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|  Day 1 : Sunday April 2, 2000
First and foremost Carlo Ianni is no longer a member of the team crossing the Magnetic North Pole, due to very personal matters and uncontrollable circumstances. Carlo will attempt his dream next year.
Both Pierre and Bruno stop at nothing, their moral is excellent and have every intention of going all the way.Today is the last day of preparation. Our adventurers went through their inventory once again dividing the weight equally for their sleds. They will be pulling a total of 280 pounds each! It is also a possibility that a dog will accompany them in their journey. If that is the case the dog will also do his part in pulling his own sled and food.
Weather today was a mild ?14 celcius. Winds coming from the North they expect colder weather by tomorrow. They will be heading out around noon hour monday and expect to travel a distance of approximately 10km for their first day. To be continued... |
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| Day 2 : Monday April 3 ,2000 Position : 74.44.192 North / 95.9.232 West
Temperature day : -18 celcius
Temperature night : -30 celcius with wind factorThe Great White
Bruno and Pierre have left Resolute Bay at 15:00 hours today. They are accompanied by mans best friend (a dog), who in turn will alert our adventurers of any roaming bears particularly while the men are in a deep sleep. Our men have achieved a short distance today representing a 4.4km this due in turn both by the late hour they left and the dog with whom they had trouble with. The dog finally understood that he has to pull his own sled and food.
Proudly standing on its? hind legs and in one bounce the bear runs towards Pierre and Bruno. The distance between them is yet still far away .Both men stop and Pierre has time to pull out his gun and fire two shots in the air. The bear frightened off then turned about ways. It is 9:20 our time and 8:20 North Pole time. Both men prepared the tents for the night and Bruno was getting their supper ready as well as filling in the navigation log book while Pierre worked on erecting a wall to
protect them from the winds ready for their morning personal use. In a deep breath Pierre describes the beauty of the North. ?It?s simply breathtaking, the mountains, the air, the beauty of it tonight, is that we are surrounded by three spectacular rainbows?. To be continued... |
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| Day 3 : Tuesday April 4, 2000 Temperature : sunny, -27 celcius
Position : still to be readExhaustion 280 pounds to pull was exhausting today. A small accumulation of snow simply makes travelling more difficult. Fatigue caught up with both our adventurers as the day went on. Pierre and Bruno mentionned that the dog did more than his share helping in turn, Pierre then Bruno in pulling the cargo. Our adventurers will lurn to adjust as the days go on. 7:30 PM, they decided to set up camp earlier today for
the night after succeeding ?wonderful 9Km. The conversation was extremely short tonight as men were both very cold and tired and to change quickly in warm clothing was a priority. They were very anxious to prepare and eat supper and have a warm drink.To be continued... |
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| Day 4 : Wednesday April 5, 2000 Position : 74.47.384 North / 95.43.596 West
Temperature day : -17 celcius
Temperature night : -30 celcius
A FROG WITH A BIG HEART Finally I get the call at 9:20 tonight ! They had already set up camp and a warm supper was being prepared. The day was somewhat cloudy and beautiful at the same time, it was bitter cold weather. Pierre expresses himself again claiming that the dog is of enormous help to them. He exclaims,? He is the most wonderful dog?! (Between you and me let us not be surprised if Pierre comes back with the dog or that Bruno
would also want to adopt him). They both own dogs and love them. Truly, they are mans best friend. The conditions being the same as yesterday our adventurers skied for a total of 9.11Km. The snow makes it more difficult to move forward. On the phone Bruno tells me, ? It feels like I am a frog pulling an Ox?. Pierre agrees with Bruno. I replied to them, ? then you must be a frog with a big heart?. Keep in mind that because of the snow conditions the
sleds feel like they are actually twice their initial weight. In order to support our great adventurers in their conquest, I permitted myself to verbally forward your messages of encouragement sent out to them, as well as your very personal messages. It was great to hear them laugh. Tomorrow Pierre confirms to me that he will try to reach the Radio Station C.K.M.F. 94.3Fm, (C?est endore dr?e). Tune in to find out more! To be continued... |
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| Day 5 : Thursday April 6, 2000
Temperature day : -30 celcius
Temperature night : -42 celciusNo News No news is good news.
