The only place we have Internet access on our trip is the Polish research station at Hornsund. The hospitality of the local scientists and station crew is tremendous, and since I cannot sleep this night (too nervous of the things to come), I would like to use this opportunity to thank them for all the help and support extended our way. The same goes for all the support crews back home, especially Sylvie Girard for transmitting our sat phone messages into a great blog (you're doing a great job!). Thanks for all the messages from around the world!
We had a busy day today, fixing various pieces of equipment (like a tripod, sealing the VBL - a plastic bag we sleep in to avoid ice forming in the sleeping bags) and repacking our pulks with the new food. Now we're real ready for the next stage, scheduled to last 27 days (!!!). This means the pulks are about twice as heavy as when we left Longyearbyen. And thanks to the ice conditions in Hornsund it's also not the easiest route. It feels like a labyrinth of steep cliffs, uncertain ice foots, (lack) of sea ice, polar bears (lots of tracks around here) and also a little bit of headwind (like 10 m/s). I guess it's not hard to understand why we're all a little bit nervous, but at least we feel positive about the new challenges ahead and want to "face the storm", in a hopefully not literal sense of the word.
Greetings from Hornsund, and have a nice spring!
Kim and the rest of the F5 team
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