North Slope news: 18 Dec. 2008

Cameron called at 5:35 pm AST today. He says they've reached the Iko Bay hut after walking (and dragging sleds) for 9.22 miles. The conditions are good, and they're both pretty tired. They're in the hut having something to eat, soon they'll sleep, and then they'll get started tomorrow, perhaps by trying out the paraglider if the winds are good.

A more thorough report on the conditions will be forthcoming tomorrow, but the current weather in Barrow is 27 degrees F with winds at 8 mph.

Their location, based on last year's readings for the Iko Bay hut, is:

Latitude: 71 degrees, 10 minutes, 59 seconds North.
Longitude: 155 degrees, 57 minutes, 51.8 seconds West.
Elevation: 15 feet.

Below are some photos of the gents as they began their departure with their sleds. I'll post some more of these photos in the following days. Photos courtesy of Mark Hoffman. Click photos to enlarge.

Cameron:


Chiu: