DAY 8 15/05/2015 TRYING TO FIND A ROUTE ON THE ICE OF DAWES.

Stikine was very special compared to other icecaps. Usually, the entrance and the exit points of icecaps are the most critical places to ski across. And the middle of the ice is basically the safest area.

However, things were quite different on Stikine. Challenges were all along the field. Altitude difference, narrow mountain passes and complex crevasses made this place different from traditional ice field. We were struggling now to find a route as we were in the middle of two glacier arms connecting together and forming the ice of Dawes which goes all the way to the Pacific. We decided to leave the sleds in the middle of the glacier and find a route first.

Back on solid ground on the side of the ice, we trekked uphill in order to have a global view. After some exchange with Borge, we decided to avoid the middle of the glacier and go on the sides where the ice met solid ground. It means that we are back carrying. Unfortunately on our first carrying attempt, we had to turn back. The passage is too steep and all these rocks hanging made us re-consider our plan.

We took the second option. Longer but maybe safer. At this stage of the expedition, we were not sure to be able to go all the way across the ice field. If we can not find a way to travel through the ice of Dawes, we would need to call the expedition off. But we strove to give our best and tried to move forward as much as we could. This was a one more key moment of the journey. Hard work brought rewards when, late in the evening, we set the camp above the many difficulties. Again, what a day !