After leaving Moscow, we traveled to a military base an hour away. Once there we flew 5 hours by cargo plane to our base town of Khatanga. All of our flights were by military cargo planes. This made for some interesting seating arrangements. Many times we were forced to sit on luggage, produce, and gear strapped to the floor. Most times there were people almost lying on top of each other to get comfortable. Heat was also optional on most flights. We were forced to use our survival clothing gear to stay warm. First class this was not. After arrival in Khatanga, a small fishing town and ex bomber base in northern Siberia we were told that there was good weather on the pole and we were to fly out that day to our North Pole base camp.

The flight to the base camp had some minor mechanical problems. We were forced to land on a small military base situated on an island near the Arctic Circle. The whole island was surrounded by ice making it part of the Arctic Circle. We found that this was probably the coldest place we were to see on the whole trip. Temperatures were around –30 Fahrenheit with a slight wind. After an hour of waiting outside the plane for it to be fixed we were able to walk to a small village a mile away. Beside the cold that we had to tolerate on the walk to the village, we were told not to go outside due to Polar Bears in the area. Thankfully they told this after we were safe and warm inside. After some good hospitality from our new Russians friends, we were given a lift back to the cargo plane for the last leg of our journey to the Pole. Before arrival at the base camp we were told to quickly climb to the front of the plane on order to redistribute the weight upon landing. It should be said that our Russian military pilots were very skilled in flying under less then ideal situations. We landed on the only runway on the North Pole. It is made up of shear ice for 1400 feet.

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After landing we gathered our gear and set up our tents. Our tents were actually double walled tents with room for around 12 people. The tents were heated by kerosene and propane heaters. While the heaters produced plenty of heat, they could not keep the tents a uniform temperature. The floor of the tent (where you slept and ate) was near freezing, while the top of the tent was around 80 degrees Fahrenheit. You were either hot or cold. This became our living quarters for the next 3 days as we waited for the right conditions to fly.

There’s not a lot to do on the North Pole. We generally either ate or slept. The only thing to do outside was take a walk or use the restrooms. For those who don’t like the cold, this is not you vacation spot. The bathrooms consisted of 4 walls of ice and a hole. It was said that reading materials were not needed. You tended to be very quick going to the bathroom. We were actually very lucky, as the average temperature of our stay was only – 8 F. Winds were generally calm. Previous year’s temperatures hovered in the negative thirties with winds over 20 knots. Most people brought plenty of food with them. So food was plentiful and of course there was plenty of water to go around. In order to get water, blocks of ice were cut from the ground and thrown into a bucket that sat on the heaters, and within minutes you had hot water for cooking. The most interesting thing about the North Pole, is the 24 hours of Sun. The Russians call this the midnight Sun. It wasn’t long before you lost track of what day it was or even if was day or night. You slept and ate when you wanted to, so needing to know the time became useless.

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Many logistical fixes were needed to accommodate the different groups who needed to be on the pole. We had a French ski team. Skydivers consisting of Malaysian, Portuguese, Russian, and French. A Russian and Malaysian car that was to be parachuted onto the Pole. Balloonist from America, Austria and Turkey. All this, along with numerous support personnel and journalists. At times it seemed like we were at the United Nations.

Finally on the third day we were told it was time to fly. We took our equipment onto the helicopters and flew to a few kilometers near the North Pole. Everything was pretty normal for inflation. Our pressure in our tanks was a low 50-PSI. We needed to use pressurized air to get enough pressure for the burners to work correctly. This was the first time we use pressurized air, but it worked fine. Our inflation fan wasn’t to keen on the cold, but after some coaxing, it worked fine. Our inflation was flawless and soon we were over the beautiful North Pole. It looked like a white moonscape. Ice ridges, snow and patches of water as far as the eye can see. The ground and sky were melting as one. Definitely one of the most beautiful sights in the world.

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After our historic flight, we boarded the helicopters and traveled back to the Polar base camp. After a few hours of rest we boarded the plane for the ride back to Khatanga. After minutes of arrival in Khantanga it was time to hit the showers. There’s nothing like a hot shower after spending 4 days in the same clothes.

We were fortunate enough to fly in Khatanga. We set up the balloon in the local schoolyard. This is the first time that the town has seen a Hot Air Balloon. The flight lasted 1 hour. Landing was on the Khatanga river, which of course was frozen over. After a quick lunch we boarded the plane for Moscow

While we had many minor problems, most were expected due to the language barrier and the cold temperatures. But with the help of our fellow balloonist and Russians friends we were able to overcome many of the obstacles. For those who have been keeping track of our adventure via the Internet, we were unable to get the necessary connections except in Moscow and even that proved to be difficult. In the coming weeks we will provide some highlights and pictures. But for now, we are safe and sound in Moscow.