The wolverine fur ruff on the hood protects team members' faces from the fierce Arctic wind. The villagers will be the last outsiders the Polar Trek team sees before beginning their journey to the North Pole.
Tonight is our last night sleeping inside.
This morning, the WomenQuest team arrived on an overnight flight from Moscow at the small Siberian town of Khatanga. All I can see is a smattering of houses, some smokestacks and, most importantly to North Pole trekkers, an airstrip. Khatanga serves as the base for those heading to the Russian ice station Borneo, and from there across the Arctic ice and snow to the North Pole. We were ready to unpack, nap and settle in. Tomorrow we go to Borneo.