Crazy Arctic Guy: Eating Less

DAY 16: A CHANGE OF STRATEGY!...
Mon, 6 Feb 2006 // 20:45

Quote of the Day:
'It is obvious that if we carry on at this rate we'll run out of food before arriving at the Pole. We must make our daily food rations a little smaller so we can last a little longer...'

MIKE DATA LOG
Latest position: N81°57'29.2' E106°40'33.4'
Distance to go: 896km
Temperature: -35°C with windchill

DAY 16 UPDATE
Mike and Borge once again confronted the cold Northerly winds today:
'It was cold today! With the windchill it is about -35°C. It is supportable when the wind hits you from the side but when it blows into your face it is not only dangerous but it tends to zap you of all your energy. We had to pitch our tent and get out of the wind today before we froze our faces.

We started this morning with a distance of 897km to go to the Pole. When we got into the tent 5 hours later we looked at the GPS and saw that we were 896km away from the Pole! It was a bit of a shock to see that after all that effort we had only advanced north 1km because we were drifting south at 1.5kms a hour. We start each day scouting around to find the best route. It is very hard to find a passage in this darkness.

We've decided to change our strategy. It is obvious that if we carry on at this rate we'll run out of food before arriving at the Pole. We must make our daily food rations a little smaller so we can last a little longer.

Ice conditions are slowly improving. The ice is thicker and the leads are narrower. Once we're on the 82nd latitude we'll have better conditions and the going should be a little faster. Not a lot of life out here!! Mind you the question remains, would we see it if there was?!?

We did cross some bear tracks and fox tracks yesterday, but nothing since. Will get some sleep now - another big day tomorrow! Regards to you all!