Expedition journal

These reports were sent by the North Pole relay teams at regular intervals from the ice. Read the exciting story of the expedition as it unfolded, as bad weather and broken sea ice delayed their progress.

March 15
March 17
March 19
March 21
March 23
March 25
March 27
March 30		 April 1
April 3
April 5
April 7
April 9
April 11
April 13
April 15
April 17
April 19
April 21
April 23
April 25
April 26
April 27
April 29		 May 1
May 3
May 5
May 7
May 8
May 9
May 11
May 13
May 14
May 15
May 17
May 19
May 21
May 23
May 24
May 25
May 26
May 29 		June 2
June 20
 images/bust2.gif

Communications

Every night the team set off an Argos transmission which is a coded satellite message. I receive the code about one hour later by tapping into a central computer in the US via my modem. Having decoded the message I get the following pieces of info: Time of transmission, position, one of sixteen codes that translate into sixteen different messages: the best being "W'ere OK", the worst being "Evacuate us ASAP and bring a medic", I also get given the temperature (-35C tonight, March 15th).
Every other night (on even dates) the team try and make radio contact via HF radio - they won't always be successful. In general the conversation will be very brief i.e no general chat, so I won't necessarily get much more info than that from the Argos unless there is something they want me to do.

Mike Ewart-Smith, Resolute Bay base camp