The North Pole - any tips or experience?

[kr1]

GPS does work on the North Pole. Or at least it did the last time I tried.

OK. You’re from Finland. I actually thought I remember Finland was a country that would sometimes have problems because of its northern latitude. I was almost certain that I remember reading that since the orbits of the satellites have a pretty low inclination of 55 degrees. It was a challenge to get the requisite 4 satellites above the horizon (especially above 75degrees north latitude) simultaneously and not have a really low HDOP. It would be possible as times (I thought I remember) to not be able to get any satellite fix at all sometimes. Did you ever have any problems either in Finland or the North pole getting a fix?

KR

 

[Elen]

OK. You’re from Finland. I actually thought I remember Finland was a country that would sometimes have problems because of its northern latitude. I was almost certain that I remember reading that since the orbits of the satellites have a pretty low inclination of 55 degrees. It was a challenge to get the requisite 4 satellites above the horizon (especially above 75degrees north latitude) simultaneously and not have a really low HDOP. It would be possible as times (I thought I remember) to not be able to get any satellite fix at all sometimes. Did you ever have any problems either in Finland or the North pole getting a fix?

KR

Yes, there are sometimes problems, which is a given if you get far north (or south, I would think) enough. I'm not technically inclined enough to understand exactly why, but I think it is some kind of magnetic interference going on that jams the connections occasionally (and not just the orbits of the satellites themselves). It may be just me being paranoid, but it seems that if you get pretty northern lights, you also get all kinds of signal interference.

Fortunately, you get used to it. If it doesn't work, just try again five minutes later, and maybe it will. That's what "it works" means anywhere above the Arctic Circle: "theoretically, it should always work, but sometimes it randomly won't."

 

[1_BIG_BUNKER]

I have never been to the North Pole, but I spent 367 long cold days at the South Pole or as we used to say, just a day and a night.

You will need chapstick as the wind and the cold will dry your lips right out. It doesn't sound like you will be there long enough to have your hands dry out, but you may want to take something for that as well.

You will want to take a one pint WIDE MOUTH nalgene water bottle. The narrow mouths freeze very quickly. Carry this with you inside your coat at all times. You will be surprised at how thirsty you get.

Take leather mittens and I think two sets of wool liners will hold you for the short time you are there. Forget gloves.

Also take thin silk or nylon finger gloves. Wear these inside your mittens and liners. If you need to take off your mittens to pick up something, you are not doing it with your bare skin. Even the slightest amount of moisture on your fingers from sweat will stick to steel right now.

Make sure you dummy cord your mittens and liners around your wrist. If you need to take them off, this will keep them from blowing away. I liked doing it like this because when I would go to eat, I could just take the 550 off my wrist and put the gloves in my parka pocket.


When you fly in and out, that will be the most dangerous time. Wear ALL your cold weather gear because you may not have time to get to it if something goes wrong. What you have on your back is all you may have if you have to leave the aircraft in an emergency. Searching cargo for your cold weather gear is not something you want to be doing. You do not have to wear it enroute, but landing and take off, wear it all. Take it off after you are airborne.

While I was down south, there was no such thing as digital cameras, so I am guessing here. I am thinking that those LCD screens will freeze up on you very fast. Just to be safe, take a standard 35mm camera. I would hate to see you not be able to get any pictures. I am serious, it is VERY cold at the poles. While I was down south the coldest it got down to was -103 degrees and the windchill was -187 at its coldest.

You may also have your camera fog up on you. Something you may want to do is put it next to a light bulb every night while you sleep to help remove the condensation from it.

I can't think of anything more at this time that is of any importance for just a few days that you are going to be there. If I do, I will post it.

 

[bulgron]

Yes. First things first - remember that you're going into what is arguably the most hostile environment to human life on this earth.

I read this line and thought we had just gone off-topic to discuss a trip with my daughters to the mall....



(Just kidding.)

 

[misanthropist]

I have never been to the North Pole, but I spent 367 long cold days at the South Pole or as we used to say, just a day and a night.

Well jeez, how similar could that even be? I mean come on, they're THOUSANDS of miles apart!!!

I've always wanted to see the South Pole...now THAT'S a lonely place!

