year ice is just relentles and our progress is slow. Pulling the sleds tnrough this stuff just feels like there is never any break. But we are regrouping tonight and tomorrow we will try some new strategies to make much needed distance.

Otherwise, all is great, sometimes we laugh, enjoy the scenery and are kind of comfortable in the tent, sometimes. -Ryan

Image: Polar bear tracks...you know from the polarbears we saw today