Grim Start
21/02/06    

I'm phoning-in this first report to my wife, feeling rather depressed. The pilot who was employed to drop me at my starting place was not willing to go to the agreed point, so I now have an extra 40 miles to travel, this will add another week to my journey. I have 5 hours of usable light in which to make progress and am developing an efficient camp craft regime. My pulk is extremely heavy at 155kilograms. The sea ice is very rough, even in the bay where it should be flat. Anyway, speaking to my wife has put a smile back on my face and I’m looking forward to better days ahead.

Shove the food down!
22/02/06    

Have progressed! My GPS tells me I have travelled 14 miles, but I don't think I've come that far! It's taking 1½ hours to get the stove going, due to the fact that it's very cold and I'm having to be extremely vigilant to make sure I avoid frostbite. I must admit to having trouble eating, I can't stomach the food! I have to get over that one, as obviously I will need the energy. I'll do my best to shove the food down! There is a problem with a broken pump on one of the stoves, but I have a repair kit for this. Lori asked me the temperature, but I had to say it's so cold I don't want to go to the effort of getting the temperature probe out, which is at the base of the pulk. Routines are going well, so it's onwards, one step at a time!

Decision to regroup
23/02/06    

At 16:00 yesterday I made a decision to call a temporary halt to the start of this expedition, due to a massive lead in the ice in front of me. If I attempted to carry on I would only have a very slim chance of getting across and would have to wait 2-3 weeks, time possibly spent in vain, waiting for it to close. The basis and aims of this expedition are to reach the Arctic Pole and carry out vital NASA work. So I shall regroup at base camp and arrange a flight over this large lead (which is estimated to be about the size of the English Channel). I have seen massive clouds, which occur over water that is warmer than air; this confirms that the leads are there. I am also experiencing other minor problems, therefore I feel that this is the best decision to make if this expedition is to achieve anything this season and allow me to forge ahead as quickly as possible. My next report will be from Resolute Base Camp. I am bitterly disappointed, but will start again in earnest in about a week’s time. The implication of this is that we will require more sponsorship and our UK team will be knocking on doors to find funding in order to achieve this crucial work for NASA.

Back At Base Camp
24/02/06    

I am now back at Base Camp Resolute, many thanks to Summit Air for their kind help. Am now trying to arrange a flight over the lead in order to progress the expedition. The search for a sponsor continues!

A Waiting Game....
26/02/06    

Somewhat frustrated but even more determined (if that's possible) I'm back in the incredibly hospitable hands of Aziz and Aleesuk at South Camp Inn, Resolute Bay - our base camp.
Essentially the plan is to fly out across the massive open lead to where I should be by now. But this won't happen until March 3/4th and subject to weather conditions.
This will allow me to start the NASA work at 82 degrees North and make up for the lost time so far.
Meanwhile I'm bashing on every potential sponsors door to seek the extra funding required.
This jostling between commercial rat-race and loneliness on the ice makes for a very interesting life! I must write a book!

The image shows the 20 mile wide lead of open water (dark line) going from east, west sitting above Cape Isachsen - Courtesy NASA

Off Again ...at last!
09/03/06    

Well, tomorrow morning (Friday) I'll be off once more - restarting from where I should have got to by now and therefore catching up with plan.
The main aim now is get the ice and snow depth data for NASA/NSIDC as I progress through the Magnetic Pole which should be some 200 miles away - depending on where I end up being flown.
I came to learn during the week that a scientific paper was being written with the data I gather and that I would be a co-author and Ice Warrior would be cited within the paper. This is fantastic news as fundamental to Ice Warrior's ethos is that our expeditions are not just adventures but purposeful and worthwhile - harking back to the golden era of polar exploration.
Just got to get the data now!

Broken sea ice
14/03/06    

I was finally airlifted onto the ice late last night so have managed 2 miles of extremely challenging sea ice travel. The conditions are as the satellite images have shown - large areas of open and partially icy water. This is a very disturbed environment of many pressure ridges, with a fiercely cold wind adding another degree of difficulty. I aim to progress as sensibly as possible so I won’t be achieving huge distances at this stage.

