Day 9 - Acceleration
2021-05-16

Seb and Dixie pressed ahead yesterday in order to take advantage of a rather short wind window that forced them to stop earlier than hoped at 15:00.

Still, even with the tricky sastrugi-laden terrain, they managed to gain an additional 37 kilometres toward their goal.

Their new camp position:

N 62° 12 53

W 46° 48 03

This morning, the duo awakened at 04:00 with the enterprising expectation of grabbing a predicted early morning breeze. However, the wind that did materialise was straight from the north, leaving them no option but to wait until an expected shift to the east-northeast later in the day.

There has been a recent tendency for the winds to blow heavier in the earlier part of each day and then again at night. Night progression is not yet an option in this southern area of Greenland as they still have darkness between 22:00 - 04:00 each day. As they move north, they will substantially gain light which will give them more flexibility in their hours of movement.

Their increasingly impressive route may be followed via Expeditions Unlimited including its LiveExplorer feature.

The temperatures are also reflecting their higher latitude and altitude. This morning they awakened to -21,3°C and by 08:00 it had slightly warmed to -18°C. While this frigid air hinders some quality of daily life in the camp, it is genuinely welcome for creating an advantageous ice layer beneath their skis and sleds. It's all about the glide. Once progression flows, a cadence of daily accomplishment creates a warm atmosphere that helps manage any discomfort that the cold may bring.

During their first week on the ice cap, Dixie & the team had plenty of time to begin their scientific data collection. While Dixie would never claim to be a scientist, he loves being able to assist researchers during his various expeditions by performing field work in hard to reach polar regions.

Dixie and Seb have been collecting snow samples for the University of Copenhagen/Niels Bohr Institute Research team led by Assistant Professor Helle Astrid Kjaer. The collected extractions will be used to study the variability of ions deposited within and on the snow including eventual impurities.

Yesterday, Joke shared a video with us which documents their tedious work, something that Dixie and Seb will continue to do along their trajectory toward Qaanaaq. Click here or on the photo below for a behind the scenes glance at their contribution, something that has earned our expedition the valued endorsement from SES.

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