Forcing the pace
Published on 19.04.2010 - Icecap Journeys
After an epic week in which the trio again had to struggle to cross too many channels of open water to make any real progress, it now appears that conditions are improving.
Guided by the young Sarah McNair Landry, Linda Beilharz and Rob Rigato have decided to throw the kitchen sink at it. To begin with, they have extended their days by three hours and operate as though the 24 hours of a normal clock are in fact 27. That means they gain 3 hours to work with. Next, they have also increased the number of hours they are on the move. Starting from eight hours, they first raised the rate to nine and now it's eleven hours that they are travelling across the ice.
But this past week has been particularly testing: too many leads of open water to negotiate, too much bad ice to grapple with and too much easterly drift. On 13th April, for example, Sarah and her two companions took over six hours to cross just two leads! Really tough going...
Which explains why their daily reports from the sea-ice have been cut to the very basics.
Having said that, it is clear that the three still believe they will reach the pole before 26th April. This is the reason why they are doing everything they can to cover as much distance as they can every day. For instance, on 18th April, day 49 of their adventure, they managed to march for 13 hours, covering a solid 29.2 kilometres. It also appears that conditions are improving. It may be hard on the body, but they are making good progress...
