Friends and family -
Its 3 AM and we are reporting in as we sit by our campfire on
Bear/Boat watch. Actually, it's a laundry watch, as we are
drying out tons of wet kit. It is a treat to be far enough
south that there is even any driftwood to burn at
a campsite. We're still 100 miles north of the tree
line but for the first time we've found kindling and logs
and so been able to make a little bonfire (well, thanks
to Ben, it's not so little...) We've made it all the way to
the mainland of the Northwest Territories and are within striking
distance of completing this epic journey, so everyone is in great
spirits.
Bear watch tonight is particularly relevant, since we just
scared off a grizzly bear a few hours ago, who left big paw prints
in the sandy shoreline and a smelly, steamy pile of dung for us as
he loped off behind a hill whilst we were dropping anchor in this
tiny cove. After we rowed ashore in the dinghy we followed him
over the rocky hill but couldn't see him anymore, so we are
confident in our location but thought it prudent to keep a shift
running on alert w/shotgun for the night.
Today was a big day. We left Ross Point this morning with
an ambitious goal of getting through the remainder of the Dease
Straight and out into the first parts of the Beaufort Sea for the
night. We were well behind schedule due to weather and needed
to cover alot of water. Unlike the treachery of yesterday, we
were blessed today with light winds behind us, and millpond seas
for several hours. We stopped and a small chain of islands
that probably haven't been visited by anyone but a few birds and
some antelope during the frozen months. We climbed to the
summit of the largest island, claiming ascent of the unclimbed
peak.
After lunch we set off for the rest of the day's journey.150
miles to cover. That seemed ambitious given the difficulty we
had covering just 65 or so yesterday. By 4 PM we were only 10
miles away from the protected bay that we'd chosen on the
charts. But seas were building from behind us, slowing our
progress and causing us to take multiple waves over the console,
filling the boat with 1 degree sea water. Forecast has been
for winds to grow and seas to continue to build. And we
were quickly reminded of why the Beaufort Sea has a
reputation. It is very unfriendly water.
Quick pause. Team consultation. Brigadier Grylls took charge of
the discussion (he's been terrific expedition leader for
sure). A few of us were very cold and tired (us two in
particular). But we made a unanimous decision. Stopping
now would put us in jeopardy as we'd have to cover another 200
miles tomorrow, with potentially bigger swells and the wrath of the
Beaufort to deal with for the entire leg. We decided to press
on, knowing that this unprotected coastline had no decent
anchorages for another 100 miles.
And so we pushed forward. Dave Pearce fought his way through the
swell for hours. Tim Levy ran navigation allowing us to hug
the shoreline when needed. And we put behind us another 160
miles before reaching our new goal of Pearce Point (named
previously, but kindly, for our chief medic and
comedian). This puts us only 15 miles from the top of Darnley
Bay, and only 50 miles from Paulatuk which is the end of our
journey. We sat 'round the mess hall tonight (a few rocks
strategically placed to buffet the wind) reflecting on how blessed
we have been on this trip. Favor has surrounded us.
There was the occasional bad joke mixed in, and one or two
tasteless but funny ex-commando stories from the boys. But we all
feel lucky. It has been a life-changer for everyone.
Tomorrow we hope and expect to write with good news of our
successful completion of the FCP Northwest Passage RIB
expedition.
Ben J and Dave S
P.S. from Dave S. - Ben Jones has recovered from
yesterday's blow. He's stuck with the expedition.
He got back in the saddle today and helmed the closing leg of our
310 mile segment. We were worried about his knock
yesterday and thrilled that he's in good form today. Even if
for no other reason than that we need his engineering skills!