The wind completely switched direction at some point during the night and pushed us one nautical mile closer to the North Pole. At that rate, all we need to do is sleep in the tent for the next 40 days or so and we'll be at the pole.

Not exactly. But not, not exactly either. You see, the Arctic Ocean sea ice 'drifts' mostly because of currents and winds. The current pushes the ice in a general direction to the but the wind can alter that dramatically. Leaving from Canada and skiing to the pole you are going against the drift for the most part - sometimes losing (moving south) up to two or three miles while you sleep at night. Leaving from the Russian 'side' of the Arctic Ocean you are generally going with the drift which is why we are gaining 'ground' (even though there is no land here)

We have settled into a good rhythm even though we've only been out here for a few days and managed to make 10 nautical miles. We spent most of the day on somewhat older ice, winding in and around ice blocks, snow drifts and a few pressure ridges. We were able to navigate in mostly straight lines - a not so common occurrence here.

Just before our first break, we encountered a six foot wide crack in the ice. Three feet below, at the sea level, there two thinner sheets of ice buckling together. I initially wanted to go around but the crack spanned to the east and west as far as I could see. I was wary of the ice's stability but with the sheets overlapping slightly I knew it would be stronger. I instructed everyone to keep their skis on while I took mine off. I would step down in the crack and help relay sleds over. The team would individually cross with their skis on to help distribute their weight. I had tested the ice with my ski pole and it seemed stable. Julie went across first and I guided her sled up onto the far side. Just as I was lifting her sled up, the ice disintegrated underneath me. I could feel myself sinking and dove for the far ice edge. I managed to get my arms up to my elbows on the ice but was sinking quickly. I yelled for Julie to help me, but at first she thought I was just telling h er to keep pulling her sled. Finally, she turned around and I was able to grab onto her arm and pull myself up. I quickly rolled I the snow to soak up the excess water.

Surprisingly, I wasn't completely soaked. My Helly Hansen pants had shed a surprising amount of water. The plastic bags I put over my boot liners helped keep most of the water out of my feet. Still, I was fairly wet, but the sun was out so I decided to 'ski myself dry' which I did. Huge props to my HH base layers as well that kept me warm and dried out completely over the next several hours.

By the last shift of the day, we stumbled onto one of the biggest leads I have ever seen. Luckily it was frozen and safe and we skied effortlessly for over an hour to the other side.

Distance traveled: 10 nautical miles