Having had the chance to reflect on the past two to three weeks a number of themes have emerged in my mind; these are separated into the following categories:
- Arctic Ocean
- Barneo Ice Camp
- People at the Pole
- The Last Degree
- Clothing and Equipment
- Personal Reflections
Our team leader, Rude Gjeldnes, said early on the first day “remember we shouldn’t be here” as being our introduction to the Arctic Ocean ice. That statement turned out to be absolutely right with experience and for the 11 days we were on the ice not once did I see a living thing other than my team colleagues. No plants, no birds, no fish, no bears; what’s more there were no signs of any other life and no smells either. It really is the most barren place on earth that I have ever travelled to and it is made up of just different types of ice but having said that the different types of ice are quite distinctive. There are flat pans which are solid ice perhaps a metre thick, typically first year ice (that is to say it has frozen this winter from open water last year) which may be the size of say a football pitch or a bit larger and then where this comes together with another pan you get ice rubble forced up in between. These are effectively large blocks of ice that you need to negotiate. Sometimes these might just be half a metre or so and other times they might be up to 10 metres. There is of course no land here at all, it is simply a frozen ocean with 4 kilometres depth of water beneath. When I have talked to some of the staff at Barneo Ice Camp they said that in the early days of the camp 20 years ago it was common to have 8 metre thick ice but now they struggle to find anywhere greater than 2 metres with most being substantially less.
Having experienced the unusual storms throughout our trip this had the effect of changing the ice in two ways. Firstly it moved it, in some cases incredible distances in fact in just over a week we moved almost 180 degrees from east to west, strictly speaking that is half way round the world although of course at the Pole or near the Pole the distances are much less. The second was that this crashed ice together which caused rubble to collapse, open water to appear and also where there was open water, for this to be closed, as ice was forced together. The net effect was a constantly changing ice environment which created hazards for us but also allowed us to see the full force of an ever changing Arctic Ocean. Early in the trip we came to some ice rubble which was groaning and collapsing in front of our very eyes falling into open water, we had no choice but to cross it further up as a major lead was opening up although clearly we did that as quickly as we could. The winds and also the tides caused by changing moon phases are constantly causing the ice to open and close and this was the single biggest danger. During the day you can pay attention and move carefully across the ice, but at night you camp where you think is safe, but you are aware that at any time it can open up and the tent collapse into the water. This is the single biggest danger to life to any expeditions. Our leader, Rune, who has spent over 300 days on the ice in his lifetime said that the storms we encountered (and he said specifically the word storm was the right one to use) of 50 knots were unprecedented for anything that he had experienced before.
Barneo Ice Camp is undoubtedly an extraordinary human endeavour and engineering feat that is created from nothing more than ocean ice for a period of only 3 to 4 weeks a year. It starts with a plane circling near the North Pole identifying thick ice and then parachuting an advance team from the back of the plane followed by a bulldozer on parachutes to create a one mile long runway and then to land the plane along with the supplies and build a tented camp on the ice. No one other than the Russians would undertake such a thing, apparently they had many of these ice camps during the Cold War and had built up quite an expertise in establishing and running them. The two planes which are based in Longyearbyen in Svalbard have an amazingly powerful thrust which allows them to take off on a short runway and also land on the ice itself.
Barneo effectively is the safety factor for all Pole visits. The other staging points for Arctic trips such as Resolute Bay in Canada and Longyearbyen in Svalbard are both many hundreds of miles away. The two helicopters based at Barneo not only allow for transportation for people on the ice but also allow for emergency evacuation back to the camp in the event of an accident or emergency, although of course weather can affect this and during our trip the helicopters weren’t flying more days than they were.
Barneo is a staging post for a number of different types of groups such as our Last Degree team, then also for people visiting the Pole by helicopter, TV crews (both the BBC and German documentary teams were there whilst we were) and presumably some scientists as well although none of these were obvious to me whilst I was there.
The most dramatic event for Barneo this year and quite unprecedented was the open water that appeared without warning after we had left the camp initially in which a major lead of open water opened outside the mess tent and through one of the accommodation tents one night without warning and which led to a 2 day exercise to move the camp and re-build the runway which had also opened up. The fact that this was achieved at all is a massive testament to the professionalism of the men and women who live for a few weeks each year on the ice there.
Following on from the previous section the first distinct group of people near the Pole are the Russians who build and maintain Barneo. I heard a quote that summed up their spirit in that “the Russians have thousands of problems but millions of solutions”. This really did summarise the mentality and no matter what set backs they had they always had the mindset of finding a solution and it was impressive to witness.
The next group was groups of Chinese people who were quite distinctive from any other groups that we saw. They had the air of the nouveau rich class, typically young in their twenties all immaculately dressed in matching top quality clothes and equipment and very much keeping themselves to themselves. Although interestingly these groups were flying out each day to undertake walking on the ice but returning to the camp in the evening rather than over-nighting on the remote ice.
