Journeying

Isbjørn continue their journey and stop where Eskerdalen meets Sassendalen, the slope down is ‘enough’ for their current skiing ability. Polarrev head up Juvdalen and camp on moraines below Duboistoppen. Rype dig out the Base Camp tents, fill in the holes in the snow and move to Base Camp 2 and set up the tents once more. Base Camp 2 is situated at the northern end of Sassendalen, a 4 km wide valley that will feature very much in all their journeys from Base Camp 2.
We are 2km from Sassenfjorden and between the 50 and 100m contour, so hopefully far enough away from the fjord not to interest any polar bears. The view is amazing. The sea ice fills the fjord and it is impossible to tell where the land finishes. We can look across Sassendalen to the sea cliffs of Fordnibba and across the fjord to Templet a majestic mountain whose side is a series of buttresses. We also benefit from 24hrs of sun on the camp. Although during the ‘night’ the sun is lower and is not as warm, the solar gain and difference in temperature being in the sunshine makes is marked, as Isbjørn, who had a sunless camp at Foxdalen, will be able to tell you! There is disappointingly little snow and when digging the tents in and the urinal we reach the tundra. There are areas of bare ground around our Base Camp but the temperatures are still low minus 20, clear, light breeze.