Expedition Update # 13 - Direct from the High-Arctic! These updates are composed on our sub-notebook computer, which is powered by solar panels courtesy of UNSW, then sent using software from Global Marine Networks, over a satellite mobile phone provided by Landwide Satellite Solutions. Thanks very much to all involved! Date: 9/8/05 Time: 8:00pm Position: 70 deg 3.581 min N, 101 deg 39.54 min W Summary: Hard times, but high morale Location Map: Click the map to the left and a new browser window will open, directed to Google's new satellite maps feature. The map view will be centred on our current location. Zoom in for more detail. Weather: right now - sunny & calm but has been miserable Temperature: 2 deg C Message: Well, past few days have been incredibly difficult to say the least. Weather turned against us making life unpleasant except for inside the tent, which helped us to sleep right through our 7:00, and 8:00 alarms yesterday... Those mud-pits nearly swallowed our PACs a few hours ago - we had to unload them, use a piece of driftwood (that we found days ago and brought with us as wood is rare here!) as a wedge and ramp to eventually drag the beasts out, partly pulling them off their wheel brackets at the same time. *shudder*. Km have also been low, but we have been giving it all we have, and a lot more - we have to be happy with that, and we are. Each day, as Eric Philips pointed out to us (thanks), we are breaking new ground - each campsite we are possibly gazing out over a landscape that has never been squinted upon through goggles before... It's all very exciting, but utterly exhausting. We did do a few good paddles the last day or so, but the wind was head on, and even on these fairly short lakes (3km) it managed to whip up some impressive white-cap waves that we slammed through with every stroke. We seem to make good speed in the PACS on water, about 3 km/hr, which corresponds to the GPS telling us we have 10m less to go every 9 paddle strokes - and that's about all you can bare to face - break the paddling into those 9-stroke sections and deal with them one at a time. If we pause the wind drives us backwards! Still - it's pretty impressive kayaking in such conditions, and the sense of adventure is pounding through our veins. If it were easy, then everyone would do it. =) The mossies are descending on our tent, I really should close the tent-flap, but Clark is outside whipping up a gourmet dinner (dehydrated 'beef rotini' pasta tonight I believe), and I need that food in me as soon as possible, so I’m leaving the pathway from the stove, into the tent into my mouth as obstacle-free as possible. We have yet to see any sign of bears, but herds of musk-ox and caribou, arctic foxes, birds etc are common-place, however the novelty has yet to die! Just today a buck caribou pranced up and around us, often quite close, while we hauled slowly along for almost an hour, clearly torn between curiosity and a desire to run and hide from these 2 bizarre creatures passing through his realm. (A spot of filming in a rare sunny, calm evening.) Back to updates list To send us a message, please contact us anytime!