Mike’s Blog 12.05.2011

With the weather being too bad to get a Twin Otter pick up yesterday we decided to move closer towards the Magnetic North Pole – and boy did we move! We did 32kms following along the coastline of an island. We managed to cross over a zone of heavy pack ice and then came across rubble of older ice. As we progressed the ice slowly got thinner and thinner and we encountered more and more open water. With the ice literally moving under our feet we realised that it was time to move back. It was getting too dangerous to advance any further. The furtherest we got was 79°30'N and -105°40 W, thats somethwhere between the 2000 and 2001 Magnetic North Pole position.

Now we have retreated to more solid ground and will wait here for the twin otter to pick us up and take us back to Resolute. Looks possible for tomorrow morning. We''ll need to get up early and prepare the landing strip.

This'll be our last night sleeping out on the ice. I miss it already but will always remember this amazing trip with the Young Explorers. This is nature at it's best!