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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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Depot Day

Jun 06, 2006
overcast, 28 F, 3 nautical miles
Day 37. The rations in our depot gave us a smorgasbord of new flavors for our taste buds. Though the amount of food per day, per person (30 oz) is the same, we have changed the menu slightly. We have dried and aged Italian salami, aged parmesan cheese, dried Finnish rye bread, and chocolate with hazelnuts and raisins, just to name a few of the items.

The actual acquiring of these items was quite a feat. A Twin Otter plane with equipped with extra fuel left Resolute Bay and flew to Eureka, a small science outpost on Ellesmere Island. There, they refueled and removed the side door to aid in dropping our supplies. Two hours later our food and fuel are being pushed out of the opening 150 meters from our tent, so close in fact that we can see a person in the opening. Our supplies tumble to the deck one or two seconds later and we whoop and holler with excitement.

We want to extend our a gigantic 'thank you' to Kenn Borek Air for their professionalism, friendliness and thoroughness. They went above and beyond the call of duty to get our needed supplies to us. Thanks also to Daniel who was always there to give us updates and other relevant information.

We have spent most of the day sorting through our newly acquired culinary riches. After these chores, sorting, dividing and packing canoe/sleds with our new provisions, we lounged in the tent resting for our push to the pole. We had been up much of the night talking with Kenn Borek's headquarters to relay current weather information.

After naps, we used up some time playing a couple games of chess on a newly drawn-up board. Outcome of the tournament: Larsen one, Dupre one. Grudge match coming soon.

We have now been parked on this comfortable piece of ice (drifting north) for three days and, amazingly enough, we are looking forward to the hard work and challenges ahead.

We have also been using this time to talk to press about our experiences to date, and more importantly, how global warming is affecting the Arctic, polar bears, and ultimately the world.

If you haven't had a chance to visit www.oneworldexpedition.com, you should check it out. Once there you can learn more about what expedition manager John Huston has been up to. Also there you'll find links to our equipment sponsors and companies like Granite Gear, Clif, Jytte and Timberland, all of whom have strong commitments to protecting our environment.

Word of the day: philistine - we are two men, living in a small tent, eating meals while laying down; our etiquette and tact are slowly declining and someone forgot to pack the 'Miss Manners' book to refresh us.

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