My first week in the Arctic
By Mark Beaumont
Resolute from the air
Nearly a week after flying out from the UK, I am just starting to adapt to life in the Arctic. I was expecting the 24 hour daylight but was less prepared for such an arid, lunar landscape.
The whole crew of rowers have now arrived in Resolute, north-east Canada and the Ice Boat is in the water and nearly ready to go... except, we woke this morning to find that the wind had blown sea ice into the bay, completely blocking our way out.
The expedition was meant to start in the next 48 hours, but we will need to wind to blow the ice back out again before we can venture far.
Jock Wishart, our trusty leader is in great spirits and quietly optimistic about the chances of a successful expedition. Whether we can get to the far north, as planned, depends almost entirely on the ice breaking up sufficiently.
The Ice boat getting set up for the expedition
Today we had our first dip in the Arctic Ocean, which was, unsurprisingly, incredibly cold! Part of our training it's really important that we all know what to do if we end up in the sea. As you can see on the video though training can be fun.
A dip In the Arctic Ocean
Mark and the team take a quick dip in the waters to test out the dry suits. Sea ice at the North Pole is melting and Jock Wishart is attempting to row the Arctic. Joining him is cyclist Mark Beaumont, on board the tiny boat to film the audacious attempt.
A first look at the Arctic wildlife
A few days ago we had some welcomed distraction from the preparation work when first a polar bear and then a pod of beluga whales decided to come by the bay. Such incredible sights and hopefully a sign of lots more wildlife along our route.
My first polar bear of the trip and a pod of beluga whales
