Magnetic North Pole Expedition

YEP 8 North Pole Expedition Video Gallery

ARRIVAL CANADA

DAY 1

As usual, large groups that travel all seem to have one or two hick-ups, but luckily for Mike Horn and the Young Explorers, they were not two serious. Chinese YEP, Felix and New Zealand YEP, Rick both had flight delays which meant a late arrival in Ottawa. Luckily however, they still manged to meet up with Mike, the team and the other Young Explorers the following day, just prior to their departure for Resolute, Nunavut, in the northern territories of Canada.

Not a minute to loose. With one evening in Ottawa, Mike was able to begin the thorough check of all the Young Explorers equipment, the trying on of shoes, checking for sizing of skis, boots etc, all crucial for an uneventful expedition to the Magnetic North Pole.

Team Photographer Dmitry Sharomov had the time to send us these few photos. Looking forward to some more news tomorrow after the groups arrival in Resolute.

Magnetic North Pole Exp - Day 2

DAY 2 - Blog written by Saskia Bauer

Temperature: -19°C
Sky: blue without any clouds
Air: dry and fresh
Feeling of being at this place: Indescribable

To put your foot on the arctic ground for the first time is quite impressive. You’ve already seen this white and cold desert from the airplane. You’ve stared down to the ground just thinking if this might be a dream or really is happening right now. You feel so privileged that you’re given this unique opportunity to explore this region on your own and learn from people who can teach you first-hand experiences.

Arriving in Resolute Bay after a day of flights from Ottawa via Iqaluit and Arctic Bay is tiring but you don’t feel it because the excitement is much bigger than the feeling your body is telling you to go to bed. Well, going to bed isn’t that easy at all. Imagine, the sun never disappears, it’s bright all the time. A totally new experience for all of us Young Explorers.

But the really big adventure hasn’t even started yet, although these two days feel like two weeks because I’ve already experienced so much. Always when a lot of different things happen, when there’s no time to get bored, time seems to be running in exactly this moment but when you think back in the evening it feels like 2 weeks have passed. For us two weeks of adventure are still to come – this is just the beginning.

We got all our equipment needed for the expedition including our sleds, skis and food. This makes me realize that I’m part of this expedition and not just dreaming.

Tomorrow we’re going to put our feet to the arctic ground for the second time. But for the first time while wearing skis. I guess this will be another new and indescribable feeling – like the feeling I’ve experienced when I went out of the airplane in the cold but fresh air, ready for an adventure of a life time which will probably be the most challenging thing I’ve ever done in my life.

Magnetic North Pole Exp - Day 3

DAY 3 - Blog by Christopher and Luana

Today we are having the big ski test. You might not believe this but for Felix it is the first time ever on skis in his entire life. We ski on slippery ice and all of us fall down on the hard frosty ground at least once. When Mike asks us how our experience was, Felix just answers: "Painful!" What an excellent start!

We are in Resolute Bay, above the Arctic Circle where the Inuit kids play outside until midnight since it's light 24 hours a day. Strolling around the little village (215 inhabitants) we discover a curiosity. There, next to a small house is hanging a polar bear, shot only a couple of days ago. This animal is one out of 20 bears the community is allowed to shoot per year. It's a regulation that tries to compromise between ancient traditions and wildlife preservation.

We are learning many important lessons from Mike and the team. Their stories are about polar bears, dangerous crevasses, frost bites... We are sucking up everything we hear and learn - it will for sure come in very useful once we are out on the ice.

Magnetic North Pole Exp - Day 4

DAY 4 - Blog written by Felix Hsu

“When I was young, my father taught me how to read the weather. The same methods don’t work today. The climate patterns have changed and I can’t teach my son anymore.” The Inuit people know the Arctic best. This hostile environment is their home as the urban is for me. They were raised to live in harmony with nature and to meet the challenges of survival in extreme climate, but this very environment is changing rapidly today, both environmentally and culturally. The Inuit youngsters grow up nowadays completely distinct to how the elders did.

The Inuit lady we met has lived here for 35 years and a lot has changed since her arrival. The environment is getting more and more unstable and the weather has become unpredictable, which makes the hunting more and more difficult. Eating, living and hunting habits have all transformed since the introduction of snow mobiles and junk food which destroyed the delicate balance of their traditional food. In fact a fist sized piece of beluga meat contains as much Vitamin C as five oranges, that’s why the Inuits can get all the physical nutrition their bodies need all year round without vegetables or fruits. It was not long ago that she had her first apple!

