Expedition for Opportunity Travel Log 2 - Base Camp Barneo
April 12th, 2016
Expedition for Opportunity Travel Log - 4/13/16 – Base Camp Barneo
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| Runway at Barneo |
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| Runway at Barneo |
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| Leaving Svalbard |
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| Supplies for my journey to the North Pole |
After a longer than expected stay in Longyearbyen, the Antinov touched down at about 2:30 AM this morning on the new runway at Barneo
I eagerly took my first steps out onto the arctic ice. Barneo is a Private Russian temporary ice base. Since the ice is constantly drifting it must be rebuilt every March and deconstructed in late April as the ice melts. The camp is comprised of a few large central tents and several smaller satellite tent encampments. Surrounding the camp on all sides is a vast expanse of ice. The blue and white hues of the ice reflect the sky in a mirage that disguises the horizon and makes it feel as if the ice completely envelopes you.
The cold here is unforgiving without proper gear stepping outside even for a couple seconds is unbearable.The cold is not the only threat here, staff and guides warn us not to go outside the bounds of the camp without an armed staff member as polar bears are actively hunting this time of year. We have our own personal rifle that we'll use for protection during our trek. The challenges presented by this environment do little to dissuade my excitement for departing the relative safety of Barneo to begin the final stage of this adventure. I look forward to heading out onto the open arctic ice and beginning the 70 mile ski trek to the North Pole.
I would like to thank everyone who has donated to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Hartford, Camp Courant and The New Children’s Museum through our GoFundMe Campaign the“Expedition for Opportunity”. We are over a quarter of the way to our goal of $10,000.
