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One of the big adventures we've been following this summer is the Arctic Row 2012, during which Paul Ridley, Collin West, Neal Mueller and Scott Mortensen were attempting to travel from Inuvik, Canada to Provideniya, Russia by rowboat. This was to be the first crossing, of sorts, of the Arctic Ocean by a rowing team, but bad weather conditions have conspired agains the crew, forcing them to call off the expedition altogether.

The journey was originally expected to cover some 2100km (1300 miles) and take approximately 30 days to complete. When they set out back in mid-July conditions were actually better than expected and  progress was good. But as the days rolled on things took a turn for the worse and unusually powerful storms began to develop in the Arctic. Those storms proved to be impossible to row in, which slowed progress to a crawl. On more than one occasion, the team had to take shelter in a lagoon, sometimes for days, in order to wait out the heavy seas and high winds that were blowing through their area.

The delays proved costly and a journey that was expected to take about a month began to drag on much further. Today was their 41st day at sea and with their supplies dwindling and more storms on the horizon, they decided to go ashore at Point Hope, Alaska.

In a lengthy blog post last night the team talked about the trials and tribulations of their voyage. It hasn't been an easy one to say the least and for four men who have been stuck inside the tiny cabin of a small ocean rowboat, I'm sure it felt good to come ashore yesterday.

I'm sure we'll hear more about their story in the days ahead, as for now they are likely eating and catching up on their rest. It was a valiant attempt on their part, but the Arctic Ocean proved a bit too strong for these men. At least for now.

The last time we checked in with the Arctic Row team they were waiting out a storm in a relatively calm inlet on the Arctic Ocean. At that point, the four member crew was preparing to get back underway, after having just passed their half-way point. Forward progress didn't last very long however, as another storm blew into the area a few days later and as a result the boys have not advanced nearly as far as they would have liked.

The Arctic Row actually began on back on July 17 with the plan of rowing from Inuvik, Canada to Provideniya, Russia, a distance of 2100km (1300 miles). They had originally estimated that it would take approximately 30 days to complete the journey, but as it stands right now they're hoping to reach Point Hope, Alaska sometime today. That's a good milestone for the crew, but it also means they have a lot more miles to row before they reach their destination.

To make matters worse, the boat's water-maker, a device used by ocean rowers to desalinate ocean water and make it drinkable, is causing them problems. Their latest update indicates that it is they do have a second water-maker, although it is a hand-pump model which can work as a back-up should the primary unit fail completely.

The big question now is is the boat stocked with enough food and supplies for the row to continue all the way to Russia. They've already shot past their 30 day window and are now on borrowed time. It would be one thing if they were just a few days away from the finish line, but they are potentially facing a couple of more weeks out on the water. If another major storm pops up, and the storms this season have been horrible, they could find themselves in a nasty situation. Worse yet, they will soon leave land behind completely and set out to open sea.

Stay tuned!

It has been a very long and tough week for the Arctic Row team. The four-man crew set out a few weeks back in an effort to cross the Arctic Ocean in a rowboat starting at Inuvik, Canada and ending in Providenya, Russia, a distance of about 1300 miles (2092km) that was expected to take 30 days to complete. Now 21 days into the voyage and they aren't even close to wrapping up the trip, thanks in now small part to a massive storm that has hit the arctic and halted progress for the past week.

Early on in the row the team was surprised to find not only good weather but clear water conditions as well. Few icebergs were spotted and winds were calm with warmer than expected temperatures. This allowed them to cover solid mileage as they continued to row non-stop, 24-hours per day in two hour shifts. That pattern allowed them to cross the half-way point of their journey on the first of August, which put them slightly behind schedule but still making good time.

That all changed when they started to hit heavy winds last Friday. Progress slowed to a crawl and levels of exhaustion quickly increased. Those winds eventually started to hit sustained speeds of 45 mph (72 kph), which not only made the seas choppy but also made it nearly impossible to keep moving forward. Then it started to rain. A cold, hard rain that wasn't very conducive for spending long hours behind the oars.

