Expedition Update # 6 - 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: 12/7/05 Time: 11:00pm Position: 69.114 Deg N, 105.055 Deg W Summary: Into The Arctic 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: Crisp, clear & sunny, and almost midnight. Temperature: 5 deg C Message: Just a quick disclaimer: If there are random keystrokes in this update it's not my fault - its just because one of the many mozzies has landed on the keyboard and, being the size of a small bird, has no problems pressing the keys. Last update saw us jetting towards Edmonton, and the worlds largest mall. Mental note - when searching for the cheapest hostel in town, take into account the cost of getting there! A $50 taxi ride eventually depositied us at our hostel. Ouch! The famous 'West Edmonton Mall' seemed an endlessly jumbled collection of stores, many chocked full of the same things, built around indoor amusements including wave-pools, seal shows etc. We couldn't wait to buy our bear spray canisters and get out, get away from all this clutter, confusion and chaos - escape into the arctic. The owner of our hotel bought us a pint of beer to celebrate our last experience of 'darkness' we'll have for the next few months. We munched pringles and lapped up the last of civilisation before tiredness overwhelmed us. "Mr Bray and Mr Carter..This is your final boarding call... your plane is waiting for you.." Awesome taxi service here - after stopping people in the street to ask for directions, the chap decided to drop us off at some abandoned warehouse around which we wandered in confusion until he decided to come back later and take us to the right place, 1 hr late. We ran out onto the tarmac after being called twice. Close one! Peering out of the window of the plane the ocean took on a dull shean, and then became soild, broken only by the occasional black open water leed (see pic below). We are now in the high arctic, a goal we have been working towards for the past 9 months, finally a reality!! Clark and I couldn't stop smiling. Everyone here in Cambridge Bay is SO friendly! Everyone seems to know us - "You're those two Aussies!!". We have put faces to a lot of names of people who we've been talking to by phone for months. Someone we didn't know drove us from the airport to Doug Stern house where we are staying (Doug is off looking after Ellesmere Is, and left us his house!). Whenever we leave the house for a moment, we return to find atleast one note taped to the door from someone inviting us somewhere. The first 'night' we had dinner with the lovely sailing Kiwi couple 'Phil & Liz' who wintered over here after sea ice trapped their yacht. That "night" when we looked at our watches to discover it was midnight and still bright and sunny (forgot about the whole 24hr Sun thing) we said thanks to phil and liz for the dinner and grabbed some stuff from our house including the awsome Exped sleeping bag that we have been waiting to try out as it was meant to rain that night and the sleeping bags arewaterproof. Its funny how cold the high arctic can be - even though there was sun in the sky and no snow, Chris and I still managed to freeze just walking around town, even with windstoppers etc on. After we got our sleeping gear from home, we walked about 4km out of town and over some hills and rivers, then decided to make camp on some flat looking tundra and shale overlooking a half frozen river. It was a surreal feeling lying there with no tent in just our sleeping bags with howling winds, bright sunny sky, endless tundra with nobody else to be seen for kms and a lone Musk Ox just over the hill - this is what we came here for!!! That night Chris and I had the best sleep ever, we even got HOT on occasions in our sleeping bags - despite the winds and freezing temps. We awoke at 11:30 the next morning with a massive Musk Ox only about 50m away! Today we did some jobs that needed to be done like clean up some of our gear, meet and greet people and of course, shower. We met up with Lawrence (who had been a helpful contact during our planning) and he gave us some beautiful Arctic Char (salmon-like fish) to cook for dinner - let me tell you, it was the nicest fish I have eaten in a long time. We picked up our expedition food that we had pre-delievred, (inc 16kgs chocolate!) and it came as quite a surprise at just how heavy it was and how much room it took up. None the less, we managed to make it look a little less daunting by pouring the rice, oats, pasta and milk powder into drybags. We can't get over how open and cheerful everyone here is. We had some cute little kids come up to us when we were cooking dinner in the front yard (overlooking the bay with ice floating all through it) and they started swatting mozzies off our backs. Chris even fixed one of their bikes for them - we was the hero. Hopefully we'll get our kayaks here soon... Back to updates list To send us a message, please contact us anytime!