TIRED BODIES...
24 April, 2006    89.5167N, 80.0000W
After only one rest day in 30, our bodies are tired and snowshoes definitely require more energy than skis, sapping even more strength. We certainly are using all our 7000 calories daily.

Today was a really new and unusual occasion. Richard's wife, Josee, is leading a supported trip from the North Pole to Canada and, with modern satellite communications and GPS, we were able to cross paths and exchange stories. It was a very special occasion for Richard, meeting Josee and his son Tessum, who was also on the expedition. It was surreal to come upon their tent in a blizzard!

The ice has not relented and today we faced horrendous miles of ice rubble with deep, soft snow between the ice blocks. We also faced some very broken-up areas with open water leads. We crossed these using a variety of techniques, including employing paving-stone sized blocks of ice, thrown onto a metre of frozen soft snow on top of water to help support our weight as we crossed.

With only 29 miles to go, as the crow flies, the next 2-3 days are going to be the big push.