Golomyanniy island Russian Polar Base, Arctic ice melting. MLAE-2011

Russian Arctic Expedition MLAE-2011. Russian Arctic Ocean ice Expedition.

Cloudless sunrise after frigidly cold night. Atmospheric pressure has gone down. Wind is out of the south. Light snowfall. It is splendidly nasty. I am sitting on Golomyanniy island Polar station. Behind are seemingly endless 24 hours of driving over shore ice belt of the island Oktyabrskoy Revolyucii.

Further on, closer to Sredniy island, border guards make us promise to join them tomorrow in banya. And at last, the long awaited “polyarka” Polar Base with sourdoughs – Lutchnko and Omelchenko. Anatoliy is a young father of Svetlana’s two year ols boy. He is leaving for the continent in a few days.

Igor Mihaylovich, on the contrary, has just recently entered the duty and along with two young meteorologists will remain here until spring. It partakes of homecoming. Laughing, they hand us our own forgotten here last time, towels and our two boxes full of metal scrap parts and engine oil are sitting there untouched from last visit. We will stay here for three days to do some maintenance work on vehicles and gear and to rest a bit and will head out once again. Although we are not yet certain if we will move north or south from here. Today’s task is to get in touch with all the competent sources and to get as accurate description of ice situation an movements for today.

Russians in the Arctic. Russian MLAE-2011 Expedition on
Golomyanniy island
Meteo Station
Arctic Research and Development.

We are presently on Golomyanniy.

Water is on three sides of the island. Anatoliy Omel’chenko who is here since the year 1991 and and he says that it is the very first time he sees it at this time of the year. We give ourselves two – three days to make the decision. Fortunately neither vehicles nor the gear require any serious repairs. Both Va’nkov and Zaitcev keep their restless hands busy implementing the improvements modifications thought up during the many long hours spent breaking the ice on the way. We will make the decision and we will immediately make it known to all of  you, our continental friends.

Vasily Elagin

Translated from Russian by Ilya Kovalev

Yemelya-4 vehicles in Kara Sea, Arctic Ocean after night blizzard, MLAE-2011, Russian Arctic Expedition



Yemelya-4 vehicles in the Arctic after Blizzard. Russian Arctic Expedition MLAE-2011 driving from Russia to Canada over the North Pole. Arctic research and development Canada. Russia.



Russian Expedition MLAE-2011 Driving from Russia to Canada through the Arctic Ocean and the North Pole in amphibious "Yemelya" Vehicles built by Vasily Elagin. Kara Sea Arctic Ocean

MLAE-2011 Russian Arctic Exploration. Arctic expedition driving from Russia to Canada over the North Pole in amphibious Yemelya-4 vehicles. Kara Sea, Arctic Ocean

APRIL 12, MLAE-2011 Arctic Expedition

APRIL  12 2011

Yemelya vehicle's spacious interior MLAE-2011

Just 50 years passed since man first flew into space. The world back there, on the continent, has achieved amazing technological breakthroughs, and here, in our Kara Sea all remains unchanged, untouched pristine and primal as it has been for hundreds of thousands of years – the ice ridges, useful seawater, snow, wind and - though scarce this year – sun. The return back to our route has - because of unfavorable weather and terrain conditions - become a journey of itself, and tough one at that. Odometer reading of our navigator instrument is at 2715 km. The vehicles are standing up to our expectations and even exceeding them –capability of crossing tough ridged terrain is nothing short of incredible. The hull-bodies are completely watertight and amazingly spacious and comfortable for the crew day and night. Even a tall person sleeps comfortably on beds positioned across the vehicle body width for the night, shelves, drawers and all is about as well laid as in a recreational family mobile home.

