2nd February – Day 9 - Eskerdalen Valley - Louise Cameron

N78 12 46
E16 54 55
Distance travelled yesterday: 10.7km
Temperature: -22°C

This is what it’s all about! Today, Day 9, was magical - really great. My excellently efficient tent mate Simon was team leader and more than rose to the challenge. After a 7am wake-up call, he had us all in the meeting room (the big 8-man tent) by 9am, fed, watered, flasks filled and pulks packed ready for the morning meeting. Soon after, we had tents down, were harnessed up and moving out, with Nessy (navigator) heading the charge and Simon leading from behind.

It was with mixed emotions that we left camp as realisation dawned that a week today we will be back home and at our desks. Of course we can’t wait to see loved ones and friends (who are more and more in our thoughts as the days go by) and return to creature comforts (steak, red wine, showers, baths, beer and pizza, seem to be the most vocally missed). But as it was such an incredibly beautiful morning we also savoured the moment as we realised just how special it is to be here.

At last the eternal night/ twilight is lifting; we woke to a vast expanse of light blue and a gently cloud scattered sky and were teased by a suggestion of the sun behind a distant mountain.

This, combined with a nose-dive in temperatures (ironically, none of our thermometers seem accurate - they read up to 8 degrees differently - but this morning was noticeably colder with a real bite in the air) and another good dusting of light powder snow last night, meant that we were all eager to get on the move and spirits are high.

Nessy kicked out of camp at quite a pace, turning right (heading East) back into the valley. Adventdalen stretched out before us in all her magnificence – a rolling white wilderness of low mountains either side and a long, snaking, wide frozen river ahead and behind. Watching the group walking down the valley in parallel lines was an impressive and endearing sight; we are beginning to feel like the Ice Warriors we all hoped we might become.
Some six hours later we had made good ground passing through the Brentskaret and into the Eskerdalen Valley heading towards Sassendalen. We are beginning to work quite efficiently as a team now and only stopped for three short (5 min) water, loo, and nosebag breaks today.

At 4pm, having covered almost 11k at a speed averaging 2.7k an hour (it sounds slow but it really isn’t – on skis, pulling the pulks uphill), we stopped to camp behind a "pingo"(knoll) which proved a welcome shelter from the wind. Already night was closing in and we needed head torches again.

Now it is 9pm and camp is quiet apart from the crunch of "bear watch" feet outside. Skidoo tracks and an old mountain hut are the only signs of life out here, along with reindeer trails and the odd sighting of Arctic wolves.

I'll be up again at 1am for my two hour stint under the galaxy of stars outside (v v beautiful tonight - breathtakingly so), I’m going to snuggle down in my sleeping bag and bid goodnight. I’m going to fall asleep dreaming of my boys and hoping that tomorrow will bring another day like today… Thank you Jim, Howard, Em, Mary and TEAM!