As for us during the expedition we have a complex set of supply that fuels our body with the energy needed for long days of skiing. Every gram of food that is taken with us has an essential function and the set of supply is specifically designed to meet the needs of our expedition. Everyday each of us will consume around 6000 calories, of which 2000 calories alone will be burnt during sleeping. The average person in everyday life needs around 1800 calories per day. It’s definitely not easy to survive in the Arctic.

Tomorrow we’ll hopefully head off to Ellesmere Island in Twin Otters to get onto the Arctic Ocean, if the weather up north allows. We have all our equipment packed, ready to go. We are ready for the Arctic Ocean, ready for the Magnetic North Pole.

Magnetic North Pole Exp - Day 5

DAY 5 - Blog written by Christopher

Today is our big day, we should be setting off to the Magnetic North Pole this morning. The first thing I notice at breakfast is the immense tension. Not surprising, we've been looking forward to this moment, ever since we've been selected to go on this amazing expedition. Mike has taught lots and now we finally should set off. But our plans change. Due to bad weather conditions our plane can't fly. That just shows, how unpredictable the Arctic is.

We try to get the most out of the day and wander around Resolute Bay. Outside of Resolute we come upon a dog sledge where all dogs are chained up. We're astonished to see, that one of the husky dogs is giving birth to puppy dogs. Only then do we realize, that two of them have frozen to death at temperatures of -20C and strong winds. We try to rescue and warm up the remaining four puppies. Once we contact the owner we are surprised and disappointed to hear, that he doesn't care. Nowadays the Inuit aren't reliable on dogs and don't care about them, since they have got four wheelers and snowmobiles. But happy end to the story: we found a family, who wanted the puppies.

Mike is thinking about to opening a Pangaea expedition center in Resolute Bay, so we looked at an old empty building, it seems to be very interesting.

At the place we are staying at we meet a couple of Inuit teenagers and ended up telling each other about the places we come from, about traditions in New Zealand, how life is in China and how their daily life looks like. They brought us some traditional caribou meat, which we ate raw of course. I really enjoyed the conversation with them and had to laugh, when the eight year old inuit boy asked me, how many animals I've killed already. He of course was proud to announce, that he's killed two seals and helped to kill a caribou.

Hopefully better weather is coming to set off tomorrow...

DAY 7 - Mike calls to give us news! ...and it's all good!!!

It was two days ago that the team was placed in the starting position for their trek to the Magnetic North Pole. Bad weather hampered their drop off in Isachen with Twin Otters on the 1st of May but their luck changed on the 2nd. Because of the constantly strong winds It was decided the team would be taken to an older airstrip with a DC3. They arrived at midday to their point of departure. Mike reports that conditions were not at all good. It was cold, with blowing drifting snow. This was a difficult initiation for the whole crew but they did not let it dampen their spirits. With not a minute to loose, the expedition started and the team walked a good four hours before putting their tents up and settling in for the evening, happy with the way the day had turned out.

As the expedition develops the routine will become easier and easier. MIke was proud to report that the young explorers got their tents up in around 7-8 minutes. Pretty impressive for a first day with strong blowing wind!

After a warm and comfortable sleep the team woke up with a wonderful surprise - blue skies and absolutely no wind. Travelling north they followed the coastline of an island on perfectly flat ice. They covered a total of 20kms on their first full day of trekking and after dinner in the evening took snow measurements for the University of Munich.

When Mike called today it was around 11am local time. Its a late start for the group but there is a lot to prepare for a days walk on the Arctic Ice. The weather today is good although cloudy and temperatures are moderate with around -10 to -12 °C. Today the group will venture onto the sea ice so conditions will become a little more challenging. The team will coss over pack Ice today and Mike has seen the tell tale signs of open water in the distance. Open water is of course the attraction for polar bears so the team must remain alert.

Mike carriesd on to say that the YEPs are great! They are motivated and confident. He is thrilled with their perfomance to date. The first, hardest days are now over. Things can only become easier as they become more familiar with the territory, the routine, their loads become lighter and as they become stronger day by day.

The first photos  will be online very soon...

DAY 7 - Mike calls from 78°48'957" N  105°02'738"W

Another good day for Mike and the Young Explorers on the Magnetic North Pole trek.

"We advanced 15 kms today which is pretty good considering the first two hours was in thick pack ice. The Young Explorers sleds are laden with about 45kgs of material which is not too heavy but still quite enough when you are not used to it. Throughout the day the ice eventually flattened so we were able to gain more ground later on."

"The weather remains good with virtually no wind, light snow and white out conditions, which keeps the temperatures nice and warm at -10°c to -12°C." Not only does the weather remain good but so does the morale of the team.

