May 10, Cape Arctichesky
Slowly we have cut ties with the outside world. Of course the transition was not abrupt, but happened in subtle stages. First, we left Minnesota, then New York, and after that Moscow. Now, here we are on the Arctic Ocean all alone.
We'd be lying if we didn't say that today was an emotional day, because it was. It's a stark realization that we are leaving the world as we know it behind. But we also know the world of ice, too. Packing our canoes on the edge of the ocean was so familiar. This is what we do.
We ended up relaying boats throughout the day. After all of our fear of an open ocean crossing, who would have thought that we'd be dealing with pressured ice right away? It was a hard day, but we made good progress considering the terrain.
On a positive note, the tent is really warm right now - even under ambient light conditions. On the down side, I (Eric) seem to have caught a Russian virus and have almost no energy.
May 9, Sredny
It's a good thing our mothers didn't see the plane we flew in today. Several key safety features were a bit suspect as was one of the crew members who took an emergency bottle of oxygen off the wall, hooked up a mask and took a few long pulls. Landing in Sredny was a bit foreboding as well with two crashed planes alongside the runway. Needless to say, we arrived safely at weather station Golomiannyi outside of Sredny and we are poised to depart tomorrow morning.
It looks like we will only have an open ocean crossing of about five kilometers, which is also good news. Our gear is packed and we're ready to go. Get a full update on today by listening to the audio report.
May 8, Dikson, Siberia
It's not quite house arrest, but it's close. We remain here in Dikson - still, unable to leave as conditions for flying are nearly whiteout. While the rest of the group, John, Melanie and Mark are able to go outside, we must not leave because our visas already state that we have left the country and can not return. Therefore, we have spent the entire day inside staring at the ceiling.
On the plus side, we've caught up on our sleep as well as worked off the excess Russian vodka we consumed last night with Alex. Field Logistics Manager John Hoelscher has spent the entire day trying to work out the glitches in our palm pilot. While we have been able to send out messages with the OQO mini computer, we need the palm pilot as backup. Already, John has resoldered the serial cable. Now he is working on setting up the right E-mail account - not an impossible task, but one made difficult by the fact we have no Internet or other resources.
Other highlights from the day include watching old Russian war movies on TV, a visit from the border guards (who arrived with smoked fish and beer), mac and cheese made by Lonnie and lots more lying around and staring at the ceiling. You know, it ain't easy being a polar explorer!
Alex has just arrived from one of his many town sorties and informed us that we have a 90% chance of leaving tomorrow , which is a good thing because we're not sure how much longer we can sit around. Regardless, we are still very pleased at how easily we've made our way through Russia. The authorities in Dikson are pleased that we are here and are looking toward the future and having other North Pole expeditions travel through here.
The outlook for tomorrow: If we leave early, we'll be on the ice tomorrow afternoon. If we leave later we'll overnight in Sredny.
May 7, Dikson, Siberia
We tried to leave Norilsk at noon today, but we ended up at the airport, waiting, for over five hours. We are now in Dikson, a sea port in the middle of the Arctic. Before perestroika, the population here was 100,000. Today it is 1,000. It is amazingly run down, yet the people we've met have been incredibly nice.
We were hoping to make Sredny today, but to no avail. We simply ran out of time. Hopefully we'll be there tomorrow to maintain our schedule of being on the ice tomorrow as well.
Meanwhile, Lonnie and Alex {the amazing negotiator, pictured above right} are cooking spaghetti for the crew. Listen to the audio report for more details of our day.
May 6, Norilsk, Russia
For a while, it seemed like the red sea was parting before our very eyes - but that part of the story comes later. Our flight from JFK to Moscow was relatively uneventful and we arrived in Moscow on a sunny and warm 70 degree F afternoon. As we made our way to customs, we silently prayed that all our baggage had arrived safely and that our electronic equipment would pass through without notice. This is one of the things we most worried about since leaving Minnesota.
We were met by a representative of Victor Boyarski's VICAAR Agency right after having our passports and visas checked. It was a big relief to see Alex as we still had to clear customs (no small task in an ideal situation). So, we began filling out our customs forms. A few minutes later Alex appeared again, saw us with the paperwork and said, "No, don't do that. Follow me."
So we did and there was all of our gear nicely stacked on carts. "OK," Alex said, "Let's go." And so we did again, past serious-looking officials, through metal detectors, alongside other travelers having their bags searched and out the door, even nosing in front of most of the other people on our plane. It was amazing.
Our luck lasted for most of our seven hour stay in Moscow. However, checking in for our flight to Norilsk proved slightly more difficult. Our canoes would not fit in the elevator for oversized baggage. With Russian airport officials yelling at us to go faster, we stripped off all the packaging and shoehorned them one at a time in the elevator. Lonnie escorted them down and remarked later, "I didn't know if we'd ever see our gear again."
But here we are in Norilsk, with all our gear safe and sound. It's cold and there is a lot of snow on the ground. Alex has showed us images that place the main pack ice only three kilometers off Cape Arctichesky. We leave tomorrow for Sredny. That means we might be on the ice as early as Saturday morning!
May 4, New York
No more Minnesota and this is an image of our last few hours in New York. What's next? Stage three: an Aeroflot flight to Moscow
May 3, Minneapolis, Minn
Tuesday, Tuesday. the day nudged gingerly before Wednesday and after Monday. What is so remarkable about Tuesday? For us, everything. Tuesday, May 3 marks the beginning and the end.
We left Grand Marais at four in the morning. The good-bye's were difficult at best and we had to tear ourselves away from Kelly and Sarah. It was cold (18 F) and dark, but we still tried to soak in all that was our beautiful little city. What would happen here this summer while we are gone? We can only wonder now.
We had a great time getting interviewed on Minnesota Public Radio's Mid Morning, and after a short interview with the Star Tribune, the rest of the day was spent running errands. Most important today was to insure a proper nod to new expedition lead sponsor ACR Electronics, manufacturer of our PLB (personal locator beacon). With the help of Expedition Manager, Ann Possis, we managed to find a last minute tailor to sew several sponsor patches on our clothing.
Tim Harincar of X-Plot and www.webexpeditions.net fame was called in to our aid. Working with Mike J. from Greenpeace, they tried to establish a connection between our palm pilot and satellite phone. Roughed up but not beaten, we will renew the technology fight tomorrow with an increased vigour.
