Howard Fairbank Canada to the North Pole: The Final Hours ... Whoopsie!

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

The Final Hours ... Whoopsie!

The last 24 hours before we left for the final flight started with a dress rehearsal: I got up at 5h30 with the Irish team of 3, and Michele, the solo, unsupported guy. They were given the go ahead by the pilot, and a fairly frantic last minute runaround started....breakfast, final packing, phonecalls, team photos and emotional goodbyes. I was really glad I was part of it, we had become good friends, and I was surprised how I felt envious I wasn't going....hmm, 24hrs time, and its MY turn! (Hopefully!)

Our Start point has changed again: Lots of discussions around the ice today, and finally the feedback from the pilot Troy, after his flight today has changed our plan. The ice conditions around Ward Hunt Island sound bad, and the place where my friends Dan and Amelia started from is now favoured again. The large open water lead has refrozen closed (as they do at -45 deg C, so it seems odds are much better leaving from the point about 7 miles south west of the Island....Cape Discovery, or McLintock Inlet. So, FINAL, that's where we will be leaving from!

Ok, so back to the last few hours....

I never imagined getting to the point where I am actually packing the sled for the LAST time, ensuring I have everything I need in it, and it is in the best condition for the task ahead. Here is a photo of me putting the final piece, our tent, into the sled bag, before I finally close the lid. I did this inside as I had to make adjustments that needed room temperature. The sleds are packed
with food that needs to be 'refrigerated', so they normally stay outside all the time in 'Nature's fridge'. Compared to all the other expedition sleds, ours look like they have come from a 'toy shop'.....far from it, simple yes, but I know Richard knows his stuff, and I know we have the best sleds for the task ahead.

Well, if you weren't going to have a bath or a shower for 50+ days, wouldn't you
REALLY enjoy a last bath? Here it is:

Also...now this is a SECRET, hey...We smuggled a few beers and a bottle of wine in, and had a great team 'Last drink' together. This photo was taken by Christina Franco, an Italian woman who is attempting a solo, supported trip to the Pole, and who will travel with us tomorrow. The 'Men in Black'...It feels like a great team!

And finally....The feeling within:

As I said above excitement kicked up a huge amount today. I am really looking forward to getting out there now. I think saying goodbye to the others today and a breakthrough on my gloves and mitten management had a lot to do with it. With potentially having four layers of gloves, having a system and easy access for each layer, when each layer significantly reduces your dexterity, is key....I now have that system!

Apprehension is also high, but happily has reduced a bit. Sometimes I think I am in denial, but mostly I turn my back on my fear areas (which are quite a few!) and tell myself..: "You'll be ok, somehow you will deal with it!"

I do feel a huge weight of responsibility off my back, especially having Richard and then also my team mates. The pressure of doing things solo are so different, it REALLY stands out for me. Interestingly, Christina and I spent a while talking about this.

Otherwise, I am all set to go...

By the time you read this I'll be another 9 degrees north and walking to the Pole!

I'd like to THANK YOU all for the truly amazing support, which motivates me to bring you closer to the expedition...It's just great, and I will try my best to deliver my style and perspective from the Ice.

5 comments:

Ali JoyMarch 4, 2010 at 4:45 AM
Hey Howard ... At last... the first pin is in the map, found your new start point on Google Earth (well, sort of!). Not too many undesirable outcomes ok! Go well ... and remember: Courage over Fear ... Ali x
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AnonymousMarch 4, 2010 at 9:36 AM
About time you got off your butt and got active. Enough talk, lets see some action, baldy.

:)

Cheers,
Mike.
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AnonymousMarch 4, 2010 at 3:06 PM
hey Howard.....you are a GIANT.
I look forward to your "blow by blow".
Go well my mate!

Peter
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GilesMarch 4, 2010 at 5:39 PM
Go Howard. May you and the rest of the team prosper. May your mittens keep you warm and your sled follow swiftly behind you.
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AnonymousMarch 5, 2010 at 5:39 AM
Go mate - 'men in black' is deemed very appropriate for you guys :), esp from where I originate from. Take care, Peter
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The Expedition Goals

1. The Team of Four is to traverse the Arctic Ocean from the traditional, last land point in Canada, Ward Hunt Island, to the Geographic North Pole (90 degrees North) some 762 kilometeres away, as the 'tern' flies!

2. The Team will be self sufficient, save for one flown in, food re-supply, at around 22 days into the roughly 50 day expedition.