Moving Sea Ice
15/03/06    

Wednesday 15th March 2006
North 81º 02mins, West 110º 08mins.
I had a good day yesterday; although the going was very rough, with ice ridge after ice ridge some of them 10 metres high. However, I managed to notch up 4 miles, which I feel is pretty good under these circumstances. I endured an extremely cold and uncomfortable night, on three occasions I was awoken by the sound of huge ice movements which was a little frightening! Having progressed some more today, I am now on an ice pan so the going should be fairly flat for a while. I will be starting the snow depth and ice thickness measurements today to assess the “ground truth” for NASA.

Expedition called to an end
16/03/06    

I was having a great day today until 5.00pm this afternoon when I was crossing a 4ft wide piece of sea ice with a lead underneath. It was, to all intent and purposes frozen but unfortunately my boot slipped and I fell into the water right up to my chest. It took me several minutes to heave myself out injuring one of my ribs in the process. So it’s 6.00pm, I’ve managed to sort most of myself out, I’ve got a couple of toes I can’t feel still but I don’t think they are frosted. In my estimation the ice up here is treacherous and the risks are too great. In 22 years of doing this I have never seen ice like this in March, this is something that happens in May-June, mid Summer really. If ever there were a witness to global climate issues and global warming this must be it. So I have now called an end to the expedition and I’ll get my pilot to pick me up in the next few days. The weather is inclement at the moment so I’ll spend time looking for a suitable landing spot. Hopefully I’ll find one not too far away.

Waiting
17/03/06    

I am unable to search for a landing site at the moment due to the storms which are raging outside my tent. Six inches of snow fell yesterday - complete whiteout conditions. Strong winds can break up the ice further so I’ll wait to see what today brings.

Safely Back in Resolute
18/03/06    

Finally the storms subside but only long enough to get me out. One whole beautiful day! I was very sad to leave the Arctic Ocean on such a day. But the 15 cm of snow covered all the thin ice and open water and had made things even more treacherous. Troy, my highly experienced pilot managed to find a place to land not too distant from where I was - about 1 km. Mind you pulling a heavy pulk through thick snow with no boots was not easy! (Lost use of them since they were completely frosted up during my dip in the sea).
Now back in the comfort of Resolute - sore but undeterred!

The Show Goes On!
02/04/06    

Geomagnetic Pole Teams - Stir Crazy in South Camp Inn

The good news: the luggage has arrived with nothing missing.
The bad news: Inclement weather has delayed IW1's flight north until Sunday, meaning IW2 will have to head out on Monday.
Still, there's plenty to do: South Camp Inn's corridors are buzzing with the yelps of Ice Warriors piercing fingers with sewing needles, stuffing chocolate, salami and marshmallows into food bags and trying to force all the kit into pulks (sledges).
We've also been out in the community, visiting the local school and the weather centre, where Wayne the meteorologist has told us to expect unseasonably warm weather. Spirits remain high, and we're all eager to get going.

Fact of the day (the first in an occasional series): Polar bear intestines were used to make windows in igloos.

Tents time.
03/04/06    

Day 7: Sunday

101 Ways to Pass the Time in Resolute

#37: Sit down and watch eight dvds back-to-back.

#53 - go to church and listen to Bellsie, Liz, Laura and Julia attempt to sing hymns in Inuktitut (the local language).

#71 - head to the community centre and pit Flem, Olly and the two Alexes against a team of 12 super-energetic Inuit children at basketball, limbo dancing and piggy-back racing.

#87 - hold an impromptu Arctic Olympiad. Events include skeleton bob pulk racing, tossing the Baffin Boot and Batura jacket wrestling (think Sumo but
fatter)

#98 - Pack and repack pulks for the third night running.

The teams are now camping outside South Camp Inn to acclimatise and all signs are that IW1 will fly on Monday to Ellesmere with IW2 flying Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning. (Each team needs two flights to get there)

Still Resolute
04/04/06    

Another day, another disappointing phone call from the air charter company. No flights possible today due to a storm at Grise Fjord but it looks hopeful tomorrow for the first half of Ice Warrior 1. Building a snow tunnel for the children to sledge through occupied most of us for half the day - its crucial to keep fit and stave off boredom, so that when it's time to go, we can snap straight into expedition mode. As the delay mounts up, though, another factor comes into play - time. If we don't fly for another few days, we will have to travel light and race for the Pole.

