Today, 29th of April at 09.30 GMT, David and Rune reached the North Geographical Pole.
Congratulations - a fantastic achievement!
98.05.02
"Hei og haa alle sammen!!
NORDPOLEN ER NAADD. ALT VEL!"
Rune!
"Best regards to everybody who have followoed us. Both in very good shape,
and for the moment we have a very good time in Resolute Bay. Looking
forward to see you!"
Rune & David
98.04.29
Good news again! David and Rune have made camp 1 mile ( 16 kms) from The North Pole.
They will reach the Pole tomorrow, one day before schedule. They are both well,
and of course very exited to be so close to their goal!
98.04.28
Almost there!!! Only 15 miles (24 kms) to Go!!
98.04.23
Due to atmospheric conditions, i.e., sunspots, radio contact between 'our boys'
and Base Camp is impossible. But anyway, the ARGOS readings gives us the positoion
and the message 'Everything OK!'.
98.04.22
Today's ARGOS reading showed 'EVERYTHING OK' - they appear to be drifting
eastwards quite dramatically but according John this is natural. The closer to the Pole,
the longitude lines merge together and therefore the distance between each is not as
great as you think. They feel the spring coming now, the temperature is only -4 C, but the ice
seems to hold and the weather forecast looks good. They are getting tired after almost
50 days on the ice, but keeps pushing themselves every day, eager to succeed.
98.04.20
After talking to John at Resolute today he says the boys are fine and in
really good spirits. They took a rest day on Sunday to recharge the
batteries and have not seen any open water over the last few days, which is
really good news. However, the rubble is still a problem. They have
requested their radio contact to be put back to 10 in the evening to allow
longer time for walking and they are trying to put 12 to 14 miles behind
them a day. Weather report from David and Rune says "ice good and weather
good"
The Norwegian Express team were lifted off the ice yesterday and spent
Sunday evening at Eureka. Today they are due back at Resolute Bay. The
problem appears to have been shattered ski bindings.
98.04.19
We had a little scare yesterday when JP was awoken at 0620 by NACLS
Washington who informed him that the emergency switch had been activated on
the ARGOS. The short story is that it was also registering -95c!! which aroused
suspicion. After much converstation with NACLS and 1st Air JP waited for the
next satellite reading which was 1 hour 40 minutes to orbit. This reading
was normal which indicated a malfunction on the transmitter. After speaking
to the guys at 2100 on Saturday night they checked the ARGOS and confirmed
that nothing was amiss and all was well.
98.04.17
David and Rune are showing fine progress, and coveres about 10 miles (16kms) a day.
They are both fine, and the weather- and iceconditions looks good. Air- and satelitephotos
shows no indication of open water in front of them. They are on schedule and
will, keeping the fine progress, reach The North Pole around 1st of May.
The Norwegian "North Pole Express" expedition are waiting for an non emergency pickup,
just 8 miles in front of Rune and David. They are expected to meet each other for the
second time tomorrow. They will propably stop for a small chat before Rune and David
continue. This time it will be the other way around, when David and Rune waves
The Nort Pole Express goodbye.
98.04.15
David and Rune are fine and continues towards the North Pole.
However the norwegian expedition, The North Pole Express, sent
the following message today at 13.00 Norwegian time : PLEASE PICK US UP - ALL OK. They are all fine,
but had to resign from the expedition due to food shortage. Their goal was to reach the North Pole
in 25 days. They have now been on the ice for 28 days and the distance to the North Pole is 156 miles.
Their final position is Lat 87.81, Lon 73.89, were they will be picked up.
98.04.14
David and Rune took the day off on Friday, after the resupply, and rested.
They are both suffering from painful backs due to the constant dragging of the sledges.
The rubble is continuing, something David was not expecting, but their
progress is good and they are attempting to walk 12 miles a day.
The resupply was warmly welcomed by Rune and David. Easter eggs were handed
over and David's three daughters had drawn a card each and written a few words.