Awaiting for the next communications.
Stay tuned ! To be continued... |
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| Day 6 : Friday April 7,2000 Temperature day : -30 celcius
Temperature night : -40 celciusForced to a halt It is friday night, 7:30 when the call comes in! Our brave men skied a distance of 11Km during the day of thursday.
Once again the conversation was extremely short and will obtain their position within the next communications. The winds of Friday were fierce forcing our adventurers to a halt and then again permitting them to save their energies. Yet there is a price to pay. Time being so precious they have to make up for the lost day. Our adventurers had already folded up their luggage at the time of the call ready to engage for their first night of
adventurer heading out in the direction of Polaris Mines after which they will then leave the ice fields heading towards the open seas. Stay tuned and find out how the turn of events! To be continued... |
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| Day 7 : Satuday April 8, 2000 Position : 74.50.704 North / 96.23.751 WestTemperature day : -30 celcius
Temperature night : -40 celcius Bears?s tracks ! (soon translated... ) [in french here] |
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| Day 8 : Sunday April 9,2000 Temperature day : -30 celcius
Temperature night : -40 celciusMoving Forward Pierre and Bruno travel until the sun sets. At the 12:45AM they proceed their installation to camp for the rest of the night. The grounds are somewhat more solid where they are. They had to once again overcome the ice fields (small waves of ice and snow shapped the winds).
In early morning they proceeded in a repair. A wire from the battery had been broken and this is crucial as this wire actually feeds the solar system, which they need for their communications. Everything turns out well! Pierre and Bruno will transfer and assemble all electronic equipment into one sled being extra careful not to damage anything else. Pierre had injured his knee two days ago and Bruno experimanted his first aid experience. Although Pierre
suffers from a swollen knee our both keep moving forward adding to their travel another 7KM. They expect to reach Polaris Mines by Wednesday. To be continued...
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| Day 9 : Monday April 10 avril,2000 Position : 75.1.010 Nord / 96.39.313 WestTemperature day : -15 celcius
Temperature night : - celcius Ideal Conditions The weather is at its very best, conditions are ideal. A perfect, sunny day, -15? celcius with extremely mild
winds to almost no winds at all. Our brave adventurers added a beautiful 14.86KM to their log book. They are optimistic and their humor is excellent. Pierre and Bruno have now passed Cap Eiry by 2.4Km and are heading in the direction of Little Cornwallis that is 42Km away from them. Our brave men and their dog are very happy and are encouraged to pursue their travel. Keep in touch by also listening to C.K.M.F.94.3FM! To be continued...
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| Day 10 : Tuesday April 11,2000 Weather AlertNews came in Tuesday morning by radio waves of C.K.M.F. 94.3FM. aired during the show of C?est Encore Dr?e with Michel Barette and Guildor Roy and their team. You may listen on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 6:00 am and 9:00 am. The information given by Pierre was: ?Our Expedition is doing well, we are in good physical condition and moving forward as expected?.