Ice Warriors Are Go!
06/04/06    

After a week of missing luggage and weather-related delays, the first flight laden with Ice Warriors left Resolute today, and landed safely off Ellesmere. The conditions in Bay Fiord didn't allow for landing, so they continued over to the east coast and put down in Flagler Bay.
The expedition to the Geomagnetic Pole will now be considerably shorter and we won't be going through the much anticipated Sverdrup Pass, but it does mean we'll have more time to explore Dobbin Bay or possibly even the coast to the northeast of the Darling Peninsula, where there may be some open water and the wildlife that goes with it.
The first flight went with Anna, Dave, Flem, Laura, Liz and Ollie.
The remainder of IW1 (Hannah, Jon and Mark), as well as Alex M, Matt and Tom from IW2, will fly out shortly, with the reminder of IW2 due to fly tomorrow, along with our Italian friend Michele Pontrandolfo.

Half Started!
07/04/06    

IW1 on ice; IW2 set to go

After yesterday's letdown -- when the second IW1 flight had to turn around at Grise Fiord because of fog, we finally got one whole team out to Ellesmere when Hannah, Jon and Mark joined the rest of the team this morning.
IW2 have sent their pulks to the airport, and are set to go tomorrow (Friday), weather permitting. Fingers and toes are crossed and every bit of wood has been touched...
IW1 are in Flagler Bay now, heading for the Bache Peninsula. IW2 will try to land in Bay Fiord tomorrow, and only if that isn't possible will we head to Flagler Bay
Everyone in Resolute is wishing us on our way now, except for the kids who've been using our training pulks as sleds on the course we built them....

Both Teams on Ice !
09/04/06    

Hello All
Having had to abandon my own part in this years expedition I am now back in the Ice Warrior "driving seat" and will be reporting the progress of both teams towards the Geomagnetic Pole.
Team leaders Dave/Mark (Team 1) and Matt (Team 2) will give me a verbal report every other day, alternately, unless something extraordinary happens in which case they'll report that as it happens.
I do hope you enjoy their reports and if you have any specific questions please email me - jim@ice-warrior.com
I'm delighted to say that both teams are now on ice and making good progress.
Team 1 will be giving a report later today but landed in Flagler Bay and made their way up onto the Bach Peninsula where they made camp on Friday night. A huge effort lasting 5 hours to haul everyone up the 650 ft gully from Flagler Bay really pulled the team together and meant everyone had a good nights sleep!
Team 2 will report tomorrow but were dropped on the western coast of Ellesmere and will make their way to Thumb mountain marking the entrance to the Sverdrup Pass, which they should reach by tomorrow.
Weather for both teams has been clear, bright and windless with temperatures around -25 degrees Celsius. (Perfect!!). All Ice Warriors are in great spirits and fine fettle and have really got their teeth into the task at hand.
Jim McNeill

First bear!
10/04/06    

Team 1 moved only a small distance yesterday as they were all suffering the strains of the day before, pulling up the 650 ft gully. But they did report their first polar bear encounter. Dave Hughes was filling the stove with fuel when he noticed a small male some 36 paces from the tent. The team reacted perfectly and Ollie Mills and Liz Rayner both fired red flares just under his nose which frightened him enough that he didn’t return.
We employ a number of techniques to ward off bears – bear spray, flares, bear crackers and ultimately a pump action shotgun with lethal lead slugs. In all my encounters with these beautiful creatures I’ve never had to shoot at one yet. I believe the most important thing is to really get to know their habits and behaviour so that you can recognise what a bear is up to and react accordingly. There is always a mixed feeling when you scare one away, though. After all we are in their territory.
Dave and Mark will scout a route down the other side of the peninsula today.

Matt reports Team 2 made good progress on great ice (flat and slippery!) and were approaching Thumb Mountain today. He was particularly delighted to see the moraines that mark the start of the pass were covered in snow, unlike when we were there in 2004 when we had to pull our pulks across long stretches of rock and gravel.
Unfortunately Team 2 will be restricting their reporting as they are unable to charge their satellite phone batteries. So I’m not exactly sure when we will here from them again.