Easter Sunday and they have been on the ice for 38 days and have crossed 87
degrees North. The temperature is minus 38 with 20km winds. Today they have
crossed open water and there are many big leads around them. A high spot
for them was sighting a seal.
98.04.13
The guys up north are getting on fine. John Perrins re supplied them on Wednesday
at midnight, this was due to weather conditions and availability of aircraft.
At short notice we took off at 5pm and got to 87degrees 43 minutes north
71degrees 11minutes west at 1145pm after changing aircraft at Eureka and refuelling.
John supplied David and Rune
with 25 days of food and drinks plus fresh clothes and sleeping bags and a
refurbished tent. This was in the nick of time as they had almost run out of
food having had to jettison some of it due to a damaged sledge. John supplied
Rune with a new sledge. They may need another re supply to get to the Pole
which means funding is now critical and we may run out of money. The only
reason they would need a 3rd re supply is if they have to jettison more food
to keep the weight down to keep the speed up.
Yesterday they came accross a lot of open water and more leads, saw a seal
for the 1st time but were at 87degrees 6minutes north 71degrees 00minutes
west with a temperature of -38c and a white out again.
Seems as though they are on course and should make the pole for 1st May.
98.04.10
The resupply has been brought forward a day and John left on Twin Otter at
quarter to midnight GMT last night (6pm Arctic time!). The decision by the
pilots to take advantage of the break in the weather was immediately
accepted by John and with resupply stock packed and ready to go at a
moment's notice - all was loaded on to the plane, with a new sledge and food
being priority. It was feared that the damaged sledge could be slowing down
their progress. They have 24 hours of daylight now and are managing to
travel approximately 10 hours a day.
New trousers for David have been added to the list to replace those which
have become ice-encrusted after his ordeal in the Arctic water.
Tobacco for Rune and 10 packets of porky scratchings - another favourite.
To date I have not received any ARGOS readings since Sunday - the most recent
is of yesterday which is 86.32, but all seems well.
98.04.08
Today they have had to dump some food due to a problem with Rune s
sledge, the load has had to be lightenend. They tell me that they have 3
days supply of food left and need an urgent re supply. I cannot do it for 2
reasons, firstly I cannot get a flight arranged due to short notice and
secondly the weather is closing in up there and the pilots will not fly
until Friday 10th April at the earliest. I have had to tell them that they
must stretch their food for at least 6 days in case I cannot get to them
until Sunday.
98.04.07
John Perrins spoke to the guys last night prior to the pending
re supply. They have had to dump some food due to a problem with Rune's
sledge, the load has had to be lightenend. Apparently Rune's sledge has
developed a defect and he requires a new one. Apart from this everything
is OK.
98.04.04
John Perrins had a bad reception from David and Rune last
night consequently I have to go to the airport tonight to use their
transmitter. Their position was 85 39 North and 75 33 West last night.
No problems but asking for pain killers which I suspect are for aching
muscles. Re supply now requested for 8th or 9th April, I have arranged the
flights this morning but it all hinges around the weather conditions at the
time. They are still in white out conditions at present although they did
make 10 miles yesterday. Total mileage to date is approximatly 152 miles but
they will have walked about 180 after you take into consideration the drift.
Miles to go about 260 which means they must complete at least 10 miles per
day in a straight line or about 15 miles on foot to compensate.
98.04.02
David fell in the water on Monday up to his waist, they have
encountered a lot of leads around 85 degrees and more rubble, it was still
snowing yesterday but the satellite picture shows the weather clearing. No
problems reported and David says he is okay. Rune wants more tobacco on the
re supply (hanging around smoking obviously) plus other bits and pieces.
They described the weather as **********cold so I presume it was not hot!
They are asking for a re supply from the 8th April onwards pending weather
conditions.
98.04.01
Lat. 85.21 Lon. 75.52 Last message: 'Everything OK'
John Perrins had radio contact last night with David and Rune. There are
numerous leads around them now and one, David estimates, is ten miles long.
