Arctic Circle Expedition 2010

The whole team (minus Tracey) met up in Bristol the night before to ensure we would not miss the 05:00 coach to Heathrow. Some frantic last minute packing took place before settling down to the World Cup Final & a Dominos Pizza. 05:00 was here before we knew it so it was off to the airport & on to Alta via Oslo. Tracey (Expedition Co-Leader) joined us in Oslo. The team was now complete. Let the adventure begin!

As the plane came in to land in Alta, it was difficult to see whether it would be on water or a runway, right up until the last minute - fortunately the latter! Simon (our land support) met us at the airport. With our transport on time, we headed for Bjorkenes & our campsite for two nights. What a luxury, the cabins were available so we didn't have to fight with the midge's too much!

Our first day of kayaking on Sorfjorden started slowly as we needed to get used to our first night of daylight & therefore not too much sleep. We were blessed with Force 4 conditions (16 knots of wind). This was the top end of conditions for us to work with & the team pulled out the stops with some great positive paddling. After two hours of paddling, we stopped for lunch on a small island, approximately 2K from shore before making a speedy return to our start point in a following wind. It was now time for capsize drills to ensure all were comfortable with exiting the kayak whilst upside down. All went well & we retreated for hot showers.

With all our food bought for the next 7 days, we now had to separate it out & distribute amongst the team. Frantic bag packing followed to ensure all was in the right place for our 6 day paddle that awaited us. We awoke to light rain but that soon changed & we were faced with Force 3-4 winds & heavy rain. We left Bjorkenes in the hope the weather would get better & by lunchtime the rain had stopped, leaving us just the wind to fight against. Camp was located next to a very impressive waterfall where we stayed for two nights due to strong winds. This did give us an opportunity to dry clothes & catch our first fish of the trip, which went down well at mealtime, along with freshly picked mussels.

And so the expedition continued as we made our way to Moldvik with a light to moderate SE wind on our backs. The passage underneath the road bridge gave us some excitement as we raced through on a 6-7 knot current. The next hour gave us a building following sea, which got very bumpy at times. In the last hour before camp we dropped our fishing lines & waited & sure enough, we caught some fish - 2 large cod & 3 haddock. They made a great fish course for us all, after they had been gutted, filleted and cooked on hot rocks in an open fire. What a day!

We left Moldvik in glorious sunshine and calm waters with no hint of wind, conditions that stayed with us all day, as we passed the Hoyholman Island and into Jokelfjord. The team were doing so well we continued into the Tverrfjorden to find camp for the night, which was on the eastern shores of the fjord with spectacular views. Yet another great day, finished off with a sighting of porpoise in the fjord!

The next day began just like the last had finished, with porpoise sightings & sunshine. However, the sun didn't last as rain was with us within an hour of getting on the water & it just kept coming. We arrived in what should have been an idyllic campsite in torrential rain. Camp was soon erected & the storm soon passed, although the Force 6 winds continued, threatening to take our tents with it! The remainder of the day was spent drying clothes & sitting looking up at the hanging glacier that towered above the fjord, waiting for chunks of ice to fall off into the fjord & create a large wave. It didn't happen though.

Our last full day of kayaking saw us paddle to the base of the Jokelfjord Glacier. What an impressive sight. On our return to camp, some of us dropped fishing lines & sat & waited, while others went on a 'gathering wood' mission. After much waiting in anticipation, the biggest catch of the trip was made - a 10 kg cod. A nice way to end the kayaking phase. It was now time to put our mountaineering heads on & prepare for the glacier, which meant getting to a proper camp site, washing & drying our clothes & packing our rucksacks with as little as possible.

After a rest day, baked in glorious sunshine on the banks of Berfjord, we were off again. Our route to the Orksfjord ferry took us via the best coffee shop around so we just had to stop, despite the expense. The 15 minute ferry crossing gave us access to the town of Nusvag & our mountaineering equipment, which had been left for us by the previous group. By this stage, we had had 18 hours of rain, with no sign of it stopping. The offer of a sports clubhouse for the night was far more inviting than a tent. The plan was for a single push on to the glacier & to the highest point in Finmark. Time would tell!

Despite the continuing rain, we decided to give it a go, since the local forecast was for it to improve. A 5 hour trek saw us at the snout of the glacier, with the now snow, stopping with just enough time to get kitted up. We were now in two roped teams as we made our way up the glacier, negotiating crevasses. After two hours of trudging through mixed snow/ice conditions under foot & continuous wind & snow, we reached the saddle & the so called view point. We'll just have to take Team 1's word on that as we had zero visibility. At 20:00 & after 7 hours of ascent, it was now time to descend, all the way back to Nusvag, which in total became a 12 hour hill day. The team was exhausted, yet elated at their achievement, & so they should be.

After our mammoth day, it was time to head off to Nordkapp for a trek to Europe's northernmost point. We arrived late at the northernmost campsite in the world! The next day we packed up for a 3 day trek around the Nordkapp Peninsula. The trek began with fantastic weather as we made our way out to one of the headlands 8km away. With camp pitched for the night, we went on an adventure over a few rocky knolls on the cliff edge before heading down to the nearest beach for our Arctic swim of the trip -a tachilly! Then it was back to camp to await the midnight sun, which turned out to be unbelievable!! We awoke the next day to glorious sunshine but that was soon halted as low cloud rolled in off the sea, which robbed us of our fantastic views. We continued our trek & made for the northernmost point of Kniv. With approximately 100m visibility we took the customary photograph & headed back to camp, which was basked in sunshine. Warmth at last today! The third day of the trek saw the majority of the team walk into Nordkapp, whilst the remainder of us walked back to the cars & drove into Nordkapp to meet them & have a team photograph. A fitting end to an awesome adventure. It was now time to make our way back to Alta to sort out all of our equipment before heading on to Oslo & finally the UK.

Well done to the whole team who certainly gave their all during this Arctic Adventure.

Many thanks to Richard & Mel for their continued hard work throughout.

Thank you to Simon for being there whenever we needed him, & of course for his shopping prowess – king of the aisles!

A big thank you to Tracey for incredible drive & enthusiasm throughout.

It's been great being part of your journey. Diolch yn fawr (A big thank you).

Congratulations all
Paul Donovan
Expedition Leader