Coastal Flat Ice
12/04/06    

Dave reports Team 1 have managed to get down the other side of the Bache Peninsula although they have sustained some light damage to their pulks as they had to drag them across some rock. They are now in Princes Marie Bay on the east coast of Ellesmere Island and enjoying some flat ice. Michele Pontradolfo, our new Italian friend who joined Dave and his team to get to the Geomagnetic Pole was somewhat exhausted yesterday and was helped by the team. His pulk is very much heavier than the team pulks being wholly self sufficient and he got into a state of dehydration. He’s fully recovered now though.

Some people have asked what the consequences are of Team 2’s inability to charge their satellite phone so I thought I’d explain part of our safety communications policy. Matt is carrying four batteries for his main satellite phone, each of which should last a week, even when giving progress reports to me. This, if he were able to charge them daily, would be sufficient. One of those batteries is kept solely for emergencies, so erring on the side of caution, we’ve decided to drop the progress reports until we know they definitely have spare capacity (sometimes batteries can be a little unpredictable). Matt is therefore gauging usage very carefully.
In addition to that a second, fully tested, satellite phone and battery is kept purely for emergency purposes.
Each team also carries a state-of-the-art EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon) – utilized only in life-threatening situations - which pin points the teams location to within 3 metres and automatically instigates a full rescue operation.
Each night both teams carryout a check call to Ozzie our support manager in Resolute, stating their condition and giving their precise location. If this does not occur then Ozzie automatically instigates our rescue procedure.
Finally each team carries two small vhf radios to communicate across distances of up to 6 km.
So in short….nothing to be concerned about…just a little disappointing that we can’t get updates for the time being.
Jim

Thoughts of Home
16/04/06    

I’m pleased to report both teams are doing well and they wish all their family and friends a Happy Easter from the Arctic.
Team 1 found a different canyon than we used in 2004 to get through the worst bit of the Sverdrup Pass and had reached the water ice decent, some 19 miles from Flagler Bay on the east coast of Ellesmere Island. They had sustained some damage to the underside of a number of their pulks due to rock fields which they will attempt to repair on route. Rich Spinks has sprained his wrist skiing but nothing too bad. (Matt reported a position of 79 degrees 08 minutes north and 79 degrees 41 minutes west).
Dave Hughes reported team 1 were nearing Cape Harrison. The going has been very tough having to pull through flat but deep snow and everyone was quite tired still. Overheating seemed to be the biggest problem and so they’re all getting a bit smelly! It looks as though they would be entering a more broken sea ice just after the cape.
The weather is still being kind to both teams – clear blue skies and good temperatures (-25 ‘ish).
Spirits and morale are high in both groups although thoughts will be particularly of home on Easter Sunday.
..........Happy Easter from me also.....Jim

Going Gets Tough for Both Teams
18/04/06    

I heard from both teams yesterday.
Team 1 led by Dave Hughes and Mark Wood - comprises Ollie Mills, Anna Krassowska, Jonathan Geldart, Flemmich Webb, Liz Rayner, Hannah Smiles, Laura Le Cheminant (Michele Portrandolfo is also with them)
Camping just opposite an incredibly striking island called Norman Lockyer Island. They are pulling through rough ice with heavy snow still and finding the going very tough as a result. Yesterday they managed 3.8 miles in 6 hours which reflects the difficulty of the task and all are increasingly tired. Ollie and Flem have been doing a brilliant job micro route finding and paving the way for the rest of the team. Morale is still high and Hannah and Anna delighted the team by supplying well earned Easter Eggs for all.
Team 2 led by Matt O'Brien - comprises: Alex Morales, Alex Ealey, Arabella Arbuthnott, Raoul Scurouf, Richard Spinks, Dale McKenzie, Jo Butcher, Julia Sawyer, Alistair Whittle, Tom Angel
Made fantastic progress through the Sverdrup Pass and have now entered Flagler Bay 79 deg, 10 min north - 77 deg, 59 min west. They celebrated Richard's birthday in style and are all in very good spirits. Now they have to pull up and over the Bache Peninsula which going on team 1's comments will not be easy.
Jim