"We celebrated Christopher's birthday in style this evening. The Young Explorers had prepared some balloons in the mess tent and gave him a practical gift - handwarmers!!! We ate together and discussed the day. Everybody is tired this evening and have gone to bed early. It's pretty normal to feel like this after the fourth day of hard exercise. They'll bounce back tomorrow."

"We saw a lot of seal holes today and also our first polar bear with a small cub! They were far away in the distance and ran the opposite way when we saw them. There's a chance we'll see more tomorrow as we are getting closer to open water."

Best regards from MIke and the team!

DAY 8

Another good day for Mike and the Young Explorers on the Magnetic North Pole trek.

"We advanced 15 kms today which is pretty good considering the first two hours was in thick pack ice. The Young Explorers sleds are laden with about 45kgs of material which is not too heavy but still quite enough when you are not used to it. Throughout the day the ice eventually flattened so we were able to gain more ground later on."

"The weather remains good with virtually no wind, light snow and white out conditions, which keeps the temperatures nice and warm at -10°c to -12°C." Not only does the weather remain good but so does the morale of the team.

"We celebrated Christopher's birthday in style this evening. The Young Explorers had prepared some balloons in the mess tent and gave him a practical gift - handwarmers!!! We ate together and discussed the day. Everybody is tired this evening and have gone to bed early. It's pretty normal to feel like this after the fourth day of hard exercise. They'll bounce back tomorrow."

"We saw a lot of seal holes today and also our first polar bear with a small cub! They were far away in the distance and ran the opposite way when we saw them. There's a chance we'll see more tomorrow as we are getting closer to open water."

Best regards from MIke and the team!

Magnetic North Pole Exp - Day 9

DAY 9

We walked 18kms today in heavy pack ice. It was a good day with warm temperatures and quite a bit of snow. We turned eastwards to avoid the open water so luckily haven't seen it yet - nor have we seen the polar bears. Young Explorer Felix has some blisters which need to be attended to. We dressed them up nicely last night and there was a slight improvement today. We'll need to keep a good eye on them to see that they don't get worse. Have sent only two photos today. Satellite connection seems to cut all the time. Will try and send more tomorrow.

MIke

DAY 10

Position: 79°05'740" N  105°37'325" W

Blog written by Arianne

The minute we got dropped off the plane, I seriously asked myself why I was there. The wind was whipping my face and I could not see more than 10 meters before me. The plane took off and I realized that we were alone in this freezing wilderness.

At first, I thought that a little sled could not be that heavy and that cross country skiing would be a piece of cake. Wrong. Combine a 100 pounds sled to a bad skiier and you get a clumsy young explorer trying to reach the pole. We then slowly but surely found the right balance and started our journey to the pole.
What most people ignore is that the Arctic sea is not a flat boulevard where you peacefully go ski touring. It is bumpy, rough and unforgiven. The second day of walking, we got our first glimpse of the Arctic; the pack ice. There are huge blocks of ice in which you can hardly navigate. We were falling every second step, trying to find our way through it. After this rough day, a good night of sleep was needed.

We routinely wake up at 8, eat an enormous quantity of porridge, walk for 8 hours and set up camp for the night. It's simple, right? Besides Felix's huge blisters and everyone's burnt faces, nothins is simpler.
Every day, we make progress. 14, 17, 18 km. We have 6 days left and more than a hundred km to cover. So far, the weather has been fairly mild and polar bears have kept away from us. However the wind can turn quicly here and in a minute, one of us could be in the water. But the constant danger and pain is definitely worth the view. Nothing is more unique and breathtaking than the Arctic desert.

This place, this austere and cold Arctic, only fews have seen it. It is indescribably liberating to be here. We live so much of our lives surrounded by things human have made. Here, i'm reminded that everything comes from the earth, the air and the sea. I feel strangely little in this white desert but yet, I feel in my element. Walking through infinite snow enthralles me and I can't wait to reach that magnetic North Pole.

Blog written by Luana

The endless white and gigantic arctic desert surrounds our small colourful tent. This part of the world is known to be hostile to man. We nontheless feel more alive than ever before. The twelve of us have squeezed into our little refuge where we find ourselves protected for the night.

Our bodies ache from todays efforts. The steemy food and heat coming from our four stoves are a rare luxury in these cold conditions After eight hours of continuous skiing we are greatful for a few hours of rest. In the tent we listen to adventurous stories from all around the world.