At the time of the call our adventurers were not yet aware of the weather alert. Pierre and Bruno will probably have to come to a halt for an undetermined period of time. We are expecting some news from our men by Wednesday night. Weather forecast given by St?hane Lebeau: A major depression has formed over the seas of Beaufort and Tchouktes. (Probably one of the biggest depression I?ve ever seen over the Artic). Pierre and Bruno are
travelling with the winds to their backs(from average to high winds) coming from the south with very strong gusts of winds. Sunny day. I am unable to predict the movement or shiftment of this major cyclone for the moment. The South position is found at approximately 750-1000 kilometers North-West of the expedition and at more or less 200Km from the (MNP) magnetic north pole, at least for the moment. Their is another depression which has moved toward the
North-West. Very little impact at this time, but it is possible that it develops. Temperature under the -30? celcius. (Brrrrrrr!) I will follow the movement of the cylcone over night. The map of 12-04 (oh GMT) should be available for consultation within the next hours. Bye. St?hane
slebeau@borealisdev.qc.ca
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| Day 11 :
Wednesday April 12 avril,2000 Position : 75.5.130 North / 96.37.014 West
Temperature day : - 30 celcius
Temperature night : - 40 celciusBLIZZARD Departed time, 14:30Pm then stopped at 19:15Pm. Pierre and Bruno achieved 7.76Km before being immobilized. As we had expected, due to very bad weather our
Adventurers were forced to come to a stop. The storm had for effect: gusting winds accompanied by heavy blizzard causing bad visibility. Our men remained occupied: Repaired some equipment, also worked on transferring images from the portable and also Pierre treated a blister under a foot after which they took the rest of the time to rest. We should soon receive pictures via satellite! Conversation with St?hane Lebeau: Hello Suzanne,
I have just exchanged with Pierre for about 10 minutes and with Bruno 5 minutes. Everything is going as expected. They remained in position due to the blizzard. They suffered the consequences the night before because of the storm that had developed over the Tchoucktes Sea. The cold weather is extremely cruel and their tent is a more than welcome refuge at the end of the day. Their morale is number one and both guys were in an excellent mood. They are now at
35Km south of Polaris in Mc Dougall strait. They should now be able to see from a distance the Canadian flag painted red on a building or at least see some lights at night. Both men sleep like babies at night. I believe that they are beginning to acclimatize themselves and are more at ease with the environment. There is a saying,? It is better to adapt yourself with the environment rather then adapting to oneself?. No frostbite or major problems. Pierres? knee is okay
now. As far as equipment and supplies is concerned everything is under control, except for the pole from the tent that is still causing some problems. The snow accumulation from two to three weeks ago is sometimes a problem. They have to remove their skis in order to overcome the ice fields. The dog is doing an excellent job and very useful although his master alternates everyday. They are still moving towards Polaris which will then complete the first section of
their adventure which will take another 3 too 4 days, if everything goes well. After they have reached Polaris then they will undergo their second phase of the trip. I am happy that everything is going well. St?hane
slebeau@borealisdev.qc.ca To be continued...
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| Day 12 : Thursday April 13 ,2000
Position : 75.12.854 North / 96.49.064 West
Temperature day : - 20 celcius
Temperature night : - 30 celciusA vue of Polaris Our men are able to identify buildings from a distance , 19Km yet to go before arriving at Polaris Mines. Pierre and Bruno traveled in their under clothing, also removing their gloves with temperatures of -20? celcius achieving a distance of 15.4Km . Of course when came
sun- set they quickly clothed themselves as the weather changed radically to -30? celcius. Sometimes they say they have to remove their skis in order to cross some of the ice fields, yet all is well. During their short stop at Polaris Mines, they will take this opportunity to remove all unwanted cargo/supplies they don?t like: Powdered Milk, some foods which freeze and are not edible at the same time this will help lighten their sleds. To be continued...
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| Day 13 : Friday April 14,2000 Position : 75.12.854 North / 96.49.064 West
Temperature day : - 30 celcius
Temperature night : - 40 celciusStorm Our adventurers woke up early this morning in a storm that brewed overnight in the North Pole. The gusting winds and heavy blizzard caused zero visibility. Forced to remain in the same position our men are set back once again. Pierre says they hope that by Saturday morning the
storm will have stopped, as they are very anxious to arrive at Polaris. To be continued...
