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Polar Explorers Lonnie Dupre and Eric Larsen send daily dispatches during their unprecedented four-month journey to the North Pole and back. The expedition team will pull and paddle specially modified canoes across nearly 1,000 miles of shifting sea ice and open ocean. Their objective is to complete the first ever summer expedition to the North Pole and to highlight the growing issues surrounding global warming.
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Life on the Ice


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Rainbows and '85'

May 21, 2006
sunny, cloudy, south west wind 20 F, 8 nautical miles
The day began with clear blue skies this morning, but after two hours it was gone. We have not had a full sunny day in a week and a half. It was difficult to get out of the sleeping bag this morning as we were still tired from the previous hard day.

It will be even harder after today since the kitchen ran out of coffee - at least for the one team member who drinks coffee (to remain unnamed).

The only natural colors we see up here are white, blue and gray. So it was especially nice to be greeted by a huge full arching Rainbow. We could even see the pot of gold just beyond a distant pressure ridge.

The ice was fairly broken up and we crossed countless pressure ridges and leads throughout the day. A snowbunting visited our camp, perhaps the same one who was patrolling '84' - a timely coincidence, since we have just crossed into 85 degrees north latitude. It is nice to know there is other life out here when we seem to be the only things breathing in this remote part of the globe.

Honestly, it's hard to imagine anything being able to live and survive out here. The truly amazing fact, of course, is that polar bears do (and quite well, as long as there is sea ice). April 2006 has been the warmest April on record. The warming trends due to global warming could be disastrous to the fate of the polar bear if you don't act now. If you haven't already, make sure you take some time to help save polar bears. Help get the polar bear listed as a threatened species.

Word of the day: incongruous - the rainbow (and sometimes us) seem out of place.

PS. Thank you for taking the time to follow our journey. We appreciate your interest.

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