7. The Arctic – North Pole: Walking Over the Waters

The North Pole is not in a country, or in a continent, but in the Arctic Ocean. Both latitude point 90ºN and the 800 kilometers that take you to it from Canada, are covered by 4.000 meters of salt water, with a thin layer of ice over the surface… that, as long as the planet gets warmer, becomes smaller, more fragile.
Unlike the Antarctic, the Arctic Ocean is one of the most humid places in the world, even more than the Amazonian rainforest. For this reason, although temperatures are a little higher than in the South Pole, here the humid cold gets into the bones, condenses inside the tents and between the clothes layers. Sunlight is even more indirect at the beginning of the expedition’s season. Then, as the season goes by, very dense fogs arrive and stick to the ice.
The layer of arctic ice, being over the water, it’s continuously moving by effect of tides, specially when the moon changes. Constantly, this layer that generally is between 2 meters and a few centimeters thick breaks in form of water channels. Other times the ice pieces collide forming pressure crests that can be 5 meter high, and big extensions of piled up blocks, like the rests of a building in ruins, where it is almost impossible to make any progress. Besides, these phenomena can occur without notice. Similarly, floating ice is moving at the whim of winds and currents.

Frequently, the ice sheet where the expedition member walks or skies is moving from the opposite direction to his target, minimizing the progression or even or even causing that, after stopping to rest a few hours, the expedition member realizes that, while he was still, he has moved back even beyond the point where he was at the beginning of the previous day. The Arctic Ocean has not the clean beauty or the rich history of the Antarctic. It is a brutal place, full of risk and suffering. But it is the key to know personally what it feels beyond the human limits. It is not even clear who was the first in stepping on the 90ºN.
It is assumed that the pioneers were Robert E. Peary together with his African-American assistant Matthew Henson and four skimos – but the achievements of that expedition have always aroused doubts and suspicions, above all for part of those who think that Peary took a very short time to complete the covered distance. Even less supporters has Frederic Cook’s version, who assured to have reached the Pole one year before his rival. Obviously, being strict the geographical North Pole is 4 km under the sea level, in the bottom of the sea – and that depth has been “conquered” as well. Last may two Russian submarines descended down the bottom and put a flag there.

The Arctic: The land of the midnight sun

There are several definitions to delimit the Arctic, although the common use is to identify this area with the territories inside the Arctic Circle: that strip over the 66º 33’ N where, at least once a year, there is no sunset. This area of the midnight sun includes varied environments: from perfectly livable zones in Norway and Lapland, or much more inhospitable spaces in Greenland, the northern islands of Canada and the ocean.
Other ways to establish where the Arctic starts is depending on the temperature – considering the Arctic the so called “Region of July”; that is, that area where in July the average temperature never gets up to 10ºC. Others define the Arctic as the southerner part of the planet where trees do not grow anymore. Finally, we cannot forget that the word Arctic comes from ancient Greek and means bear.
The name refers to the Great Bear and Little Bear Constellations, the second of which includes Polaris that always points north. But the truth is that there are real bears as well, that can get into the ice right to the Pole itself. It’s another factor to take on account.

Difficulties: The Empire of Murphy’s… Law

The last stage of the Mijares and Moreno’s project is, objectively the hardest – and the most dangerous. Since they put their skis on, they will have to activate their ARGOS positioning beacons. Very important in the Antarctic, en the case of the Arctic these devices are completely essential. They emit a signal that makes that the exploration member is always located and he must transmit a code every day at the same time to confirm that he is alright, or to warn if there is any problem. Satellite telephones have the same goal, but both devices must be carried because, for the Murphy’s Law, technology tends to fail when you really need it.
You cannot waste any time on your way to the North Pole: it is almost impossible to calculate how long it is going to take to get the goal, but in any case you must end on time to be picked up at the end of the road, taking on account that flights from Canada end at the end of may. They must walk no matter If it is sunny, windy or foggy, under good or bad conditions, despite the exhaustion, the possible problems with the equipment and the uncertainty.
When strength and health fail, they will have to go on thanks to their willpower. The coldest days are during the middle of March (between -30 and- 60, besides the thermal feeling), when the sun starts to rise on the horizon. By May the temperature increases, but it comes together with dense fog that makes visibility impossible and soaks the ice, and for this reason the moving conditions are worst and water stretches more frequent. Under these conditions everything freezes in seconds, and any track of humidity, even their own transpiration, gets solidified inside the tent, inside the layers of the clothes, inside the boots, etc… When walking, at least during the first hours of the day they just can stop no longer than a few minutes or they will suffer freezing injuries. Everything, if there is good weather.
Blizzards are less frequent than in the Antarctic but their consequences are more serious because the wind breaks the ice in thousands of single fragments that make channels on one hand, and pressure crests or chaotic ice on the other. Besides, the wind makes the ice move like a paper ship, frequently (Murphy again) in the opposite direction to the desired one and with a considerable speed. Another factor to take on account is the full moon or, in other words, the highs tide that it makes which causes sudden ice breaks, without notice and everywhere – in the worst situation, under the tent or under the expedition members’ skis.
In a minute they could be on a small floating piece of ice, or in the water… Falling into the water in the Arctic is a bad situation – it means drowning if the weight of the equipment takes the person down, severe hypothermia in just a few seconds and a lot of difficulties to get out of the water because the ice around the open breach will probably be too fragile to lean on it and get up. Even though the accident victim was able to get out, it would not put up with cold with the soaked clothes. Things must go quickly, pitching the tent, lighting the burner and taking the clothes off, drying it, and trying to heat up the rescued person before it is too late. Even if everything went alright, the extreme environment causes that practically every participant in expeditions to the Pole end up suffering freezing injuries in different levels, snow blindness, dehydration, bruises, grazes and a severe muscular mass loss.
On the other hand, fog banks will reduce visibility almost completely, forcing to a GPS or compass orientation. But at the same time a big attention to the ground must be taken on, to avoid areas of fragile ice, water channel, or pressure crests that could not be seen until they get over them. In areas with ice block, even with clear days, it is not easy to follow a straight line. You have to take references continuously and try to climb some block to see the ground far away and make the choice of where to go.

It is true that the shortest distance is the straight line but this rule is not true when in front of you it opens a channel of dark water or an ice wall appears from nowhere. Finally, region’s wildlife is often not very friendly. This is nothing personal; it’s just that there is not much food in the region and anything that is moving can be a potential dinner.
Precautions to take against possible bear attacks are the same that in Northern Greenland or in Svalbard. If the expedition members go past water channels walking or rowing on the pulkas, will have to cross their fingers for not being mixed up with seals by a killer whales in the surroundings. Briefly, the way to the North Pole is a continuous bet against the possibilities of drowning, freezing, being devoured or neck break. Every precaution is little but luck will be needed as well.