Morning came way too soon and we had to unzip from warm sleeping bags. Luckily, it is 24-hour daylight here which helps keep the frost build up somewhat at bay. Regardless, I still have to take a small brush and sweep the walls of the tent before fully emerging from my bag. It's easily one of the most uncomfortable of a series of very uncomfortable experiences on the Arctic Ocean.

I tend to explain this journey to my clients in terms of words. Starting out, our mission is simply survival. Then, we move toward thoughtfulness - being mindful of the changing environment and adapting to each change (no matter how big or small). Next, efficiency, one of our biggest assets out here, which helps save both time and energy. Today, we focused on deliberateness. I could go on and on about all these words but I am somewhat tired and sleep beats poetry after a long day on the Arctic Ocean.

The ice gods were kind to us today giving us fairly open pans and distinct pressure ridges that were easy to traverse. We took our skis off a few times but only for short distances. There was no open water or thin ice to speak of either.

At soup break, clouds rolled with a bone-chilling mist which lasted until nearly the end of the day. We struggled through some pressure for a little while at one point finding an alleyway of ice blocks that formed a perfect paths through two adjacent ridge lines.

Neil has rebounded fairly decently from yesterday and the rest of the group is strong. Our goal, as always, is to reach the pole as a team.

We have been making decent progress, yesterday 10.9 nautical miles, but we have also been moving North while we sleep. Yesterday we drifted nearly a mile North while we slept and today 1.2 miles.

It was an easier day yesterday so I let my mind drift a bit. Maria and our son are going car camping and mountain biking this weekend - easily one of my favorite things. I had planned on going to but the delay with Russians has changed my schedule. I love the ice here and this journey but being gone closing in on a month now is not easy.

I missed my daughter's third birthday last week and when I talked to her on the phone she said, I cried because you leave.'