Fine weather, good ice, great morale…

Published on 06.04.2009 - Peary Centennial North Pole Expedition

Everything has been going marvellously well for the past week for the trio led by Lonnie Dupré. Everyone is fit, they have passed through 86 degrees North, they are able to ski for longer each day and are making rapid progress.

"The weather was perfect" (30th March), "excellent travelling conditions " (1st April), "another day of good progress on the ice and a great sense of pride and achievement for having passed through 86ÂÂº North " (2nd April), "a fine day today, with the sun higher in the sky, no significant wind, and, in three days' time, we will be celebrating the centenary of Peary and Henson's team reaching the North Pole", (3rd April), "the team reports an excellent distance covered today: 13.3 nautical miles in 10 hours on the move " (5th April).

So everything is going well for Lonnie Dupré's team. They have even had the time to write about their thoughts as they move across the sea-ice. Stuart Smith spends the first third of his day thinking about how long the last two thirds of his day are going to take. He also thinks about home and wonders how life is going on in his absence, thinking about what he is missing. Max E. Chaya thinks about the book he will undoubtedly write after completing this adventure and about everything he can put in it. Lonnie Dupré thinks about Bob Dylan. Why Bob Dylan? Because he has several lists of Dylan's songs in his iPod and wonders what order he will listen to them in.

Their progress table:

March 04, D 01, Cape Discovery, N83.01.36 / W77.32.04, 2.3 NM, -48°C
March 05, D 02, N 83° 05' 02'' / W 77° 33' 11'', 5 hours walk, 3.7 NM, -42°C
March 06, D 03, N 83° 06' 37'' / W 77° 36' 08'', 4,75 hours walk, 1.3 NM, -43°C
March 07, D 04, N 83° 08' 58'' / W 77° 35' 19'', 4,5 hours walk, 2.2 NM, -45°C
March 08, D 05, rest day
March 09, D 06, N 83°12' 52'' / W 77° 36' 33'', 6 hours walk, 4 NM, -37°C
March 10, D 07, N 83°17' 04'' / W 77° 34' 16'', 6,5 hours walk, 4,1 NM, -39°C
March 11, D 08, N 83°22' 29'' / W 77° 33' 20'', 6,5 hours walk, 5.4 NM, -28°C
March 12, D 09, N 83°27' 56'' / W 77° 33' 15'', 6,5 hours walk, 5.5 NM, -32°C
March 13, D 10, N 83°32' 31'' / W 77° 31' 45'', -33°C
March 14, D 11, 83.6288 N / W 77.5855, -36°C
March 15, D 12, N 83°43' 28'' / W 77° 40' 18'', 7 hours walk, 5.9 NM,
March 16, D 13, N 83°49' 52'' / W 77° 53' 16'', 7,15 hours walk, 6.4 NM,
March 17, D 14, N 83°57' 07'' / W 77° 54' 42'', 7,25 hours walk, 7.25 NM.
March 18, D 15, N 84° 03' 30" / W 78° 08' 05", 7 hours walk, 6.4 NM
March 19, D 16, N 84° 10' 30" / W 78° 02' 18", 8 hours walk, 7 NM
March 20, D 17, N 84° 18' 25" / W 78° 12' 16", 8 hours walk, 7.9 NM
March 21, D 18, N 84° 27' 40" / W 78° 22', 8,5 hours walk, 9.25 NM
March 22, D 19, N 84° 34' 13" / W 78° 18' 11", 7 hours walk, 6.9 NM
March 23, D 20, N 84° 41' 26" / W 78° 23' 28", 6,5 hours walk, 7.4 NM
March 24,Â D 21, rest day, thye are waiting for the firsst resupply
March 25, D 22,Â N 84° 47' 04" / W 78° 25' 02", 6 hours walk, 4.5 NM
March 26, D 23, N 84° 34' 58" / W 78° 24' 33", 8.1 NM
March 27, D 24, N 85° 04' 58" / W 78° 24' 23", 10 NM
March 28, D 25, N 85° 14' 25" / W 78° 39' 28", 9 hours walk, 9.7 NM
March 28, D 25, N 85° 14' 25" / W 78° 39' 28", 9 hours walk,, 9.7 NM
March 29, D 26, N 85° 22' 27" / W 78° 39' 32", 8 NM
March 30, D 27, N 85° 32' 40" / W 78° 53' 57", 9 hours walk,, 10.2 NM
March 31, D 28, no data
April 01, D 29, N 85° 51' 13" / W 78° 51' 07", 9 hours walk,, 11.2 NM
April 02, D 30, N 86° 02' 57" / W 78° 45' 56", 9,30 hours walk,, 11.75 NM
April 03, D 31, N 86° 14' 17" / W 78° 32' 51", 9,30 hours walk,, 11.2 NM
April 04, D 32, no data
April 05, D 33, N 86° 34' 30" / W 78° 15' 36", 10 hours walk, 13.3 NM (best mileage sor far)