Progress is becoming very tough
Published on 11.05.2009 - General Info
The sea-ice is becoming boggier by the day and the direction of drift has changed, pushing them towards the north, as though they were walking on a travelator - backwards...
So we can safely say that Arnaud Tortel and Charles Hedrich are in the process of losing all the time that they gained in recent weeks (when they made the most of what was then positive drift -see our most recent updates), as they battle now like madmen against pack-ice that is pushing northwards.
Also, because they are not transmitting their position regularly over the satellite (low battery caused by bad weather or the solar panels not recharging properly), their HQ, in the form of Lycia, Arnaud's wife, finds herself breaking out in a cold sweat from time to time. On Sunday 10th May, for example, having received no news for quite a few days, she was on the point of triggering a rescue operation.
In any event, the two men are finding the going harder and harder as the ice gets softer and slushier with each passing day. In fact, Lycia writes that although they are marching (or skiing) between 11 and 12 hours a day, they are only covering about 15 to 18 km! There's a fierce wind from the south, too, and the temperature is rising more rapidly than usual for this time of the year. Arnaud says that the temperatures they are experiencing at the moment should not be happening for another month or so. In a matter of just two weeks, the mercury has risen from minus 35°C to a sultry 2°C! "The sea-ice is melting before our eyes -which is something I have never seen before," reported Arnaud on 5th May during his satellite slot with his wife. "The ice is getting softer and softer."
All of which is breaking up the ice, of course, and the two men are finding more and more leads of open water blocking their way. "It's like walking on a conveyor belt," they reported on 2nd May.
As they are still 414 km from the Greenland coast, the men have said that if it continues like this, their adventure could well be compromised.
