It’s been a long journey so far, considering that the adventure hasn’t started yet. We flew all the way to Barrow, passing through Reykjavik first and Anchorage then, over the spectacular ice streams of western Greenland and the desolate landscapes of the Canadian Archipelago.

The last two days at “the top of world” have been thrilling and full of anticipation. Oden is a prominent feature on the horizon and is visible from every corner of this lonely town of whalers. We just had the time to take one last, long walkabout on dry land and quickly greet our colleagues from Leg 1, that we are climbing a ladder up onto Oden.
Our bags are now unpacked and everything, or almost everything, is set and geared up. Departure is estimated in a few hours. Next station will be at the sea-ice edge, approximately 300 nautical miles from here.
We are halfway from home.  From now on, we sail to the west.