Ice Log - 25th May 2007 !!SUCCESS !! (UPDATED 19:00 UK TIME)

May 25, 2008 | Filed Under On the Ice |

Call taken 0800 UK time. The good news is that Alan and Peter made their deadline in reaching Checkpoint 8 which is where they have been aiming for for the past five days. The shock for them when they called the Inuits was that they are now not able to get a boat to this location. The reason is to do with the changes in the conditions of the ice. There has been so much ice melt close to the shore that the ice is too thin to allow the dogs to run across from the boat to the shore to pick them up. This has been a major set back and you can imagine the shock for Peter and Alan being so physically and emotionally drained and excited having reached the checkpoint, only to find out there is no boat. So plan B is currently being negotiated. This will mean them walking a further 25km and they plan to set off c0900 local time to be able to reach a frozen lake by 4pm in order to make a rendezvous with the Inuits and the husky pack. Then it will be a case of taking a husky ride for approximately two hours to reach Tasiilaq. If this works out then they will stay overnight in Tasiilaq and take a 10 minute helicopter flight on Tuesday 26th to Kulusuk. They would then leave from Kulusuk on Wednesday 27th at 1400 local time to fly to Iceland where they will spend 2 days recovering with a view to a return to Bristol on Thursday 29th May. This is the latest plan and I will keep everyone posted with further Ice Logs as the adventure unfolds. They have to pay in cash for their Inuit husky journey and will be needing to trade their shotgun in as well as use some Danish Kroner cash they have in order to cover this. They sounded positive, though both have extremely sore feet. They will be capturing lots of video and photo evidence of this final stage of the adventure and there should be some very interesting coverage of interactions with the Inuits.

UPDATE AT 13:36

Just spoke to Alan - they are walking through a blizzard with complete white out conditions - they cannot see more than 3m ahead - they are checking via their compass they are on track every 15 minutes - this means they are unable to see whether there are crevasses or polar bears nearby but they are aiming to reach the rocks for meeting with the Inuits at 5pm. I have made contact with the Inuit leader to explain and he is now sending out the dogs with 2 non English speaking Inuits. They aim to reach the rocks by 3pm, rest the dogs for two hours and then return to Isortoq. Dines the Inuit leader has told me to tell Alan and Peter who are calling back in 90 minutes, that he should save his cash and use that for the helicopter payment and I will pay for the husky journey. All being well they will be back this evening with a roof over their heads for the first time in 26 days - they will be staying either with a Danish guy or in the community hall.

UPDATE AT 14:32

Just spoken to Alan and Peter they have hit a checkpoint and now have 15 km to go to the rendezvous point - the end is in sight - they are on something of a high psychologically and their feet are in tatters but they are still walking in extreme blizzard conditions with visibility down to less than two feet. They are taking it in turns micro navigating and are checking via their compass ever 5 minutes and GPS every 15 minutes.

Spoke to Dines the Inuit leader at 14:50 UK time and he confirms the dog team is en route to the rendezvouz point and will be arriving in approximately 4 hours which will be 15.50 UK time or 12.50 local time.

UPDATE AT 19:00

I am delighted and proud to report our adventurers Alan Chambers and Peter Herbert have achieved their goal. They have just met with the Inuit dog team at the planned rendezvous 65 40 North and 38 56 West. Conditions have been horrendous, with continual white out throughout the whole day and freezing rain. They are soaked through, exhausted and extremely relieved. I asked Alan how it felt physically and he said it is impossible to describe the physical relief as he sits on the sleigh being dragged by a team of huskies. The plans are now falling into place for their exit from Greenland and tonight they will be staying in Isortoq and will be extremely relieved to have their first shower and a proper bed for almost a month. Tomorrow they will take a heli-taxi to Tasiilaq and then on to Kulasuk where they will stay overnight before taking a flight out to Iceland and onward to the Bristol in the UK via Amsterdam.

Keep checking the web for updates as we are now planning their homecoming for next week and hope they will be arriving in Bristol Airport on Thursday 29th May at 16:55 hrs UK time from Amsterdam via KLM KL1053. All support will be welcome at the airport to welcome them back and they will be pleased to mix with the welcome party at the airport. This is an expedition that has been an incredible adventure and has been a success as they have completed the physical and mental challenge they set out to achieve.

Much more will be reported on the website as they now engage with the Inuit community and as we gather much more video and photographic evidence from the expedition which Alan and Peter are carrying with them… so keep visiting the website… and thanks to all for your words of support which have helped them through this massive challenge and achievement - The Great British Mobility Feet of Green Crossing of Greenland 2008.

Richard

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