Apologies for the delay in the last blog. Busy getting back, cleaning, sorting and packing gear.

We woke to a beautiful sunny day for our last morning. Eric texted early saying our transport wouldn't be the big bus. Instead it would be him in a van, this allowed us a flexible arrival.

The team was a pretty well oiled machine by this stage and the morning routine time was reduced significantly. This was also helped by not needing to melt as much snow for a full compliment of water for the day as well.

We packed up early and set off. Cresting a small rise our destination was in view only a few kilometres away. We weren't done yet though. Rob, in the lead, spotted something barely sticking out of the snow to his right. He started digging away snow to reveal a set of reindeer antlers. Quite large and buried in the ice and mud these weren't going to be an easy prize. We were making really good time so we pulled out the ice axe and began a mini excavation. About 10-15 minutes later the antlers were free.

Not long after our little stop a couple of young reindeer walked by us. Stopping to check us out for a minute or two. A nice touch of wildlife before we arrived once more at Camp Barentz around 11:00 and loaded up the van for the drive back into town.

The rest of the morning and early afternoon was spent unpacking sleds, sorting gear, putting tents etc up to dry and handing back equipment.

Soon after we were in our hotel rooms for a well deserved shower before a team dinner. Pretty sure everyone had a nap in their room as staying awake in the over heated hotels is nearly impossible after being out in the cold for that long.

Jen rejoined the team for dinner and it was great to see her feeling a lot better with a big smile on her face. With Eric at the table as well we had some great conversation and laughs over a proper meal and a few beers and wines.

I'm pretty confident everyone enjoyed the trip and it won't be their last foray into such an impressive environment. It was an absolute pleasure to be out on the ice with a group that were so keen to learn, help each other and have lots of laughs and great stories along the way

I hope friends and families enjoyed the little snippets of the adventure and I'm sure you'll hear more when your loved ones return home.

H

Photos
Packed up and ready to go.
Two reindeer checking us out.
Back at Camp Barentz
Silly buggers the day before.