I could not be happier now. I am living every moment here. Us young explorers are slowly starting to understand our new environment. We very quickly realized that without Mike's incredible expe
rience and knowledge about the Arctic ocean none of us could have survived this longer than a few days. The vast masses of ice, water and land of this unique place are incredibly impressive to me. This is the most beautiful place I have ever seen. At the same time though it is also the most dangerous one I have ever been to. Funny enough I do not feel scared at all. Yes I do have a lot of respect for the Arctic - we all do - but we know what we are doing here. Nature is unforgiving and we are part of it so we have to adapt. Unfortunately in civilization people do not always think that way.

We have warm clothing, rich food and a supporting team standing behind us to protect ourselves from the cold. Six days are left, this seems too short of a time. On the other hand we want to reach our goal - the magnetic north pole. We are very optimistic and we will give everything to get there together!

DAY 11

Blogs written by Rick and Maria

Sliding though the endless bright snow over the Arctic ocean, we tow our 50kg sleds around and over huge chunks of pack ice which tower above us. Pulling the sleds through pack ice is a bit like pulling a kayak over big sand dunes with planks tied to your feet. Its tough. But, unlike at the beach, the towering ice shafts distract us with a sense of awe at the powerful forces of nature that create them.

It's these same forces which are causing our beautiful world to warm and our climate to change. All around us we can see the effects that our fossil fueled society is having. Dark clouds loom on the horizon. For us this indicates open water formed when the ice packs break up. Its something which is happening sooner and sooner each year; according to Inuits we've met who've lived here for millenia and scientists who study the sea ice with super computers. Next to us is a 5m high ice berg, indicating the thickness that the ice should be at the north pole. But, from the seal breathing holes we pass, and the snow profile measurements we do, we can see that the ice we're walking on is less than 50cm thick.

After mentally preparing for freezing cold temperatures, for the past few days we've experienced relatively warm weather with days of -15 to -10*C with clear skies and the sun searing down on us and reflecting off the fresh snow into our eyes and faces. Its the same sun which is causing the ice to melt, and the climate catastrophe around the world, is also putting our expedition in jeopardy with the risks of painful sunburn and snow blindness.

Much like the challenges we will face in our lifetimes, the journey to the pole is full of uncertainty and risks with pack ice, storms, polar bears and open water ahead of us. But, like the thousands of young people around the world carving their future creating positive change, as a team we know we will make it.

Rick Zwaan

You could ask me what Saskia was doing in the tent at midday. She had to stay in the dark because of sore eyes. This situation shows us one more time how small things can play a big role. Saskia's example taught us. First result you can see immediately: we look like turtles. Almost all of us have two layers: glasses and goggles at the same time. But the main result is that we changed something in our mind. We are trying to care not only about ourselves,but also about others.

We didn't spend the whole day sitting in our tents today - afterall we are explorers ! The beautiful iceberg, floated ice attracted us. And one common wish come true. We looked at the pack ice from the high observation. When you're on the top everything seems unreal. However it's not a dream, it's our life for now. Few minutes on the iceberg definitely cost few hours which we spent walking to this place.

It wasn't easy, my sledge fell down more than 30 times. I also often was following it. It doesn't matter how often you fall down, but it's really important how many times you stand up after it! This rule works in Arctic. And we're the team, we're going to help each other. There are 7 of us and it means that everyone can be stronger in 7 times.
... Now I 'm sorry, but I'm going to sleep. As a late sleeper I have a unique opportunity to listen a special "tent music": 4 people snoring around me.

Maria

DAY 13

We only want to finish the expedition under the right conditions. Unfortunately we encountered some problems because Young Explorer, Saskia, damaged her eyes due to the suns bright reflection on the snow. The suns rays in this warming Arctic are so intense that they damaged Saskia's cornea and her eye's became irritable, sore and vision became blurred. This condition, called snowblindness is experienced by most mountaineers or Arctic explorers. It is not serious and treatment is easy. It was important for us to keep Saskia's eyes protected in the dark and soothe them with cool tea compresses. Given a little time  and patience her eyes will improve.

For the team and myself it was a big disappointment. We were not able to continue our trek the last few days which meant we would not reach out end goal - the Magnetic Norh Pole. After calling a team meeting it was decided amongst us that the entire team would return to Resolute where we could support Saskia and contine to explore this Northern Nunavut Village.

We had a magnificent time on the ice. The YEPs were great and ready for the challenge. A few more days walking and the Magnetic North Pole would have been ours. But it wasn't meant to be!! Nevertheles what the YEPs and my team have experienced is beyond comprehension. We took on a magnificent challenge, we worked together as a team, we laughed, we cried, and experienced what few people can rarely do.

