The agony and the ecstasy
Published on 24.03.2009 - Peary Centennial North Pole Expedition
As is usual with this type of adventure, Dupré and his two companions are beginning to achieve more and more with each passing day. And the trio's morale is sky-high, despite the rotten ice conditions they are having to contend with.
At the moment, the three men are experiencing highs one day and lows the next out on the Arctic sea ice. One day, they're cock-a-hoop because they have found channels of open water heading in the right direction that they can follow and walk in. Then, the following day, the ice is so awful and the hummocks so impenetrable that they take three hours to cover barely two hundred metres.
And one day, the weather's fine (on 21st March, the temperature was as high as minus 10ºC - summer...!), while the next it's white-out time, with all the adverse effects that has on progress. But for all that, the men are taking their ups and downs stoically and while they wait for better, more consistent days, they are still making decent progress. In fact they have covered 170 kilometres since they set out. Which is an average of 10.5 kilometres a day, even counting the days they have had to shelter in their tents.
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
