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Arctic Explorers undeterred by ash cloud
22/04/2010
Scouts involved in an expedition to the arctic tundra have shrugged off the travel chaos caused by the Icelandic ash cloud, and begun their life changing journey by road.
Three Scout members of the British Schools Exploring Society (BSES) expedition have spoken of their battle through the closure of European airspace to get their adventure underway. Despite being in the middle of a 48-hour coach trip, the party of 32 – which includes four Scout leaders – are in good spirits.
Callum Wallace (19) summed up the onboard mood: ‘We’ve been on this coach for nearly 40 hours now. Everyone’s a bit hyper.’
The group’s passage to its destination was made impossible by the volcanic ash. They instead took a ferry to Calais and began their mammoth trek to Svalbard which they hope to reach later in the week.
Activities and research
The explorers will spend nearly two months living in wilderness tents in temperatures that will average -25°C. ‘It’s a great way to meet people, see the world and stretch yourself,’ says Callum. ‘We’ll be doing activities such as mountaineering and cross-country skiing and team building during the first month. Then we’ll begin the scientific research, which is a massive part of the expedition.’
The group will measure the impact of climate change on the glaciers, and also study wildlife migration patterns.
Unexpected adventure
Former Beaver and Cub Scout, Ed Hodgson (19) rediscovered Scouting when serving as a Young Leader as part of his DofE Bronze Award. He remained with the Group in Colmsworth, Bedfordshire, and helps with the Cub Scout Pack. ‘The Cubs are impressed with what I’m doing, and I can’t wait to tell them all about it. I think the leaders in the Group are pretty envious, as they love the outdoors as well.’
Ed is using the extended journey as a chance to get to know his fellow explorers. ‘It’s been a baptism of fire, but what could have been hellish has actually been a good way to start as we’ve had to pull together.’
‘A bit like Scout camp’
Will Pearson (20) has found that the expedition has resembled the camps enjoyed in his Scout days with the 2nd Amersham Common Scouts in Buckinghamshire. ‘We’ll be put into small groups called “Fires”, which are not too different to Scout Patrols. We’ll learn each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and need to work together and trust each other to survive the conditions and complete our exploration.’
Chief Scout Bear Grylls, who is also a patron of BSES, said ‘This expedition gives those young people with a dream the chance to explore one of the world's most remote regions. With that exploration, I have found, so often comes a sense of pride and achievement - and that is the real magic of BSES. It builds the champions and explorers of the future.’
You can follow the progress of the expedition on the Extreme Arctic Blog and find out about further expeditions on the BSES website
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