Greenland blows hot and cold

17 May, 09 - 02:43    
66.1035N,41.4834W
The team travelled late into the night in order to cover the distance required to keep them up to date and on target for their schedule. The intrepid teachers were treated to an amazing sunset as they travelled. However, this was probably only appreciated fully by Andy who was driving the dog sled as the other 3 teachers were working hard on skis. With temperatures plummeting and the risk of frostbite increasing the team donned their face protection and warm clothing in order to keep travelling and kept going until they stopped at 10.30pm with everyone feeling the effects of their exertions as well as getting the feeling back into fingers and toes.

After a mixed nights, sleep with the temperatures staying low the team awoke with ice on their sleeping bags and on the inside of their tents. They were allowed some form of a lie in with today being the first day of the new travelling system aimed at increasing distance but decreasing work load, good times. The lads (Andy, Danny and Carl) would ski for three one hour ten minute stints with the lasses (Helena, Nicola and Carolyn) riding on the sleds. After the three and half hours the groups would swap with the aim of covering 25-30km a day. This all sounded good and the team spent the morning preparing themselves. The weather forecast was checked for the day and it looked to be a good travelling day. The team are receiving weather forecasts daily from Mark de Keyser who has been hailed by the team as a Belgian god of weather as he has been spot on with every single forecast so much so that Danny commented that he may actually control the weather. Anyway the lads set off and travelling conditions were not good. Stripped down to their thermals the snow was again sticky and it took all of their efforts to manage to cover 9km in 2.5hours, the effort was clearly visible on the three of them. The change was made and while the lads recovered on the sleds with Ullrich and Sallou the baton passed to the girls. With conditions improving the girls put the hammer down. As the fog that had been predicted in the weather forecast descended bang on time the girls with Andy and Danny in tow, who had very cold toes, kept going and pulled the team through to their first 25k day. The team have just camped a happy group and are looking forward to tomorrow and going for the 30k mark.