[ News & Updates ] Pre-Expedition Training in Alaska Wave reports back from the U.S.A.'s most northern town Recently I visited Barrow, Alaska. This small, remote village of about 4,500 people is located between the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas, and is the most northern town in the U.S.A. Most expeditions headed for the North Pole train at either Iqaluit, Canada, or upper Norway. I tend to take the path less trodden, and chose Barrow, Alaska because it is higher on the globe and right on the Arctic Ocean (which is important for training).   Wave will drag this sledge, or pulk, loaded with 340 lbs. of food and equipment for up to 70 days. Extreme Cold Daily I tested equipment, foods, clothing, all the while training for my upcoming solo expedition to the North Pole. Temperatures averaged around -24F, with some mornings as low as -37F. With windchill, it was common to be -55F or lower. Average temperatures around -24F   In these low temperatures every move and action has to be considered. For instance, I didn't know the body of my digital camera was made of metal until I put it up to my face to take a picture and realized it was stuck to my eyebrow, like a tongue on a metal pole in winter. Though it was cold, I feel more confident and prepared to embark on my trek to reach the pole solo and unsupported. I didn't see any polar bears (which everyone in town warned me about), but did encounter an Arctic fox, and some caribou.

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