Some relief at last!
21/04/06    

Hello All
Just got an update from Jon Geldart in team 1 who was waking up just off of Cape Hawkes. They've finally reached flat ice after having to endure rough conditions for most of the coastal traverse. The rough ice has resulted in damage to a number of sledges which they will address once they reach the Dobbin Bay. The team celebrated Anna's birthday yesterday with Mark presenting a cake that he had carried all the way from Resolute for her. All team members are well and in good spirits and delighted to have Washington Irving Island in view with flat ice underneath them. Weather still remains good although they're starting off with a a 20 km headwind.
Jim

Two reports in one day!
21a/04/06    

Team 2 also reported in fit and well and are now at 79 deg, 19 min north and 75 deg, 35 min west - about 12 miles from Norman Lockyer Island. Matt's been wearing nothing but a base layer most of the time and speaks of perfect weather. Quite a few bear prints have been seen although no actual encounters as yet. All fit and well and very happy at their progress...until I told them of the rough ice reported by team 1, ahead of them! Next report should be Tuesday next week.
Jim

Team 1 have made it to the Pole!
25/04/06    

Fantastic News!
I'm absolutely delighted to announce that Team 1 have made it to the Geomagnetic North Pole!
After negotiating all the rough ice for so long, they encountered an 11 mile stretch of flat ice up to the valley head. (This is a great relief for me as it means we can fly an aircraft in to pick them up without any landing problems.) When they reached the start of the valley they made a a base camp and continued on with rucksacks rather than dragging their sledges. They started at 0915 hrs and finished up at the pole a distance of 13.8 miles at 2115hrs. They're now half way back to base camp. Hannah had some back problems but did very well with the help of Jon's massages (Jon has held a very welcome sports massage surgery continually). Mark's ski bindings broke some 4 miles before the pole so he's been treading through deep snow since. Dave's also broke around the same time but he managed to bind the skis to his feet. All are absolutely shattered but nevertheless elated and looking forward to reaching camp some 7 miles away....and a well deserved rest! I'm chuffed! Huge congratulations to them all! (It was a short report but I'll let you know more detail when I have it!)

Meanwhile Team 2 are 1.5 miles into Dobbin Bay from Washington Irving Island and are still in the rough sea ice. The biggest problem has been the temperature which is reported to be so warm they are sweating in their sleeping bags at night. Hopefully it will be Thursday when they reach the pole. Currently at: 79deg, 35 min north and 73 deg, 05 min west.
Jo Butcher says Happy Birthday to Harriott and hopes Belinda had a good London marathon - Bellsie hopes that Anna had a good marathon and Al Whittle (our resident Ausie) wishes his Mum a huge Happy Birthday!

More Fantastic News!
27/04/06    

Team 2 have reached the Geomagnetic North Pole!
I received a message on my answer phone this morning to say that they all reached the pole at 2153 hrs local time, last night. All are well and they're on their way back to base camp at the head of the valley. Sounding tired but elated himself, Matt said he'd phone me later this afternoon with more details.
That's really great news!

3 members of staff leading Arctic expeditions for the first time; 17 polar novices comprehensively trained over a period of 17 months - ordinary people from all walks of life achieving something quite extraordinary.....a great, successful human endeavour. All this and highly valuable data collected about climate change and pollution for the scientific community............this is what Ice Warrior is all about!
We're just starting the selection process for 2008.

Although this won't be my last dispatch I'd just like to thank all of you on the receiving end of these postings for your kind and incredibly valued support. It makes such a difference to the teams when faced with these adversities to know that they have the wholehearted support of friends, family and like minded people. Thank you.
Jim

More Info Team 2
28/04/06    

Just a little more information from Matt.
Apparently they had a 26 hour day to get to the pole, 23 of which was on the move! All are completely shattered but euphoric. They are now back in the base camp at the head of the valley with Team 1.
The weather has been superb throughout their journey, although a little too warm at times! Following the trail of Team 1 from Flagler Bay they noticed polar bear footprints tracking team 1 all the way and in turn Arctic fox footprints followed the bear.
All the scientific measurements had gone to plan with snow and ice depth data, weather and temperature data taken for NASA/NSIDC and snow samples taken for the University of Washington, USA, for soot deposit analysis. Prof. Tom Grenfell will meet the team back in Resolute and analyse his snow samples using Canada's Polar Shelf Project's laboratory based near the airport in Resolute.
All in all a great trip.
(Bellsie wishes her Uncle Douglas a very Happy Birthday!)
More as I get it.
Jim

Final Dispatch
    

A final dispatch from both teams in the words of Flemmich Webb...