Our goals in the Pangaea Expedition are to leave a mark on the youth, to give them an experience and opportunities that they will never forget. Perhaps we didn't make the Pole but we have succeeded in our goal to show these youths one of the rare beauties of our planet.

The Arctic is warm, too warm. There is open water everywhere, the ice is 30cms thick when it should be 5 meters. The polar bears are migrating further and further north. There are signs of dark silt pollution on the ice causing melting puddles. This beauty in diminishing rapidly. The YEPs have seen it for themselves and can now understand what the scientists are saying. It's now up to them to share their Arctic experiences with their friends, families and people around them and try and save this vanishing beauty.

Saskia and 5 others returned to Resolute yesterday and myself and the rest of the team are waiting for weather conditions to impove before we will be able to join them.

DAY 14

11.05.2011

Mike and the team are still on the ice somewhere between Resolute and the Magnetic North Pole. The weather has turned bad and will remain so for the next few days so their is little chance of a pick up on the ice.

A little restless after spending the last four days in the tents, the team have decided to move on and continue their journey north, direction the Magnetic North Pole.

After a big storm last night there is plenty of fresh snow. Progress will be difficult but the team are impatient to move. The Magnetic North Pole may still be a possibility for the few that are left, depending on time and weather condtions.

Meanwhile back in Resolute 5 YEPs and cameraman, Javier are safely back at the lodge. They are keeping themselves busy with meetings with the local folk, the forestry department and local school. We can happpily report that in the meantime Saskia eyes are improving. We are looking forward to receiving their blogs and photos.

Magnetic North Pole Exp - Day 15

DAY 15

At first coming back to Resolute was disappointing. We came back to support Saskia in healing her eyes from snow blindness, and to keep our strong team morale alive. As always when one door closes another opens, now we’ve realised that forgoing our goal of reaching the magnetic North Pole has given us the opportunity to build a deeper understanding of Inuit culture and what life is like in the second northernmost village in the world of Resolute. Since we came back from the ice we’ve been exploring the intriguing town with the help of our local teenage friends and guides Alicia and Angeline who like all the people up here are open warm welcoming, always more than happy to answer the thousands of questions we have.

We walked up to the local school today on the now melted roads (before we left for the pole they were all covered in snow, in such a short time its already almost all gone). School life here is fascinating; in the small school of 60 students they get free breakfasts, learn a range of interesting subjects, get to work with visiting scientists and are immersed in the native Inuit culture and language. The principle, Jennifer Borden, was happy to show us around the well resourced school with its corridors covered in posters ranging from how to build an igloo or dog sled, to the Inuit values which guide everything the school does. We learnt about how students get to go out on trips with elders to learn about traditional hunting methods and how every part of the animal can be used. We sat in on part of an Inuktitut (the Inuit language) lesson and saw how students love to learn their highly descriptive language.

After going to the local store, and talking with the manager about why a can of coke costs $5 CAD and learning about how everything here either comes on the yearly resupply ship or has to be flown in at exorbitant rates, making us appreciate the conveniences we have at home, Saskia and I headed out to meet Wayne the weatherman. Wayne’s been monitoring the weather and atmosphere in Resolute for the past 25 years, over that time he’s seen some extreme changes in the climate. When we arrived he was busy trying to fix a spectrometer which measures the amount of Ozone in the upper atmosphere, but he was more than happy to explain to us how the ozone hole above the arctic has changed in the last few months due to the warmer start of winter, he went into a much more scientific explanation which I’m sure Roswitha Stolz, of the University of Munich, would love but most of us wouldn’t understand.

He told us about how all his precise instruments are all indicating dramatic change and warming, which happens much faster in the Arctic that anywhere else in the world. This backs up what we’ve witnessed on the thin sea ice, to back up our predictions of open water on our journey to the pole he showed us a recent satellite image of a large lead in the ice (a gap between two packs of ice) just ahead of where we were heading. As we sit in the comfort of Resolute we hope that the ice doesn’t break up too much and the weather clears so the rest of the team can get back and learn more about Inuit life.

Magnetic North Pole Exp - Day 16

DAY 16

While the rest of our team is still on the Arctic Ocean’s ice, our group here in Resolute is trying to make the most out of our time. There are often moments in which we think why everything has turned out like this. Nevertheless, it doesn’t make sense to complain about the situation. Now we are in Resolute and we get in contact with all the people from the community which is pretty enriching.

