Today the Arctic Fox team woke to the good news that they were scheduled to fly to the ice. By mid day they gathered their kits and made their way to the airport where the airplane departed around 4 PM. Two hours into their flight they learned that the runway had developed a crack in the ice, and the plane turned around and returned to Longyearbyen. The team is now back in town, comfortable at their hotel, and hoping to hear that the runway problem will soon be fixed. The team, though disappointed, is taking the delay in stride. Everyone on the team realizes that travel in the polar regions is unlike travel elsewhere in the world.
Preparing the sleds for the flight
At the Longyearbyen Airport, the plane waits for the "all clear."
Their sleds are still on board the airplane, ready to go as soon as they hear that they have the "all clear" to depart. They know that they will not be flying tomorrow, but they hope that it will be soon after. If they have to be delayed somewhere in the Arctic it would be hard to find a nicer place than Longyearbyen. It's a beautiful town surrounded by mountains and the island has one of the highest concentrations of polar bear in the world.
A view of Longyearbyen from the fjord
Though Longyearbyen is and Arctic paradise we are keeping our fingers crossed that the team will not stay there very long! Check tomorrow for another update from the team.