With conditions so poor, the boys decided to seek shelter in a protected lagoon not far from Barrow, Alaska. They managed to limp into the relatively calm waters and drop anchor, and unfortunately they were stuck there until today when they took to the oars once again just to move five miles towards Point Barrow in order to be in position to resume their journey once the storm lets up once and for all. For now though, they continue to wait for improvement.

This massive storm is very unusual for this time of year. Typically July and August are the calmest months of the year in the Arctic Ocean, which is why that is the period of time that these kinds of adventures take place there. A storm of this size and intensity doesn't tent to form in the warmer months, but then again judging from how bad the weather was in the Karakoram this season, I'm beginning to think that all bets are off in terms of long term forecasts.

Hopefully the weather will improve and the crew can continue forward again soon. I'm sure they're well supplied with food and gear, but they still have a long way to go until they're done. Keep your fingers crossed they get through this and get back underway shortly.

While I was away last week the details of a major expedition, slated to get underway next year, began to emerge. In July of 2013 a team of rowers will attempt to become the first to complete a crossing of the Northwest Passage in a single season, covering roughly 3000km (1864 miles) between Pond Inlet and Tuktoyaktuk, Canada in the process.

Scheduled to get underway July 1st of next year, The Last First expedition is expected to take approximately 75 days to complete. During that time, the crew will row non-stop through some of the most challenging and treacherous waters on the planet, facing unpredictable weather, massive ice flows and frigidly cold waters along the way.

As many of you know, this type of journey wasn't even possible until recently. Changing climatic conditions have caused much of the polar ice cap to melt, opening the Passage to travel for the first time. Even with those changes however the route is only navigable for a few months each year and is still a very difficult crossing. Climate change has had a dramatic effect on the region and the crew, which consists of adventurers Kevin Vallely, Paul Gleeson, Frank Wolf, and Denis Barnett,  will witness those changes first hand as they visit remote communities along the way.

Find out more about The Last First on the expedition's website and in the video below.

The Arctic Row 2012 expedition has now been underway for just over a week and the team continues to make slow, but steady progress – that is when the weather allows. After setting off last Tuesday, the four men aboard the small rowboat have had their ups and downs as they struggle to find their rhythm, but it seems they remain in good spirits and committed to achieving their goal of rowing across the Arctic Ocean.

As you no doubt recall, Paul Ridley, Collin West, Neal Mueller and Scott Mortensen are attempting to row from Inuvik, Canada to Provideniya, Russia, a distance of 2100km (1300 miles). They had planned for the entire journey to take approximately 30 days, as they are rowing 24-hours per day in two hour, two-man shifts. But already in the first week they've had to spend some time on anchor as rough seas and high winds have made progress impossible. Still, their home team reports that they are making the most out of the experience and have enjoyed the expedition thus far.

According to their latest blog update the boys are just now starting to encounter ice. They've come across absolutely massive icebergs that are easily spotted from a distance and they've only seen smaller ones that have broken off from the bigger ones so far. As they progress further along in the expedition they expect to encounter more ice in general, which could slow progress at times too, but for now things are good.

The team's SPOT device hasn't been providing accurate tracking of their progress, so it's difficult to tell how much ground they've covered. Reading through the reports, I'd guess that they aren't on their intended schedule however, so it is already starting to look like the could go past their 30 day window. Of course, they could make up time if the weather cooperates, but we'll just have to wait to see how things unfold.

Either way, they team is just getting started and there is still a lot of rowing to go.

I've mentioned the Arctic Row team on a couple of occasions in the past as the four man crew planned and prepared for their attempt to row across the Arctic Ocean. It seems their big day is finally here however and as I write this the boys are preparing to start their adventure.

