On the 19th June they also presented the highlights of the Crossing of Greenland to the FEE delegates and to the students of Cockermouth School which then received its green flag in recognition of its achievement in becoming an eco-school.

Richard Hale said of the event: “This was a remarkable occasion and location. We were delighted to be asked to visit Cockermouth School in Cumbria. The event took place in an amazing eco-centre and it was evident that the students work in genuine partnership with the teachers at the school and have created an exemplary environment. We are also most excited to be working with Encams which manages the Eco-schools initiative which is now reaching over 10,000 schools in the UK and growing. It was also a tremendous cross cultural event with FEE representatives from all over the world descending on Cumbria to share their interests and learning.”

Everyone is welcome to come along to the airport to cheer Alan and Peter as they come through the Arrivals terminal at Bristol Airport - I’m sure you would all like to join the rest of the Feet of Green team in celebrating Alan’s and Peter’s amazing achievement of the unassisted crossing of Greenland 2008.

See you there!

Sandra - Bristol Base Camp

Alan and Peter had a last minute cancellation opportunity and ended up getting the 1400 hrs flight today from Kulusuk to Reykjavik. We have now booked them on the Reykjavic flight to Amsterdam tomorrow morning and then from Amsterdam to Bristol arriving 16.55 at Bristol airport. There is much media interest in their return and we hope you will be able to welcome them back. I spoke with Alan at 21:30 hrs and he and Peter are settled in a hotel ready for an early start tomorrow and just off for a well earned beer and steak!

UPDATE: Sunday 1st June 22:00 UK time.

Alan and Peter have now taken a helicopter out of Isortorq to Taliisaq and are hopeful tomorrow they will complete the next stage - a helicopter on to Kulusaq. If they make this before 1400 they will hopefully be able to take the flight to Reykjavik, Iceland, overnight there and then back to the UK. There has been good coverage on BBC Points West today of their experiences in Isortorq and the links now emerging with the school there and schools in the UK.

UPDATE: Friday 30th May 21:00 UK time.

No flight has come in to take Alan and Peter out of Isortoq today and they are waiting still in the village community hall. They are being given a good welcome and support from the small local community and are safe and well but obviously keen to be taken out as soon as possible. we are in regular contact and looking to get them flown out as soon as possible. Frustrating for all and media interest continues to grow in their return.

I will update here tomorrow as soon as I have anything more to report.

Richard

The last two days have seen mixed emotions for both Alan and Peter and for me and the team and family and friends back home. Elation at their achievement in making the crossing of Greenland, relief that they are safe and frustration as they remain stuck in the remote Inuit outpost, Isortorq.

I have been doing all I can to try and get the guys back home as soon as possible over the past few days and as of Friday 30th May at 07:00 UK time this is the latest news:

The fog which was causing problems in terms of helicopters being able to get into Isotorq has lifted. We thought this was good news as the scheduled helicopter flights would then recommence but not so. The schedule flights via Air Greenland it would seem, from discussion with Alan, have been taking weather information which is lagging behind the reality. So whilst the weather is clear they believe is still difficult to land.

Yesterday we had booked a chartered helicopter via Air Greenland but this had earlier experienced technical difficulties which are are now resolved, but it means our guys were way back in the queue for airlifts out of the east coast areas of Greenland.

behind in the queue and they are not guaranteeing anything date for collection but say Saturday would be the earliest.

Yesterday I had contacted the Inuit leader of the dogs and boats, who organised the dog teams to bring Alan and Peter off the ice. One option, is that on Saturday he will set sail to reach Isotorq from Tasiilaq to collect them. This will take two days each way. He has said that part of the problem in terms of the changing climate and unpredictability and extremes of the weather. There have been North Easterly storms which have compacted the ice into the shore making it very difficult to get the boats to reach the shore. In contrast Alan and Peter have reported that it is impossible to ski this journey because the unusually warm weather has created problems with skiing because there are several feet of melted ice on the surface. So we are now seeing at close quarters the impact of climate change which is challenging even the local Inuits who are experts in reading the ice and weather conditions.

As of 18:21 Thursday evening I received a call from Alan saying he had just met Hans, one of the dog handlers who with his girlfriend was planning to take a scheduled flight in the morning. So it may be that local knowledge is the best knowledge and I am going to try to verify this with the airline. Furthermore this has been verified with the Air Greenland base and If this collects them today before around midday local time they will hit the connections from Kusulak to Reykyavik, Iceland and then be overnight there ready for a return to the UK on Saturday.

Meanwhile Peter and Alan are keeping their spirits up and making positive use of the time. You will see in the section http://www.feetofgreen.com/gallery/on-the-ice-greenland-2008/ some of the latest photos form the Inuit community and the school there where Peter and Alan have given some lessons to the children.