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| Day 17 : Tuesday April 18, 2000 Position : 75.48.382 North / 97.03.490 West
Temperature day : - 16 celcius
Temperature night : - 20 celciusUnwanted If you were tuned in with C.K.M.F. last Tuesday morning, you no doubt understood that our Adventurers had unwanted trespassers. Three polar bears, a mother and her one or two year old cubs attempted to reach their tent. Responsible for arms & defense gear, Pierre immediately reached for the flair gun to scare away these rather
impressive trespassers. A first flair was sufficient to scare away the bears which started for the camp once again so Pierre fired another flair - again no reaction. Pierre wisely reached for 12 caliber rifle and fired one shot toward the sky. This time the bears paused at less than 700 feet from the camp and soon after disappeared. Pierre managed to film these scene and hopes to have captured on tape each specific reaction of these jewels of nature.
Tuesday, Pierre and Bruno covered 16.1 Km on what can be described as a bumpy and unpredictable course. Soon they encountered holes in ground made by seals. Pierre and Bruno will have to take every precaution now not to slip into one of these holes. Special comments by Stephane Lebeau: Almost every day this over this last week except Friday, I spoke to Pierre and Bruno but didn't have the chance to turn in my report in writing until now:
At this point, the expedition is proceeding A1. Their motivation and state of mind are that their best. This clearly indicates that they have well adapted to the environment. I have monitored the winds from the meteorological reports and although I have noted that they are slightly less violent (with the exception of Friday's blizzard), the cold is still sharp and vivid (on average under -30C). The weather conditions are as harsh
as at the beginning of their trip save for the weight of the sleighs which clearly lessens from day to day. The larger leg muscles are now pumping blood more and more efficiently. Their hands are now permanently cold (this is a sign that their body is maintaining the heat within for the noble organs: heart, lungs, ?) Their "traveling device" is now totally functional. Each day they "feed"
on those precious kilometers which are key to their mental health!!! They are set out for glory ! Polaris now behind, they have undertaken the second part of their voyage: the mean glaciers. Since Polaris, they have been traveling through a region called "Goodsir Inlet". This is the Western part of the "Polar Bear Pass", known as a polar bear crossing to the Bathurst Iland. On the Eastern side of this enclosure, one can
find "BraceBridge Inlet", an area where polar bears feed given the high sea bottom which prevents ice formation on the surface. Pierre & Bruno mentioned that they have observed fresh bear tracks and "droppings" on several occasions. Nanook (inuktitut word which means "polar bear") surround them but it is quite unlikely that our Adventurers will see them? Bears have very sharp odor senses which they use to "camouflage" to observe our
friends. Le Detroit crossing between the Islands of Bathurst and Devon (de Grinnell Peninsula) is the most difficult portion of the voyage (physically) but also one of the most beautiful. Thawing of the glaciers is partial in summer up to the permanent polar pack (+ - 80N). This creates a sort of ice soup which reforms (solidifies) in the fall, capturing first year ice planks and older ice formations (homogenously empiled pieces. This phenomena
is accentuated by the northern winds which pushes and emprisons this polar ice soup between the two islands where Bruno and Pierre are at this time. This magnificent ice structures are particularly difficult to cross due their density and height (several meters) but they are absolutely beautiful as they attract a diversity of arctic life. Animals come to this area to feed from the ocean through the holes shaped by the polar bears,
the seals, walrus and others? They have already encountered an "agloo" inuktitut word which means "holes" shaped and maintained by the seal for the purpose to rise to the surface to breath. Darkness is almost inexistent in the arctic at this time (north of the polar circle) although the sun still rises and sets every day. This phenomena is caused by the fact that the sun does not reach more than 15 under the
horizon line and that its rays reflect towards the firmament. Sunrise and sunset stretches over several hours. In a few days, our friend "the sun" will stay up for the entire summer! The arctic ocean (which has now been explored almost entirely) is and no doubt will be for a long time still the most exquisite playground on the planet for it holds rich scientific mysteries. I truly hope that our children will find these treasures in
the same condition as we find them today. Remember that until 90 years ago, no man had even attempted to reach the tip of our planet? To be continued...
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