They have a great deal of rubble again, and white out. They are well on
schedule, but with the weather due to clear for today, they should be able
to make better progress.
They passed over the 85 degrees during Sunday/Monday and the GPS reading
from David shows them at 85.21N and 75.52W. A second resupply has been
requested for approximately 10th April with a request for sunblock and
replacement batteries for all their equipment.
98.03.30
Lat. 84.55 Lon. 77.46 Last message: 'Extremely Poor weather'
The expedition has due to bad weather and white out been forced to stay
in their tent for three days. The weather forecast looks better now, and hopefully
will the two explorers soon be on their way again.
98.03.29
Sorry - no new information available. But another expedition is in trouble. It is a
Norwegian expedition to the North Pole called The North Pole Express. Their goal
is to reach the Nort Pole from Ward Hunt Island in 25 days. At 0700 GMT yesterday
they sent an emergency message requesting medical equipment and an emergency pickup
for one or two of the team members. After the pickup the rest of the expedition will
continue.
98.03.28
All is well but they were in a white out. Progress is still
hard due to rubble and David has developed frostbite on a toe, two fingers
and a thumb, but this is not causing too much difficulty. A fairly comprehensive
shopping list was handed over to John at the last resupply and he has finally
managed to decipher David's handwriting - an appeal for cherry pie and cheese
sandwiches may be a little difficult to acquire from the UK but John has managed
to organise through the cook at Resolute!
One of David's boots has begun to separate sole from upper - but the company
in Norway, Alfa Skofabrik, who make the boots to order, immediately sprung
into action to make a replacement pair and these will be at Resolute Bay in
time for the resupply.
The local news at base camp is that a bear has been roaming around Resolute
for a few days which caused quite a stir. A bear hunt suddenly sprung into
action and the lady shop assistant from the Co-op bagged it with her
shotgun! John is now going to be looking over his shoulder more often when
he visits the Co-op in future.
98.03.27
The latest is that I spoke to the guys last night (Wednesday) and they are in a total white out at present. I have spoken with the local weather
man today and he tells me that there is a raging snowstorm pounding the area that they are in.
Location last night was 84 degrees 49 minutes north, 75 degrees 00 minutes west at minus 35c. They are asking for new thinny gloves, fresh
socks and boot inners, 45 litre rucksacks, Rab vests and - cherry pie and cheese sandwiches all on the next re-supply which will be approximatly
8-10 April. I have some of that kit here but some has had to be ordered through Rachel in England and will come out with the media guys in early
April.
98.03.26
Sorry - No new information available. Poor weather conditions prevents radio
communication with the two explorers. Information from the ARGOS transmitter
indicates that everything, exept for the poor weather conditions, is ok.
98.03.24
Lat. 84.28 Lon. 74.25 Last message: 'Extremely Poor weather'
David and Rune took a day's rest on Wednesday to prepare an area of ice as a
landing strip for the planned resupply the following day. The aircraft had
a tough time landing in very low cloud but they were both complemented by
the pilot on the landing strip. Two replacment pairs of skis had to be returned
to Resolute Bay as the bindings were wrong. These will be modified at Resolute
and will have to be flown out again on the second planned resupply at the
beginning of April. The weather is extremely bad with -42C (windchill -78C).
The danger of frostbite is ever present and David is suffering from one frostbitten toe.
98.03.19
Lat. 84.10 Lon. 74.21 Last message: 'Poor weather'
The ARGOS reading shows that their progress is still good.
However the switch code shows a reading of "Poor weather" which is not
unexpected as yesterday John received weather report which highlighted an
area of very low cloud. We are hoping that the planned resupply flight for
today will still be able to operate, but as always in the Arctic, it will be
dependent on the weather. John was advised by the pilot that if they could
clear Ward Hunt Island and Ellesmere Island they could then drop below the
cloud base which should give them a clear run to Rune and David on the ice.