 

[darklight]

Big Bunker, now that's great first hand experience. Thanks for sharing!

 

[Brian Jones]

I read this line and thought we had just gone off-topic to discuss a trip with my daughters to the mall....

I was thinking the Political forum here at BFC.

Elen, awesome responses. Your first one scared me a little. LOL.

 

[Bufford]

I may be wrong but I guess that you will be better off with an ice axe instead of a fixed blade. Chances are that you will be wearing loose clothes (tight ones restrict blood flow leading to cold) and the belt will end up buried with layers of overlaping clothes. Even if you had it accessible... with the big clumsy mittens you are likely to wear... there is no way you are going to get a nice grip on it. Well you could but... will be very hard.

If you are skiing or snowshoeing... you will probably be carrying poles instead of an ice axe. Hell! I even carry trekking poles even when doing mountaineering if there is no risk of taking a big slip! There are some trekking poles in the market (right now I can only think about Black Diamond) that have a little pick on the handle so, in a pinch, they could work as a pick to gain traction and pull yourself out of the water. Allow me to introduce you... the WHIPPET


Anyway, if you fall into the water and unless your partners are well trained to set up a tent, fire a stove inside and warm it up in lets say... three minutes, you are pretty much screwed. If you don't drawn, hipothermia will take care of you in no time. If there is no wind at all maybe you can make it. That said, stay away from crevases and thin ice.

Mikel

I went through the ice on the beaver pond, and it is not something I ever want to repeat. Yes my fixed blade was on my belt and inconvienently burried deep under the snowsuit. But without it I would never had made it out of there. I was alone and nobody would have found me for days- or weeks.

When adrenalin takes over, a person can do things they cannot normally do. I remember getting the knife out fairly quickly, and it was the only thing I could get a grip on as ice is slippery and worse when wet.

Just carry your fixed blade on your belt when on ice.

 

[bulgron]

I was thinking the Political forum here at BFC.

I don't know why the political arena gets such a bad rap.

Everyone's happy, funny and cheery over there.

We hold hands and sing songs of hope together. It's a real kumbaiyah kind of a place.

Come on over and post a while. The water's fine...

 

[North61]

I lived 9 years in Nunavut and as mentioned the GPS definately works to 90 North. The compass won't work and the North star will be above you rather than to the North but the GPS works. Might help to learn to use a sextant as well otherwise you won't know where you are if the GPS dies. Maybe take two.

Clothing needs to breathe well and not pick up moisture. Synthetics are better than wool over the long haul. Use a vapour barrier inside your bag and boots. Canadian Army Muklucks are the best foot wear.

The Coleman two burner is the stove of choice but make sure the pump leather is the arctic leather rather than the rubber o-ring. Start your stove outside but by all means bring it into the tent for cooking and to give some comfort and clothes drying. Take 1 gallon of white gas/week. Make sure your tent is double the rated capacity of the number of men in your expedition. IE 4 man tent for two people. If base Camped consider the Arctic Oven tent. With stove on it gets toasty.

Multi-year ice will have fresh ice atop as the salt will leach out over time or use trapped ice-burgs for water.

A short light 308 Win Carbine will work on seals and is a useful minimum Polar bear gun. 165 grain Nosler partitions are hard to beat.

 

[HUNTER3897]

I have heard a lot of great things about Northern Outfitters Arctic clothing. It it gets wet, you just wring it out and go. Not sure how that really works though. I would hate try that for the first time way up there.
Here is their address-

http://www.northernoutfitters.com/default.aspx


Jim

 

[HUNTER3897]

This one looks right up your alley...

http://www.northernoutfitters.com/ps-43-8-9-piece-arctic-system.aspx


Jim

 

[ejes]

This one looks right up your alley...

http://www.northernoutfitters.com/ps-43-8-9-piece-arctic-system.aspx


Jim

That's great! Thanks!

 

[CUTS LIKE A KRIS]

BUG DOPE!!! If you are going during breakup or "summer" then the dope is a must!! remember that standing water in that kind of environment increases as weather gets warmer due to permafrost melting, and is thus big puddles separated by mud. Sunscreen, sunglasses and chapstick, an esbit stove wouldn't hurt. Warm, layered clothing for when temps dip and get warmer in the same day. All of this is for melt season, based on my experience in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut. Get ready for no trees, lots of low laying plant life, Musk ox, caribou.......