Resolute offers many interesting possibilities and places that are waiting to be discovered. When we visited the local post office, we were surprised to find a cute and kind old man that looked like Santa. Ralph, that’s how he goes by, told us that package could take from 2 days to 2 weeks to get here. His bright blue eyes shone with pride when he told us that he first arrived in this community in 1976. What can bring a man in such isolated place when he holds the future in his hands, you must ask yourself. Well, for Ralph that was in university geomagnetism was really intriguing and after his first year contract done, he decided to stay up north and hasn’t left it ever since. During our little chat, Ralph had to leave us because he had just received the latest mail bags that contained some longed waited letters and packages.

So we continued our great adventure and went to the Health Center. Like the school, it’s well equipped and tidy. Cathy Rose, a devoted nurse, explained to us that there are rarely serious medical cases in Resolute and the problem makers are the Arctic explorers that get all kinds of cold-related diseases. Cathy is able to give first aid and the most important medication to patients. In case of serious illness, patients are flown to Iqaluit where doctors can look after them. Alike Ralph, Cathy is a passionate of the Arctic. She’s been working in northern communities for more than 26 years and told us about everything that has changed in that time period. Some years ago, she used to advise pregnant women to eat seal’s liver because if its high-iron properties. Today, because of the toxins and sea contamination from the South, this natural vitamin can’t be used anymore. This is only one of the various problems the Arctic needs to cope with. Another issue is the pollution and the lack of proper trash removal. But on the other hand, says Cathy, Nunavut has so many other problems that environment comes at the bottom of the list.

Although the Inuit people have a great connection to nature and have observed the changes in the climate, most of them are sceptical towards the scientists. For them, tagging whales or putting collars to polar bears is showing a lot of disrespect towards the animals. Scientists are keen on accusing the First Nations to decimate the polar bear population but these people live of sport hunting and fishing. Their only income comes from the land and before asking them to change their habits, we should, as westerners, rethink ours.

Resolute spends a massive amount of money on fuel to power the village although wind is constantly present. But, the Nunavut Government says that wind power isn’t a reliable energy source and that they have no money to pay for the infrastructure. It seems illogical to us that oil is being transferred into huge tanks which could cause a possible catastrophe. People from the South, says Cathy, “come to the North with a sense of superiority.” Let’s not forget that the machines of our economies from all over the planet are changing the biological life support systems, of the Inuit culture, faster than anything else before.

DAY 17

Mike Horn and the team are now back in Resolute, reunited with the rest of the team. Stunning photos and blogs are in. Enjoy finding out about their amazing experiences.

Blog written by Felix 12.05.2011

That sound of packing ice still echoes in my head. The sound of nature that would come along with Mike's voice: "Go back, fast!" The expression on my face would change as fast as the adrenaline could be pumped into my veins. We were standing in the middle of the spectacular show of a thin ice sheet packing, a show not at all meant for man to witness. The terrain would change from one moment to another, resulting in wide open water leads and stacks and stacks of ice sheets piled above each other. Never before have I felt this insignificant, this helpless, this completely wrong in place and time.

Little did I know about what I was going to live through back yesterday when we set off to tackle our last chance of reaching Latitude Eighty, the Magnetic North Pole. The day before, the first group of Young Explorers had already arrived safely back in Resolute, when a snowstorm approached and prevented the Twin Otter from returning to our position to lift the remaining six of us back to base as well. We were stuck in the tent and had the wait for the storm to pass. Soon it became clear that this is not how the end will be written. We've come here onto the Arctic sea ice to learn not how to accept failure, but how to fight for our goals in life. We had sufficient supply and fuel, and we had the ambition and desire to go. In unity we decided yesterday to head off north and to face the challenge of covering 95 kilometres in just three days. We had to give it a try.

We pulled off right away 34 kilometres in 12 hours of skiing, which made the longest day of the expedition. We have witnessed a great variety of terrain, from flat icy plains in the morning to pack ice to open water leads in the evening. The same morning Mike already knew about the possibility of meeting open water due to some scattered dark clouds that lay in front of us. All these details, including reading the snow drifts for navigation and analyzing cloud patterns, have an essential role for the Arctic explorer. I realized very quickly that experience in Arctic exploration is the ultimate key to survival and progress, which might be a reason for why Mike is the expedition leader, and not me.

We set up camp to call it the day just in front of the open water, hoping that during the night it will freeze over so that we could ski over it the next day. Just as we were talking about it, it was already happening! In total contrast to how we had arrived at the campsite, just two hours later an ice wall of two metres height has already formed next to our tents. Nature always holds the biggest surprises ready for us. That night, we slept with our outer shells, ready to move the tent at any time in case of packing ice beneath our tents.