After Team 2 returned to the camp from their 22-hour Pole journey (27/4), they cooked up some food and went to bed to catch up on much-needed sleep.
Team 1 were also settling in for the night, when suddenly a thumping and cracking sound was heard from the ice. Alex Ealey went out to investigate and to his amazement saw a rapidly widening expanse of open water forming just 30m from the tents.

Everyone hurried out to have a look. The pressure of the water from the rising tide had split the ice, creating a barrier of open water between the camp and the Pole. Had it happened a few hours earlier, Team 2 might not have been able to get back to the tents.

An immediate decision was made to move camp, so at 1am the tents were taken down and both teams walked for 1.5 hours back into Dobbin Bay. A new camp was set up and the teams crawled into their sleeping bags at 3.30am.

In the morning (28/4), there was good news. Borek Air confirmed that it would be able to pick us up. At 6pm, the drone of the first plane could be heard, quickly followed by a second.

There were mixed emotions on the ice. Some were pleased to be heading back for a hot shower and food on a plate rather than from a packet, others were sad that the great adventure and 18 months of hard work were finally drawing to a close.

The sadness soon evaporated at the sight of Dale, Rich, Mark and Raoul being literally blown across the ice by the force of the propellers as they tried to free one of the airplanes from the ice by rocking the tail section. Ollie sensibly opted to hang back and capture the whole event on video!

The two planes got into Resolute at about 11pm, and those on board soon found themselves rampaging through Randy's (the chef at South Camp Inn) kitchen eating anything they could lay their hands on. Meanwhile, one plane returned to Dobbin Bay to pick up the remaining seven people still on the ice.

By 4am the next morning (29/4), everyone was back in Resolute. A programme of washing, weighing (everyone has lost weight) and eating has taken place since and, gradually, sunburnt noses, blistered feet and sore backs are beginning to heal.

Thoughts are now turning to home and what the future holds. Who knows how many of us will be drawn back to the ethereal beauty of the frozen Arctic, but one thing is for sure, no one will ever forget their experiences on the way to the Geomagnetic Pole in 2006.

.......and comments from others:

Anna K: “I had a great time. For the first time in ages I was able to stop worrying about long-term goals and just concentrate on daily, even hourly achievements – getting over an ice hump, making sure the stove worked when it was my time to cook.”

Jo Butcher: “It’s hard to put my feelings into words. Exciting, fun, dangerous, beautiful and, most of all, unforgettable.”

Bellsy: “My nose still hurts.”

John: “The most difficult thing I have done in my life, but I promised myself I’d do something extraordinary every year, and this definitely fitted the bill!”

Flem: “A magical voyage through a dreamlike world of ice, snow and pounds of salami”

Dave: “In a team where everyone pulled their weight in every sense, we encountered and managed every situation discussed and trained for. A fantastic achievement in the true spirit of adventure.”

Julia: “The tough parts of the journey will soon be forgotten but the experience will always be remembered.”

Laura: “The few hard moments I had were outweighed tenfold by the scenery and team spirit. I feel proud to have been part of such an amazing team.”

Alex M: “An amazing experience, both because of the people involved and the incredible scenery of a place so rarely frequented. Only my feet have any complaints …”

Alex E: “The surreal and hostile beauty is truly amazing. I now have an insight into why men such as Nansen, Scott and Shackleton could not let it go.”

Matt: "Complete satisfaction sums it up. Achieving the goal is great in itself, but with the fantastic weather we enjoyed and to do it in good style, with a great team and with time to spare makes it all the better. I am very proud of the seventeen new 'explorers' and hope they have the bug for taking on more adventures in the future. Special thanks to Alex Morales for his continual enthusiasm for the scientific projects that he headed up."

Thanks for your interest
Jim