The resupply will consist of wind mittens; Karrimor balaclavas and face
masks. Fuel; matches and lighters. Radio battery plus BBC Video Diaries
tapes and batteries. Fresh supply of breakfast bags, which are a mixture of
oats and nuts and choppped fruit; Confekta soft drinks; Peperami and porky
scratchings - a favourite of Rune's and salami - a favourite for David. A
bottle of cognac - not to be forgotten! And of course the chocolate bags for
special treats.
98.03.18
Lat. 84.09 Lon. 74.18 Last message: 'Poor weather'
98.03.17
Lat. 84.03 Lon. 74.21 Last message: 'Everything OK'
Good news last night - John managed a good clear radio contact. The problem
over the last few days was that the radio antenna fell down on Saturday
night and therefore no radio reception. They are now at 84.03N 74.21W and
bang on course. There is still a large amount of rubble, partly created by
the Spring tide but they have now completed 60 miles. A resupply is planned
for Thursday this week to take out food, fresh clothes and badly needed
fuel. David has requested 15 litres of fuel which indicates they are using
more fuel than anticipated, which is probably due to a faulty pump.
Temperature at their location was -52°C.
In the Prime Minister's question time at the House of Commons on Wednesday
11th March, The Prime Minister, Tony Blair offered his best wishes to Rune
and David saying "It is a marvellous example of co-operation between the
Norwegian and British people and I wish the expedition every success".
98.03.16
Lat. 83.55 Lon. 74.29 Last message: 'Everything OK'
The resupply for this week will now be on Thursday, 19th instead of 20th.
The base manager, John, is flying out with fresh supplies of food, fuel and
clothing and new pump for the cooker. The latest argos readings appear to show
them travelling astern for 2 miles in 1 hour and 40 mins. Locals assure him
this is about right as there is a rather large spring tide at present which
will create tension in the ice and cause rapid movement. The ice is also
moving eastwards. However, all is well and they are making excellent progress
over very difficult rubble. 84degrees is not far away and achieving each degree
is always a great morale booster for the two explorers.
98.03.13
Rune and David are doing well and have reached
latitude 83 42 having completed a distance of 36 miles and overtaken the
British Marines. They are negotiating a lot of rubble at present but seem to
be in good spirits. Its seems that they have had a small problem with the
smr pump on the cooker but are coping with it, a re-supply has been asked
for one day early because they are using a little more fuel than
anticipated. I have received a good will` message from the British Prime
Minister for them.
98.03.11
Lat. 83.30 Lon. 74.31 Last message: 'Everything OK'
Rune and David are doing well, they have made 24 miles progress in 5 and a
half days with no problems. Temperatures are minus 40c which is good as it
keeps the ice together. No equipment failures but a request for a spare msr
pump for the cooker.
98.03.08
Lat. 83.14 Lon. 74.20 Last message: 'Everything OK'
David and Rune He has heard via the radio that Rune and David are fine. The
weather up there appears to be milder than this time last year, though the
forecast is for colder temperatures. Looking at satellite weather picture there
appears to be a 12 mile wide lead approximately 40 miles out (2 and a half weeks
away from David and Rune). Temperatures of minus 40 are forecast which should
freeze this lead in time for them to cross. A Spring tide is due shortly with
a one foot rise. If the winds continue the ice can move at a rate of 10kms an hour.
98.03.07
Lat. 83.13 Lon. 74.25 Last message: 'Everything OK'
98.03.06:
The journey out to the start at Ward Hunt Island took approximately
5 hrs and involved a refuelling stop at a weather station called Eureka.
They spent the last few days packing and repacking the sledges in an attempt
to lighten the load as much as possible. They have set themselves a target
of 60kgs for each sledge which is in itself heavy but they know from
experience of last year's Expedition that the first days on the ice are some
of the hardest. They have to acclimatise to temperatures and pacing their
walk plus they have to contend with heavy ice rubble which forms at the edge
of the ocean and the land mass. Sometimes this rubble can be as high as a
house and Rune and David have to haul their heavy sledges over these masses
of ice.