3. The team will each haul their own sleds, expecting to take between 48 and 55 days, to cover the tortuous course, dodging natural obstacles, on the ocean ice, to the Pole.

4. The Expedition is planned to start 1 March 2010, from Ward Hunt Island, Nunavut, Canada. Notoriously unpredictable weather conditions may affect this start date.

5. The Expedition finishes at the North Pole, which MUST be reached before 28 April 2010. This is the day when the temporary, ice based, Russian logistics base, 'Barneo', closes and the expedition will be relying on them for airlift back to civilisation. This base closure is due to the fact that, with the onslaught of summer, the ocean ice conditions deteriorate to the point where sustaining a base is no longer possible.

The Expedition Route

The expedition will follow a very traditional North Pole conquest route: From Ward Hunt Island, Nunavut Canada to The Pole, 90 Degrees North.

(The other traditional route was from Russia / Siberia, which was considered slightly longer, but with easier terrain. With the onset of global warming, this route is no longer considered on option, as there is too much water at the start.)

Ward Hunt Island is a small island, off the NW corner of Ellesmere Island, which are both part of the Canadian Arctic Islands (More specifically the Queen Elizabeth Islands part of the broader group.) It's Northern cape is one of the northernmost elements of land in Canada, hence its starting point for the expedition. It is located at: 83°05′55″N and 074°10′00″

In total the expedition will cover just under 7 degrees of latitude, and a 'straight line' distance of some 760 kilometres.

Due to the dynamic nature of the arctic, open ocean leads, wind, and ocean currents will have an impact on the actual route travelled. It is not unknown, for southern drift to carry an ice floe, with an expedition tent and its sleeping inhabitants, back to the latitude they started at the previous day! The wind and the currents are variable, and tidal flows add to the largely unpredictable drift, however we are expecting to have a net southerly and easterly drift over the total trip. Historically, an expedition on this route, could traverse up to 20% more than the straight line distance.

The path will attempt to roughly follow the 74 degree longitude line, while including a westerly offset to counter the expected net easterly drift.

The Expedition Team

Team Leader: Richard Weber

(50, Ottawa, Canada. One of the world's top Polar Explorers. 6 traverses, including the 'probably never t0 be repeated' 1995, 108 day expedition from Canada to NP and back, unsupported.)

Team Member 2: Tessum Weber

(20, Ottawa, Canada, Richard's son, and an experienced cold environment adventurer.)

Team Member 3: David Jones

(45 Geneva, Switzerland, Experienced mountain climber, including Everest summiter.)

Team Member 4: Howard Fairbank

(52, South African, A Wanderer: Solo Sailor, Trans- continental Cycling and Sea Kayaking adventurer.)

The Next Pre-Expedition Training

Our team, Pre-expedition training, will continue through most of February, with the team meeting 11 February in Yellowknife.

11 February to 24th February 2010, we will be based in Yellowknife, with training being once again focused on excurions around Great Slave Lake. These will vary from multi day, sleeping out sessions, to day only trips. Much of the focus will be on testing new equipment, and checking whether adjustments made to some of the equipment we used in December have had the desired result. (One of these pieces of equipment will be the dry suits, which will involve open water training again.)

Much time will also be spent sorting out the food and designing sled packing solutions and daily routines. (There will be a separate blog post on the food, calorie philosophy, and daily rations.) Around all of this, the critical human side will be at work with significant team building, role establishment, and final re-inforcement of the expedition goals and values.

On the 24th of February we plan to fly further north to Resolute, (Resolute Bay), on Cornwallis Island 75N, 95W. This is another traditional stopover point for expeditions attempting to do this same Canada to Noth Pole route. It is also one of the coldest inhabited places in the world, with an average yearly temperature of −16.4 °C (2.5 °F) Resolute's average HIGH for the year is −13.3 °C (8.1 °F) while the average LOW for the year is −19.5 °C (−3.1 °F). At Resolute, we will use the more northerly location and it's colder conditions to further aclimatise, and do final testing of team / personal systems and equipment. No doubt much of this time wil be used subconciously for individual mind focusing and other mental preparation.

On the 1st March, we are then scheduled to fly the last stage to Ward Hunt Island, for the start of the expedition. This is a small plane charter flight and is notorious for being affected by adverse weather conditions.

Canada to the North Pole

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

The Final Hours ... Whoopsie!

5 comments:

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The Expedition Goals

The Expedition Route

The Expedition Team

The Next Pre-Expedition Training

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