Already 3 weeks have passed since starting their monumental expedition, the ice floes' harshness has already been felt on the team. Over the past few days, they have been put to the test.

First, an impassable ice wall, formed by the pack ice movements colliding with the mainland, blocked their way. Faced with this unpredictable obstacle, they had to deviate from their route to make a detour of several kilometres.

As if this challenge weren't enough, the wear and tear inflicted by this inhospitable environment got the better of Jacob's ski bindings. The emergency pair of skis was therefore put into service before experiencing a similar fate.

Over the past few weeks, the team had already experienced walking on the ice floe. It is now forced upon them. Despite this difficulty, they have managed to keep their pace.

The ice is currently of a very rough texture, comparable to asphalt, making the sleds' skates slide very inefficiently on the ice. Although they are considerably lighter than they were initially, the sleds are still very difficult to pull, which slows them down quite a bit.

With vast mounds of ice standing in their way, which they believe are caused by shoals, they cannot simply follow the compass's straight line.
Deviating from their course and navigating through the mounds adds a technical aspect to the days and makes them much longer.

It was finally Guillaume's left knee that made them take a half-day break on Wednesday. After resting in the middle of the ice field, and getting checked on by a doctor, Guillaume and the team could continue.

The group, once again, resumed walking with their sleds heading south.

Nicolas, Guillaume and Jacob continue on their way and are slowly approaching the first refuelling station. They keep a cool head, and all their preparation allows them to be confident for the next step.

Our friends are finishing crossing the "Norwegian Bay" and should be in three days at Devon Island, the largest uninhabited island in the world, which they will not go around but rather through. All to avoid walking on the ice. After that, they will have about 12 days of effort left to get to Resolute.

The guys were able to enjoy an enormous sun most days and a breathtaking sky. In this stage of the expedition, the sun doesn't set anymore. An intense glow remains in the middle of the night, illuminating the frozen Arctic desert where the men temporarily call home.

The cold remains piercing their bones, and the humidity impressive, which they had not foreseen, going some days until 80%!

The good old Arctic foxes are still with them, seemingly becoming their biggest fans.

They are now extremely efficient in their daily routine. Setting up and breaking down the camp, managing the equipment, "cooking" the copious dehydrated food, making decisions, choosing which tie to wear. It all takes them much less time than before.

The team is working to the bone, skiing up to 12 hours on some days.
They want to send out a special thank you all for everyone's kind words!

They have felt the community's support and are very happy to see that, even though they are tiny in the middle of the Far North, that they are not alone!

Make sure to follow along on our social media accounts, @Naakbars to stay up to date with any breaking news and photos from expedition AKOR. Be sure to read more about the team on our previous Blog Posts.

Visit expeditionakor.com to read more about the teams’ journey, or follow them on Instagram @expeditionakor.