Four women in a seal hole
Published on 19.05.2009 - Baffin Babes
The Baffin babes dared their friend Vera Simonsson to jump into a seal hole to have a wash (because she has been on and on about personal hygiene since the start of the expedition). Result: the four Baffin Babes all went in!
This interesting event occurred on 14th May in Buchan Gulf, which is an immense indentation of sea at the point where several large fjords meet in a plateau 1 000 m high with glaciers that have made their way down from the icecap of Baffin Island and inlandsis for the past 2 or 3 million years (position: 71° 755 N / W 74° 022 ). And as usual, the four Baffin Babes were progressing across the ice without too much problem.
For the past few days in any event, they have been coming across lots of seal holes -those round openings in the ice made by the seals to allow them access to the air. As the girls passed by one of these holes, Kristin suddenly asked Vera, "OK, Vera, why don't you dive into one of these holes if you are so worried about your personal hygiene?"
It has to be said that since the beginning of the expedition, Vera has been bending the ear of her friends -and that's not all -about having a bath under the ice to clean up a little. So this was her big chance...
Of course, Vera felt her pride was at stake here. So she suddenly stopped in her tracks. And in two shakes of a lamb's tail, Vera Simonsson had her clothes off and was jumping into the seal hole where the girls had halted. Oblivious of the temperature.
The three other girls looked at one another and decided they had no alternative but to follow suit and jump into the hole, too. No sooner said than done... Pity there weren't more photos of this interesting event!
Otherwise, no other startling news from the expedition, apart from the fact that since 17th May they have decided to ski at least 20 km a day. Which means they have to get up at five in the morning every day.
