Location: N 89.06.005, E 119.39.184
The team kicked off the day with breakfast and shortly thereafter were transported to the airport to go through security for the flight to Barneo. Even though this is a charter flight through the middle of nowhere literally, the same security procedures apply- no lighters, no knives, etc. It was a beautiful day for flying- weather was clear, sunny and calm. Around 10:00 a.m., they took off. They arrived in Barneo and spent a few hours doing further preparations and awaiting their flight to their departure point.
Around 5:30 p.m., they took off in the MI-8 helicopter and were dropped off at 89.05 N. They skied for one hour and made one nautical mile. When they phoned in, they were finishing their first round of quesadillas and were about to have some hot stew. Everyone is doing great and all are excited to finally be on this journey. The weather is clear and sunny with a light breeze out of the north-northeast.
You might be wondering if they are seeing volcanic ash. The cloud is actually traveling quite a bit to the south of them and flights to and from the North Pole region have been uninterrupted. In fact, there was even a commercial flight from Longyearbyen to mainland Norway today. We will certainly keep you posted if they see any ash.
The first night in the tent is always exciting and as their pre-expedition butterflies begin to settle, we’re sure they will get a good night’s sleep.
Check back tomorrow for another update.
No comments:
Post a Comment