Reggie says that the canoeists are taking the identical route as Amundsen.
Amundsen’s route in white
Canoeists route in red. They are travelling about one-fourth as far as Amundsen, and doing less than half of the Northwest Passage. Most of the passage is being done by motorized transport, and they are using fossil fuel powered blowtorches to melt the ice and probably an icebreaker to get through the MYI.
Reggie needs some of that medication our lip licking, Mao loving Anita Dunn was taking:)
If these guys were able to do that with early 20th century technology, the Arctic melt can’t be that horrific.
OMG Reggie was right! All the ice is gone!!!
😀
Just to be clear, when Reggie mentioned a blowtorch, I think he was referring to the high summer temperatures and insolation, not a real blowtorch carried on board the ship. And the only person to mention an icebreaker is you, Steve.
I agree that the weather is not going to make this an easy trip. I’d say that the biggest thing they have going for them is the small draft of their boat, and the fact that it is a small boat. They’ll be able to get through some pretty small leads in the ice. After all 90% coverage is 10% free! Amundsen also benefitted from a shallow draft on his ship.
We should also remember that the various channels between the islands of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago all melted out almost completely last year. So while there might be a float or two of MYI around, it is FYI that they will be seeing the most of.
ftp://sidads.colorado.edu/DATASETS/NOAA/G02135/Sep/N_201209_conc.png
They should have done it last year, solving two problems. First, they might have made it and, we’d have laughed over their deaths for a full 12 months already.
David …. the ice has moved since Sept 2012.
Ice does move, but I think this ice in the channels between the islands mainly grows and melts in place.
I think this may be the most important of the ice website http://www7320.nrlssc.navy.mil/hycomARC/navo/arcticictnowcast.gif
Given the melt for the next two months they may make it without too much trouble but from my time up north the nights start to get noticeably cooler come early August and by ~ August 20th it was time to think about getting out! At least they benefit from satellite info to find open water is there is any.