The next day we woke up at 4 AM and set off just about an hour later. We were ready for another long day of skiing in order to reach the Pole within the scheduled time frame of the expedition. But mother nature always has her own plans. Not so long after we headed off north we ran into a big obstacle: Thin ice area, as far as the eye could see. This was exactly what we were afraid of. This was an obstacle that is very well able to force us to abort the expedition, once and for all.

At that stage we were standing on an island of solid ice surrounded by thin ice. Mike unhooked himself from his sled to go ahead to check the situation and me and Dmitry, our expedition photographer, followed him. I wanted to see for myself, and if not absolutely necessary I won't give up easily. The three of us left the island of solid ice and soon I found my skis on top of this sheet of thin ice. I was doing exactly what Mike was doing so I still felt safe and good, but when the moment came the ice beneath our skis started to move, accompanied by the sound of horror and Mike's expression changing instantly, my heart stopped beating. "Back! Back! Fast!"

It's not until this very moment that you realize the danger of the Arctic sea ice. It's the fear of having nothing at all to stand on. The whole packing process is just like the Earth's tectonic movement in a smaller and much faster scale. Any second the thin ice beneath my skis could split apart and welcome me to a deadly bath in the 4000 metres deep Arctic Ocean, or it could pack and crush everything that is in between. I can still hear Mike behind me shouting to get me go faster. If we split apart from the rest of the team at this stage, we would have had to swim back to the solid ice. And as if the situation wasn't intense enough, my left ski got stuck between the pack ice. Luckily that ice didn't pack and crush my ski, and I managed with Dima and Mike to all get back on safe ground. Looking behind us, the thin ice that carried our body weight just few seconds ago was no longer the same.

As I'm right now sitting in the warm and safe tent reflecting back upon the day, I am convinced that we did a wise decision by turning back south. We have reached 79 degrees and 30 minutes North, the furthest north reached by any expedition from Canada this year, and in fact the northernmost point of the entire Pangaea Expedition. We have had the full on Arctic experience in the past two weeks from pack ice and desert plains to open water and thin ice. I learned that when traveling on the Arctic Ocean, it's not only the will but furthermore it's the terrain that decides what distance you can cover. And if nature tells you to stop, you better stop. Just like Mike and Borge Ousland used to say: "The Arctic Ocean is dangerous."

We've got as far up north as we have possibly could, and we have no regrets left on the ice. We are ready to go back whenever the Twin Otter is.

Magnetic North Pole Exp - last pics

DAY 18-20

After heading out on the ice again this morning at 8am in perfect conditions the weather has changed and we really experience how fast strong winds can appear in the Arctic. From one moment to the other the blue sky has turned grey, big clouds at the horizon and very chilly winds are blowing. Luckily not into our faces and causing frostbites but into our backs helping us to go ahead. So we continue our way to the flow edge were we hope to see the symbol of the Arctic: the polar bear. Where the ice is breaking up and open water is around polar bears go hunting seals. That’s why the chance to see those majestic animals there is very high.

The further we go away from Resolute and the closer we come to the open water the more often we now see their tracks. Everybody gets excited about our three day excursion in the area of Resolute. For those who had to stay at the hotel for the last couple of days it is a pleasure to move their bodies again. For those who just came back from the ice it’s like continuing what they’ve now already done for two weeks.

But never before the wind has blown that strong. Just after having the first break the weather changes. In the beginning we continue walking but after a while Mike is worried about the ice underneath our feet starting to move due to those strong winds. If we continue going into the direction of the flow edge and going away from the safe land we might get into trouble because the ice will break for sure. So there’s no other option than turning back to Cornwallis Island – but this means going sideways to the wind in an angle of about eighty degrees pushing me and my sled to the right. That’s why I fall several times and really have to lean against the wind hitting me from the left side. I try to reduce my body’s surface but it’s still difficult to cope with these conditions which cool down the temperature of my face and fingers. But what I’ve learnt during this expedition is that you mustn’t give up. Never. There’s always a way to go through difficult situations. When you fall – get up again and keep on going. That’s what makes you stronger.

The weather conditions force us to pitch up our big tent and having a break at a wind protected spot between two huge blocks of ice. As the wind drops a little bit we’re ready to continue. We keep on walking next to the beach because the further away you’re from the land the stronger the wind gets. So Mike decides to change our destination: We’re not heading to the flow edge anymore but to an iceberg the locals have told us about. As quick as the wind has appeared it drops. After an afternoon of walking we finally reach the most stunning structure I’ve ever seen in my life, built by mother nature: the iceberg with it’s beautiful colors which vary from bright blue to turquoise and dark blue which is almost black. After pitching up the tents we climb this mountain in the middle of the arctic ocean without falling in one of the deep crevasses where the sun is playing with the different colors.