The next group of which we were part were the Last Degree teams. These came from all over the world typically were teams of 4 and 6 plus a leader and they were endeavouring to cover the last degree that is from 89 to 90 degrees latitude by pulling their equipment on a sledge (puck) behind them across the ice. In a good year this can be achieved in 6 or 7 days without bad weather although whilst we were there no teams were successful due to the severe storms we had.
The next group are those flying into the Pole so they will fly in from Longyeargbyen to Barneo perhaps have one night in the camp and then be taken by helicopter to the North Pole itself where they spend up to an hour and then return to the camp and back to Svalbard and then on to the mainland. Having been picked up with a fly in group it was a surreal experience to see 20 people or so getting out of the helicopter at the North Pole and then the various flags, photos and other stunts that then took place before the cold really took hold of people and they were forced to return to the helicopter.
Finally there is a very small group of genuine hard core explorers that have spent 2 to 3 months getting to the Pole from Canada – an epic journey of 700 to 800 miles. Our leader Rune had done this in the past as well as our project director David Hempleman-Adams although in the year that Rune last did this of 18 teams that set off he was the only one that succeeded with all others failing in the first two weeks. Whilst we were at Barneo after our trip there was one team of two that arrived and rightly we were in awe and admiration of them.
In some ways given that we were unsuccessful I feel I am not particularly well qualified to give advice in this however for those interested or considering the trip themselves I will document the areas that I think went well and worked for us.
- Prepare thoroughly both physically and mentally. I had undertaken a physical exercise regime for a year leading up to the trip which built my aerobic fitness, stamina and abdominal strength for pulling the sledge which I think was essential. Whilst undoubtedly the physical aspects of the trip could be undertaken with a lower level of fitness with good weather conditions not needing to worry about this on long days the physical activity is important. Mental preparation is harder and is more personal but this really falls into 2 categories – one is keeping going with physical activity but the other which is quite different is being able to deal with long periods inside a tent in storms and remaining positive.
- Having the right equipment is essential in terms of clothing, tents, sledges, food, fuel and other kit. Whenever possible this really should be tested in advance in similar conditions as there were a few items of equipment that I had that I thought would work well and didn’t and others that I wasn’t too hopeful of but turned out to be exactly right (see equipment section).
- Food is important in that it really is the fuel for the trip. This falls into 2 categories the dried expedition food that you will have for breakfast and dinner and then the munchies you have on the ice. In the case of the expedition food I would urge you to try this before you go because inevitably there will be some you quite like (for me it was pasta based recipes which is not something I would normally eat) and others that you think that you might like which you really end up detesting (for me this was porridge with sultanas for breakfast). In terms of munchies I took about 800 grams per day of yoghurt covered fruits, chocolate covered raisins and cut up Mars bars in one bag and jelly babies, sweetened cranberries, pork scratchings and a peperami in another bag. In reality this was too much and most of us ended up losing between a third and half of our munchies each day as there simply wasn’t time to eat them during short stops in the cold and in reality we probably didn’t need that much. I would also urge you take what you really will enjoy and I must admit I was sick of the chocolate and yoghurt coated food by the end and won’t be eating them again for a very long time!
- This one is probably the single most important bit of advice and that is to have a top quality guide leading you. We were incredibly fortunate to have Rune who is quite simply one of the top polar explorers alive today and he doesn’t undertake professional guiding other than for our friend, David Hempleman-Adams’ groups. In a single word you have to trust your guide totally so that when he tells you to cross somewhere quickly that looks incredibly dangerous you need to simply act on that and not have any doubt in your mind at all.
- Understanding the drift of the ice immediately before you set off is strategically very important. We made the decision to leave from Barneo but on balance that was probably not right. When you actually arrive at Bareno take time to look at the data carefully and take a view on where on the 89th degree you are going to start from and get a helicopter to take you to that point. It is better to have the drift working for you in the first couple of days although if the weather changes like it did for us it very much becomes a lottery and can work against you.
- Within our group we had 2 skiers and 3 walkers (I was walking) although we all carried skis for areas of deep snow or thin ice. I am not an accomplished cross country skier in fact I was very much a novice but I would urge anyone considering the last degree to become an accomplished cross country skier. You will travel both faster and more safely but bear in mind you will be consistently crossing rubble and pulling a sledge with your skis on and whilst you can take them off you don’t want to do that every few minutes so you want to be totally comfortable with them.
- If everything goes well the last degree can be completed in 6 to 7 days with good weather. I had a number of friends who did this trip two years ago and they completed it in that period as they had beautiful sunshine and zero wind for 10 days. As a minimum you would normally have 2 contingency days but as this year has shown no contingency is enough if the weather and drift are against you, given that no team was successful whilst we were there.
- Our walking patterns were eight 1 hour segments of walking 55 to 60 minutes at a time stopping for 5 minutes, goose down jacket straight on, sit on your sledge to rest your legs, drink of hot water from your thermos flask, a handful of munchies for energy and then off again.