For those who haven't been keeping up on this expedition it is an attempt by a Paul Ridley, Collin West, Neal Mueller and Scott Mortensen to row from Inuvik, Canada to Provideniya, Russia in approximately 30 days. During that time, the crew will be rowing non-stop, 24 hours per day, in two-hour, two-man shifts. They'll cover approximately 2100km (1300 miles) through the ice waters of the Arctic along the way.

You'll be able to follow the team's progress on their blog, Facebook page and Twitter feeds. At the moment there isn't a lot of activity on either of those sites, but that should change once they get underway. The announcement of their departure should come at any time.

I know that there has been some debate in certain circles about whether or not this is a true "ocean crossing" since the Arctic Row crew isn't exactly going directly through the heart of the ocean but are instead skirting about the edge. But put those strict definitions aside for a moment and you realize that this is a truly challenging undertaking. It should be interesting to see how they fare out on the open water, where they'll also be conducting research on the health of the Arctic Ocean's ecosystem.

Check out the great coverage the expedition received from Al Jazeera a few days back in the video below.

Good luck guys!

On July 15, the four-man crew of the Arctic Row 2012 Team will set off on their attempt to row non-stop across the Arctic ocean from Inuvik, Canada to Provideniya, Russia, a journey that has never been made before. It'll certainly be an epic challenge and as a way of inspiring us all, they created the video below, which serves as a good reminder that many times the only thing that is stopping us from achieving what we want ourselves. Perfect inspiration for the start of a weekend.



There's A Reason It Hasn't Been Done from Scott Mortensen on Vimeo.

Way back in November of last year I wrote about a team of rowers who were gearing up to challenge the Arctic Ocean this spring. At the time, they were still looking to add a fourth member to their crew and the expedition was still taking shape. Fast forward a eight months and now they are in the final stages of preparation before setting out in July.

The aptly titled Arctic Row 2012 will put paul Ridley, Collin West, Neal Mueller and Scott Mortensen out on the Arctic Ocean for as much as 30 days. The plan is for the team to set off from Inuvik, Canada and cross the ocean into Providenya, Russia. The route will cover approximately 1300 miles (2092 km) of water that will, at times, be chocked with ice.

In order to cover that distance within a four week time span, the team will be rowing non-stop, 24-hours a day. They'll take two hour shifts with two men rowing at all times while the other two rest. In order to maintain that pace, the crew will eat in excess of 5000 calories per day while onboard desalinators convert up to 400-pounds of salt water into drinking water on a daily basis as well.

The expedition isn't just about making the first crossing of the Arctic Ocean in a row boat, although that is a worthy goal in and of itself. While they're out on the water the team will be making observations about the health of the Arctic ecosystem and will be collecting samples of plankton throughout the region. Those tiny fish are a crucial food supply for the whales that migrate through the area and the health of the plankton population can offer insights into how the entire ecosystem is faring.

Good luck guys!

It has been over a month since I posted an update on the progress of Audun Tholfsen and Timo Palo, the two Norwegian explorers who were dropped off at the North Pole back in April and have been making their way south ever since. The boys have had their struggles over the past weeks, but they continue to make good progress and are slowly, but surely closing in on the finish line at last.

While on their journey, Audun and Timo have traveled by ski and kayak as they make their way towards Longyearbyen, on the island of Svalbard. The entire excursion will cover approximately 1400km (870 miles) once it it completed and will mark the longest and most challenging North Polar expedition of the year by far. As of yesterday the duo were at about 82º30' north latitude, which would put them squarely in the Arctic Ocean. But since the area is still mostly frozen, they continue to use a combinations of skiing and paddling to make progress.

The two explorers have been making periodic updates to their blog in which they share the experiences of their travels. Those experiences have included nasty storms that have lasted for several days, dealing with broken equipment, polar bears, difficult terrain and more. All of those things have made the journey a challenging one, but they are still on track to finish sometime late this month, provided they don't encounter more unexpected challenges.

Its great to see that one of the North Pole expeditions is doing well and continuing forward. It's beginning to look like more expeditions will be starting at 90ºN in the future instead of ending there.