We have arrived in Longyearbyen on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen. At this point we are at 78 degrees latitude, well inside the Arctic Circle, and on our last bit of dry land before we head out onto the Arctic Sea ice.
It has been a stressful afternoon, making sure that everybody has all of the equipment that we’ll need for our time in the Arctic. There is a huge amount of equipment that we’ll need to keep us going for a couple of weeks, with everything from sledges, food, tents through to gas, double sleeping bags, mattresses and ammunition.
As I call in this, it’s early evening and the weather is pleasant. As I look out I can enjoy beautiful views of the frozen sea and a fantastic mountain scape that are covered in a blanket of snow and ice.
We’re preparing for Tuesday’s flight to the Russian Ice Station in Barneo but we have been warned of a severe Arctic storm blowing, so that might cause a delay. If anything, that reinforces the importance of some of the drills that we will be running through whilst we are here in Longyearbyen, particularly the challenge of putting up a tent quickly and safely in the Arctic winds.
The enormity of the situation hits home now. This is a hostile environment, I’m a day away from the nearest hospital and no longer top of the food chain.
This podcast will be my last call made by mobile phone, meaning that I’m largely cut-off from this point on. Now, we’re reliant on the satellite phone to keep us in contact. I’ve put my expedition clothes on for the first time and the feeling now is one of excitement but also of apprehension.
What will certainly keep me going is the prospect of raising money for two very worthwhile charities in the form of Riders for Health and BASIC. I have to say a huge thank-you to everybody who has donated so far and if you would like to make a donation to either charity, you can do so by following the following links:
http://www.justgiving.com/DavidNewmanNorthPoleRiders
http://www.justgiving.com/DavidNewmanNorthPoleBASIC
I’ll be keeping you posted as much as I can, hoping that the technology doesn’t let me down. To listen to how we’re getting on, simply click the grey “Play” button at the bottom of this blog post. You can also make sure that you continue to follow at twitter.com/cn_northpole and at facebook.com/charitynorthpole.
From vivienne newman:
At last the real start of your journey David