We row into Cambridge Bay, the official conclusion of our Mainstream Last First expedition – MainStream Last First
Severe weather conditions hindered our early progress and now ice chokes the passage ahead.
Our ice router Victor has been very clear in what lies ahead. He writes, “Just to give you the danger of ice situation at the eastern Arctic, Eef Willems of “Tooluka” (NED) pulled out of the game and returning to Greenland. At many Eastern places of NWP locals have not seen this type ice conditions. Residents of Resolute say 20 years have not seen anything like. Its, ice, ice and more ice. Larsen, Peel, Bellot, Regent and Barrow Strait are all choked. That is the only route to East. Already West Lancaster received -2C temperature expecting -7C on Tuesday with the snow.”
Richard Weber, my teammate to the South Pole in 2009 and without doubt the most accomplished polar skier alive today, is owner and operator of Arctic Watch on Cunningham Inlet at the northern end of Somerset Island. Arctic Watch faces out onto our proposed eastern route. Richard dropped me a note the other day advising: “This has been the coldest season with the most ice since we started Arctic Watch in 2000. Almost no whales. The NWPassage is still blocked with ice. Some of the bays still have not melted!”
...we’d require at least another 50-60 days to make it to Pond Inlet. Throw in the issues of less light, colder temperatures, harsher fall storms and lots of ice blocking the route and our decision is easy.
...Our message remains unaffected though, bringing awareness to the pressing issues of climate change in the arctic.
2 comments:
"Our message remains unaffected though, bringing awareness to the pressing issues of climate change in the arctic."
Never argue with someone whose job depends on not being convinced - It has got to be warming they have maps from GISS that say so. Even ploughing into levels of ice more severe than for the last 12 years - the rowers are still 'convinced it is warming'.
Textbook case of cranial rectal inversion.
You would have to have a chronic case to go row boating in the Arctic in the first place.
I wouldn't look for those guys to ever smell the coffee.
It would take a religious conversion. Maybe an exorcism?
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