So far

(the blog about what changes we experienced and a bit more)

There have been blogs about white outs, shitting business and periods, poetic blogs about the midnight sun, questions have been put and even Andre has managed to make his voice heard. Today's blog is an attempt to be a bit less poetic and we'll try to explain what we have experienced so far.

In the beginning, the weather was cold, we lived our life in dawn jackets and with the face masks. Then we were dreaming about the warm weather we would have in May. Slowly the temperature increased with the usual stochasticity, that's mild weather and warm wind can create even during the mid-winter.

Now, when we are soon entering June, the weather indeed is less cold, but the air is more humid and the comfort of a dawn jacket is still a blessing from time to time.

When we started, it was ..... part disappeared in the air while transmitting ..... , ducks and geese. We have even seen ivory gulls that's a Norwegian polar institute fails to find. Spring has arrived to the Arctic! Both seals and polar bears has cubbed and some days when the sun is shining we ski in only t-shirt and long johns.

Around us the landscape has changed and we pass alpine areas with high and steep mountains, massive glacier fronts that carve into the ocean and fjords with their special feeling of homeliness.

But we have also experienced changes within our small group. We have had arguments and disagreements, we have rearranged tent partners and managed to be rather annoyed by each other. To say something else would be to lie. However now when we passed our northernmost point on this journey I have the feeling that we all have find our own ways to enjoy the trip. More individually than as a group.

We have now turned our skis homeward and we can feel the smell of home. More changes are to come. Spring will turn to Summer and skis and poles will be changed to backpack and hiking boots before we finally reach Longyearbyen less than 3 weeks from now.

Mats