Yemelya-4 vehicle easily accommodates seven man crew. MLAE-2011

Our nomadic lifestyle is tuned up at this point and we have gotten used to it. Our journey to the North continues slowly but steadily. We proceed in the following order: five men in the lead vehicle – driver, cameraman recording all the dramatic as well as not so dramatic moments for future generations to see, the sleeping body of the watchman, and two fellows who jump out of the vehicle just before every stop in front of an obstacle, grab their two ice picks off the special holders on “Yemelya’s” front bumper and let them loose on the icy obstacle.

Two men are in the following vehicle, the driver and the condolent fellow-traveler whose job is to admire the driver’s skill and to condole him through the moments of hardship. They also, root for the lead vehicle team and timt to time even ask in voices full of hope for the negative response – “Do you need help up there?” Thankfully our wise commanding authority rotates the staff of both crews daily so as to assure a well-balanced personality development of all expedition members. And thus we proceed. All the best and well-balanced to you.

Vasily Elagin

Translated from Russian by Ilya Kovalev 

MLAE-2011 Kara Sea, Pancake Ice. Vasily Elagin

APRIL 6 2011

Yemelya-4 crossing open water in Kara Sea, Arctic Ocean. MLAE-2011

Yemelya-3 sliding off into polynya, Kara Sea, Arctic Ocean. MLAE2011

The expedition has covered 2558 km since leaving Urengoy. We are currently at the latitude of Voronin island and seven kilometers to the east from it. In front of us is polynya. It separates us from the long-awaited shore ice belt which we believe continues all the way to Sredniy island. Last three days were spent battling the ridges and polynyas. We had never before in all of our preceding expeditions to the Arctic encountered such density of obstacles per kilometer. Kara Sea fast tracked our new recruits’ apprenticeship course. Each day requires the use of the entire arsenal of our ice ridge negotiation instruments.

Ladder driving course.
In the Kara Sea we encountered a thoroughly new to us type of obstacle: fields of pancake ice with round “pancakes” from 5 to 20 meters in diameter, with icy snow fringes, some over a meter tall. Between them – cracks up to a meter deep. Driving over these, “pancakes” is and experience you wouldn’t wish to your worst of enemies, not to mention our beloved “Red” and “Green” buggies. They drive over this horrible terrain in first and second gear while managing to pull three trailers after them, which puts great strains on their transmissions. But thus far the machines are handling it well. We all miss our friends and relatives and send greetings to everyone back home.

Vasily Elagin.

Translated from Russian by Ilya Kovalev

Russian Atomic Icebreaker ship Taimyr. Yenisey River, town of Karaul, Russian Arctic Explorers MLAE-2011

 

We have covered 1230 km. 120 km left to go until we reach Dickson. The vehicles, trailer and the crew seem to be tugging along smoothly. The breaking in period is over. Expeditions is picking up the pace. On our way down to Yenisey Bay we stop in the old village of Karaul.

Russian Atomic Icebreaker vessel Taimyr on Yenisey River
Vasily Elagin

We meet good people here. Nenets Svetlana and Rostik Vaenga sold us freshly frozen whole deer (a 30kg female). Michael Aliev and his relative Zulfin – both from Azerbaijan presented us with 2 bags of whitefish and three sturgeon heads for fish soup.
Russian diesel operator Dima sold us a barrel of freshly caught sparling (on the shores of Yenisey River they call it “zubatka”)

MLAE-2011, Vasily Elagin and Nuclear Powered Icebreaker Ship "Taimyr"

We exchanged three long siren blasts with a captain of a large atomic icebreaker ship “Tymir” that passed 200 meters away from us in “the opposite lane”. Upon noticing us the captain halted the machines, stopped the vessel and then commanded full steam ahead and the huge machine’s black and frost covered hull side passed above us, crushing the ice underneath it. Huge ice floes behind the vessel were being carried along the canal. The might and power of this atomic reactor powered lunker next to the fragile “Yemelyas” is well captured in the photos and video.

Coordinates: N70° 28.396', E083° 22.409.

Our current position at 08:00 MSK time is:  N70° 28.396', E083° 22.409.


Translation from Russian by Ilya Kovalev