During the night the weather changes again and our tent breaks several times so that Felix has to go outside and fix it again. When I put my head out of the tent the next morning blue sky and the bright arctic sun welcomes me and wishes me a good morning. This day is going to be the longest of our entire expedition because we decided to try to reach Griffith Island which is about 25km away from our local position. Another day of constant walking on the Arctic ocean starts and won’t end until we will have gone to Griffith Island and back to Resolute which is another 28km. This means we’re going to cover 53km on one day. That’s good in the Arctic, you can make your day as long as you want because it’s 24 hours of daylight. The last 6km to Griffith we walk through enormous pack ice leaving out sleds on flat terrain to pick them up when changing the direction back to Resolute 3 hours later. Without the sled you feel like flying. Everything is so easy, you can run with your skis and climb the next ice block in some seconds without having to look after your sled. But the pack ice becomes bigger and narrower. I can’t imagine how one can go through those small bridges with a heavy sled full of equipment behind pulling you back when you go up and crashing into your legs when you go down.

Slowly but surely my stomach sends me a message. For the next two hours it’s difficult to think about anything else than this tasty Trek ‘n Eat food we always have for dinner. But on the Arctic ocean you have concentrate the whole time. One second of distraction can make you fall on a hard block of ice and your body will be covered with bruises. After about 12 hours of walking it gets more and more difficult to keep this concentration. But finally we set up camp for eating, get some new energy and three hours of sleep which has to be enough to bring us back to Resolute.

When I wake up because the others are laughing about one of Mike’s stories I don’t feel tired but excited and “ready to roll” again. Without any other break we ski the eleven kilometers which are still left back to Resolute. We find our way through the pack ice and slide elegantly on flat terrain.

Again I feel hungry and push myself by thinking of a warm breakfast waiting for me in Resolute. I already can see the town and it seems to be very close like you could reach it in half an hour. But actually it takes us two more hours until we finally put our feet on the frozen and extremely slippery pond we have to cross to get back to the hotel. To my own surprise I didn’t fall a single time since we left Griffith Island. And this really is a miracle when I think back how it felt like when I tried to walk with my skis for the very first time. But I’ve not only learnt how to cross country ski during the last three weeks. This expedition taught me so many lessons I can’t attend in school. You have to experience on your own to broaden your horizon and gain new opinions. And you always have to continue especially when giving up and turning back would be easier. Going through difficult situations can only make you stronger. That’s what I was thinking about the whole time walking through the storm hitting and pushing me down.

The Young Explorers Program Expedition to the Magnetic North Pole, which took place in May 2011, unexpectedly transformed into a long stay in Resolute, Nunavut, Canada. The group of 7 Young Explorers learnt about water salinity, the ice and the conservation of the pole, climate change, terrain elevation, temperature and wind speed and direction in the Northern Territories. They also had the chance to discover the unique culture of the Inuits - aboriginals of Nunavut.

This resulted in writing a booklet about the life and customs of the Inuits from Resolute. The Magnetic North Pole Young Explorers wanted to conduct an outreach project in order to help their new friends, but this would be extremely difficult due to the impossibility of returning to Resolute. That is why we have decided to begin a collaboration between the Magnetic North Pole Young Explorers and the Nunavut Young Explorers, who in August 2011 will get the chance to travel to the magical Arctic and experience the Inuit culture for themselves. We will work together to achieve one success for all of us, but primarily for the local people who will be directly concerned by our actions and results.

Work on the project has just started and we are still waiting for the final confirmation of our ideas and solutions. However, we can start ACTING now! Three main concepts are certainly going to be developed for the upcoming project:

1) First Aid courses will be conducted in Nunavut by the expedition doctor and with the help from Young Explorers. First aid kits are going to be donated to local communities.

2) Organizing sport activities in order to drop the boundaries between the Young Explorers and teenagers from Nunavut. Young Explorers will LEARN about traditional Inuit games and share their football skills. We will create a football field and bring footballs to the community.

3)  During the Expedition, Young Explorers will discover the phenomenal culture and customs of Nunavutmiuts. By interviewing the locals, we will gain a better understanding of what is important to them, how their lives have changed over the past 50 years and how the changing climate drastically affects their lives? Out of the gathered materials, we eventually want to film a documentary about the Inuit culture, lifestyle changes and society issues.

Only 6 weeks remain until the Expedition and the Young Explorers have a lots of work to do. We are currently dividing responsibilities, exchanging ideas, searching for sponsorships/donations and generating more and more questions... We will keep you updated!

See Nunavut Canada Expedition