The children have also sent a message back to schools in the UK and you will see this in the video section:http://www.feetofgreen.com/video-logs/

You will also see some of the images from the seal hunting which is taking place around them. We have had to think carefully about publishing these and on balance feel it is important for the schools in the UK to see life as it is amongst this Inuit culture, where survival is key, where the Inuit people respect the importance of the food chain and nature and where absolutely no resource goes to waste.

I will be posting an update as soon as I know more.

Richard Hale, 30/5/08

“We have been helping the local community clear up some of the waste that is lying around everywhere and were rewarded with coffee and biscuits in one of their houses so we passed a few hours on this on Saturday.

However the sea and bay around is melting so the locals have decided to go fishing for two days. As if this isn’t the quietest place in the world anyway now it is deserted.

People are getting in boats and also walking around the coast to set up fishing camps. They take rifles because of bears and a change of clothing and go and fish.

We have been informed that there is a very large pod of narwhal heading this way so they are excited as it feeds the dogs plus it is sunday dinner every week for ten months and they eat the skin as its full of nutrition. They are waiting to see if the pod comes into Isortorq bay - so exciting times here!

Many more photos have been and will be added to the On the Ice section of the gallery.

]]> http://www.feetofgreen.com/2008/05/ice-log-31st-may-2008/feed/ http://www.feetofgreen.com/2008/05/bbc-radio-bristol-feet-of-green-update-31st-may-2008/ http://www.feetofgreen.com/2008/05/bbc-radio-bristol-feet-of-green-update-31st-may-2008/#comments Sat, 31 May 2008 10:31:01 +0000 SHalward http://www.feetofgreen.com/?p=311 Click below for the BBC Radio Bristol interview where I provided an update on the Feet of green expedition and our efforts to get Alan and Peter out of Greenland.  Nothing more to report on that yet but I am in regular communications and will keep the website updates as soon as I have any news.

Richard

310508-radio-bristol-interview

UPDATE AT 13:00 HRS UK TIME 28th MAY 2008

Unfortunately Alan and Peter are currently stuck in the remote outpost of Isortoq in Greenland (Photographs below and in the On the Ice gallery section) which is where they were taken by the dogs as the las leg of their journey off the ice. They had planned to get airlifted out of Isortorq on Monday 26th and this was delayed due to bad weather. The fog has now lifted but the problem now is getting a helicopter to take them and there is a possibility they will be getting a boat led by a local Inuit. I am in regular phone contact with Alan and Peter and they are fine in terms of their health but naturally very frustrated at being stuck. There is food at the hamlet but it is such a remote place most of the locals survive by hunting - indeed yesterday Alan reported he had just seen an Inuit dig a hole in the ice, harpoon a seal and prepare it for consumption by the locals and the dogs.

I had been hoping their return will be delayed by just 24 hours so they would be back on Friday evening into Bristol but even this now is questionable.

I WILL KEEP THIS ICE LOG UPDATED WHENEVER I RECEIVE ANY NEWS OF THEIR MOVEMENTS OUT OF ISORTORQ.

Sandra Halward can be contacted on sandra@feetofgreen.com

RIchard Hale can be contacted on richard@feetofgreen.com

Advance notice…

Bristol Festival of Nature - Bristol Harbourside Sunday 8th June

If you are unable to come to the airport for the welcome home event then you may be interested in attending the talk that Alan, Peter and Richard will be giving at the Bristol Festival of Nature at the Bristol Harbourside on Sunday 8^th June at 12:15 – 1:00. Everyone is welcome to come along and hear first hand about the amazing Great British Mobility Group Feet of Green adventure.

Alan, Peter and I would all like to extend their huge thanks to all the directors of Great British Mobility Group for enabling the expedition to happen, namely to :

Peter Kitson

Tim Hedgecock

Rob Nicholson

Steve Lewis

and to all the staff at GBMG for their support.

They look forward to telling you first hand of the adventure on their return.

Richard

Last night they slept in the community hall in Isortoq, which is a tiny hamlet with a population of less than 200 people, in a wilderness of ice on the East coast of Greenand. Alan and Peter have sent several great photographs back of the husky dog team and the Inuits they have met. They were treated to a meal in a local building last night which came was most welcome and they traded in their shotgun in return. They have today visited the local school and met with the headmaster and the children and explained what Feet of Green is - several photographs have been posted in the One the Ice Gallery. In my most recent conversation with Alan he said Peter had found a razor and had gone off to shave his head, something he has been dying to do for weeks.

Hopefully they will get out of Isortoq tomorrow if the fog clears and then head to Kulasuk and then on to Iceland where I hope to meet them on Wednesday.

So the adventure continues even as they come off the ice and I will keep you informed as I hear more.

Richard

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