- In addition to equipment such as tents, cooking stove (including a back up) for safety we had 2 satellite phones one of which would be with Rune at the front and one with myself in the second to last position at the back and for weapons these were also split. Rune had a flare gun to scare any polar bears in the front sledge and then I had the rifle on my sledge as a last resort but it meant that if one of us went through the ice there was always the back up elsewhere in the line.
- Finally I would urge everyone to build in 2 or 3 days in either Longyearbyen or maybe Tromso at the end of the trip so that you get some reflection time before you go back to your busy life as this will allow you to sort your photos out, write your diaries up and just generally reflect on what you have learned from the trip whilst it is still fresh in your mind.
It is well documented on other polar sites what equipment to take on last degree and other polar trips so I am not going to repeat that all here. However from a clothing point of view I was surprised at how little clothing I needed even when it was down to -25 or colder. Whilst walking during the day I had 2 layers of merino wool leggings and tops and socks with simply wind proof goretex trousers and jacket over that. I had taken fleecy trousers and a body fleece but on two occasions I tried walking in them I was simply too hot and sweating, something that needs to be avoided at these temperatures and in fact I only got good use out of them on the Pole day when there was standing around. The merino wool hat and balaclava were also excellent and I would highly recommend them. Other face masks and hats that I took and other team members used just froze solid and became useless whereas the wool ones whilst looking basic were very practical. Interestingly enough these also felt really hygienic as even having worn them for 2 weeks they didn’t appear to smell (although maybe I’m just telling myself that!). Additionally I had a rab goose down jacket which was put on when we weren’t walking such as during munchie break stops and around the outside of the tent which it was essential to put on quickly. In the extreme cold hands and feet will always be the most vulnerable and in between the two merino socks I had a plastic bag to stop sweat going into the boot and freezing and the boots themselves were baffin boots which worked really well. One tip is to make sure that you get a full size larger than your normal boot size to allow for thickness of socks and very importantly for you to move your toes to keep them warm. For me the normal boot size 12 meant an enormous baffin boot 13. As for fingers I wore 2 inner wool gloves with thick wool middle mix and then goretex over mittens. Cold hands were a constant challenge especially when you need to take your gloves off at munchie breaks, taking photos, calls of nature and getting them back on quickly and moving your fingers no matter how painful they are was an essential regular routine.
I start by reflecting on why I wanted to do this trip and I think it really was because I have a love of the polar regions having been fortunate enough to travel there regularly over the past 10 years but also because I knew this trip would be difficult to undertake so a personal challenge combined with the love of the arctic was strong motivations.
However the charity aspect was also important not least of which during the difficult moments it was good mentally to know that you were trying to do some good and that in fact the hardship that you felt for a few moments was in no way comparable to the un-chosen hardships of the beneficiaries of the charities that I was supporting.
The cold you experience means that you need to follow very deliberate and specific regimes of activities for example which gloves you use during stops, how you go on calls of nature, exercises to keep your hands and feet warm are all absolutely essential, frost bite is a real enemy on these trips and is all too common. It is only because of the experience and expertise of our leader Rune that any one of us didn’t suffer from frost bite. You must know the signs and take action quickly if a part of your body starts to freeze.
There are definitely highs and lows of emotions on this trip and for me the best of times was on the first afternoon that we left Barneo and feeling that we were getting going and experience the full magnificence of the Arctic Ocean for the first time. There were other times when the sun was shining and we were making good progress as well that it really was the best feeling in the world. This is also balanced by hard times and for me the worst of those was probably the second day in the tent when we had a very quiet afternoon when no-one said anything for several hours and you very much knew that everyone was alone with their own thoughts.
The fact that it is such a different experience to the normal with all its great intensities means that you can focus on what is important in your life and what changes you might want to make in it. For me there were some defining moments and clear insights and I will endeavour to act upon them.
This trip makes you focus on the most basic needs of warmth, shelter, food, bodily functions that is life in its very simplest form and that is something that we don’t get to experience often.
One of the areas that I found most surprising and intense was dreaming on the ice. Firstly people said to me that they thought I wouldn’t sleep well but in reality I did and so did other members of the team often sleeping 9 or 10 hours of deep sleep, much more than I would do at home. But each night I found that I was having very lucid and strange dreams where I was aware that my body was sleeping on the ice but that I would visit places and friends whilst dreaming and of course normally whilst you dream you might perhaps face dangers or fears only to wake up in the morning to find yourself in safety whereas in this situation it was the opposite and I would dream of safety, normality and security only to wake up and find myself to be floating on a piece of ice 1000 miles from civilisation.
Finally I should address the question as to whether I feel the trip was a success given that we needed a helicopter to complete the last few miles. Whilst certainly I would have preferred that we could have walked and skied the whole way in my own mind it was a successful trip at a personal level for the reasons that I did experience the full Arctic Ocean changes, we toughed it out in terms of the number of days we planned to spend on the ice even when other teams had given up and most importantly it would have raised a substantial amount of money for two important charities. So unreservedly I have no regrets, feel that I have been incredibly privileged to have the opportunity to pursue a dream and would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who might be seriously considering doing something similar with the right preparation.
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