Diary of Barneo
Barneo — a complex high-latitude Arctic expedition, annually organized by the Expedition Center of the Russian Geographical Society.
In the spring of 2010, my father asked me if I’m going to join him on the trip to the North Pole. I took my winter jacket, warm pants, Muji pen and a notebook to keep a diary
10.04.10
A few hours after departure from Svalbard, the Antonov-72 plane has landed on the ice airstrip. Right after, we have been housed in a staff tent for eight people.It is still a mystery for me why did I write 2009︎
White desert has been surrounding us.
11.04.10
N 89°14’ E 131°00’
Early in the morning the ice has cracked, dividing the base into the two parts. Because of that, we had to move our camp to a new place and it took a whole day. Everything went great (no loss of equipment, no incidents whatsoever).
12.04.10
N 89°15’ E 129°00’
I cut out the word “Barneo” from the snow. It became a local landmark immediately.The tents are heated with diesel air stoves. They sometimes decay, leaving us freezing inside.
13.04.10
N 89°17’ E 124°56’
Under your feet are three meters of ice and four kilometers of water.
One should never take anything too seriously.
Ice Crash Alarm System (ICAS) v1.0
The author's own invention. Never checked in practice.
The author's own invention. Never checked in practice.
In the Arctic all you want is something sweet. And some alcohol, of course.
The new base is even better than before.
If you are a typical polar explorer, you must have a warm park and a beard. And lots of patches.
The best thing that can happen to you at the North Pole is a bath. Basically, you just melt some snow and get boiling water.
14.04.10
N 89°19’ E 106°47’
I’ve been having flashbacks to my Geography lessons all day. As a result, I’ve finally understood the construction of coordinates. Totally forgot it now.
When you're in a sleeping bag, you look like a caterpillar.
15.04.10
N 89°19’ E 96°25’
For many, the main reason to come is to spend half an hour on the geographic pole of the Earth.N 90°00′00″
16.04.10
N 89°16’ E 89°16
’
The structure of our and main camp tents.
17.04.10
N 89°17’ E 89°13 ’
A week later, you’re less surprised and interested than you were on a first day.
After returning to Moscow, taking a hot shower and sitting down for dinner, it’s still hard to believe that you were at the top of the planet this morning.
Ten years later, Wepresent told about this story.