Exactly how close to the North Pole are you going to be? Are you staying at an outpost (Alert?) or will you be in isolation- that makes a big difference.

P.S. Take it from me- A Khukri is overkill!!

 

[Elen]

I read this line and thought we had just gone off-topic to discuss a trip with my daughters to the mall....

I went through the ice on the beaver pond, and it is not something I ever want to repeat. Yes my fixed blade was on my belt and inconvienently burried deep under the snowsuit. But without it I would never had made it out of there. I was alone and nobody would have found me for days- or weeks.

When adrenalin takes over, a person can do things they cannot normally do. I remember getting the knife out fairly quickly, and it was the only thing I could get a grip on as ice is slippery and worse when wet.

Just carry your fixed blade on your belt when on ice.

Something a lot of guys have taken into doing is strapping their fixed blade (or ice pick, for some guys) on their backpack's left shoulder strap, handle down, where it will be easy to draw quickly with either hand, and there won't be any clothing getting in the way. The downside is, if you ditch your backpack, you ditch your blade too, but then, out there, you don't want to ditch your backpack, because your life depends on what's inside.

 

[1Tracker]

EJES you'll want straps on those sunglasses, if you do not wear goggles, because the wind up there can literally rip them off your face when you turn to look away from it. Your company, if not the USN, will outfit you clothing wise I suspect. As far as winter boots go, I've used Steger Mukluks for over 25 years and find them some of the warmest, if not the warmest, cold weather boots I've ever worn. Go to their website, shoot them an email, or give them a call up in MN. They have plenty of intrepid explorers passing through their doors every year heading to both Poles. I got outfitted for Antartica there many years ago myself.

Mittens should have a line that loops over your shoulders and down your arms from one to the other. This retains them so they can't blow away if you should have to remove them in order to use your gloved hands. The other method is securing them similiarly to your parka sleeves, but I hated the way they dangled in my work hands as I tried to work YMMV.

The thinner your layers the easier it will be to move when outside. I prefer top and bottoms in wool first layer, Polartec PowerDry, then another thin layer wool, then 200 weight fleece, then either synthetic or down insulated jump suit. You just peel the top down when you get inside, has a crap door in the back, ahem. Best merino wool socks you can buy from Cabela's, Campmor,etc Unless you're wearing Mickey Mouse boots get the Stegers, and wear 2 sets of wool socks in them, thinner inner sock, thicker outer.

A multitool that you use a lot now is all you'll need, no dragon slayer knives. Remember to spray all the tools in it really well with a product like Team McLube 'SailKote' high performance dry lubricant. It'll keep everything working like you're in the Lower 48 Grin! I used it on all my racing sailboats, and have had friends who used it on their boats down to Antartica with no issues.

Their are 'ice picks' sold that you can wear draped around your neck for self rescue when you are working near open water. the trade name eludes me.....but they have 'picks' that are only exposed when slammed down into the ice, so as not to damage your clothing while wearing them daily. I'll see if I can find mine in my abyss of a shed that i call my 'gear closet'....

Go find a pair of gloves in your house, now put on mittens over them, now pick up, ok, TRY to pick up and handle/operate your digital camera?!*&$%#^&*! Yeah, that's right, sucks don't it? You might be better off just bringing along a few better quality disposable cameras. For one you won't ruin your good/expensive camera; secondly, it'll fit in your inside chest pocket without more than a ziplock for a case, and weigh less than your digital I'm betting. No hassles with batteries, chargers, cases, more gear to worry about/get lost during travel,etc. Depending upon your weather you won't be taking many photos anyway of anything other than you and your buddies messing around. It's ALL white no matter what direction you point the camera in!

One last thing, PLEASE make and bring/sneak a BF 'Wilderness & Survival Skills' flag up there and take a photo of you planting it for us....Honestly, we have to somehow upstage that Busse Gang...and Lord knows most of us can't afford to do it by buying tons of that INFI!!Grin!