At another point the convoy stopped to check a flat tyre, and when it started moving again the rolligon we were behind failed to get going. After five minutes we pulled up to see what was holding it up. Of course the driver of the stationary rolligon had just passed out from sheer exhaustion right at his wheel. We just knocked on his window, he grunted and we were off again!
Our own driver said he’d worked 127 hours in the last week (and there are only 160 hours in total in a week). Another of our drivers told us that when he got really tired he thought he kept seeing mice running across the trail (which don’t exist in Alaska) before seeing faces in the snow and finally he came off the track by 50ft before he woke up.
Despite the constant rolling motion, I managed to get a fairly good kip in, bundled up in all my arctic gear lolling around in the front cab of the rolligon. I think we got lucky - some of the crew who were headed out with us, had to ride in the cabs of the vehicles loaded on the back of the rolligons, which was apparently even more sick inducing. They kept all these vehicles running for the entire journey though (as they do with all the vehicles 24hours a day here at this camp) not to keep the occupants warm, but so that the vehicle doesn’t freeze up permanently.
Driving the juggernaut-like buggies loaded with tonnes of cargo over frozen rivers and lakes made for more anxious moments, despite the driver’s assurances that the ice was over 6 feet thick. You could see the cracks in the ice, for fuck’s sake.
But for all the neck ache, sleep deprivation and general discomfort, the journey was an incredible experience. Just one minute watching this convoy of 5 massive space buggies snake its way across this bleak featureless desert of ice and you know its been more than worth it – and you’d do the whole thing again in a flash – and as for the footage……….
At one point we got the giant juggernauts to thunder past us at close range, churning up ice fog which floated in a haze across the permanently setting sun. Before long they were like tiny dots in the vastness of the frozen moonscape, which stretched from horizon to horizon and beyond.
After 16 hours of bouncing along at 6 miles an hour, we finally spotted two bright lights on the horizon – we were within an hour of our final destination. After filming the unloading and stuffing our faces with hot food in the galley (after a full day on half a sandwich and a few nuts), we hit the sack exhausted.
Our own driver said he’d worked 127 hours in the last week (and there are only 160 hours in total in a week). Another of our drivers told us that when he got really tired he thought he kept seeing mice running across the trail (which don’t exist in Alaska) before seeing faces in the snow and finally he came off the track by 50ft before he woke up.
Despite the constant rolling motion, I managed to get a fairly good kip in, bundled up in all my arctic gear lolling around in the front cab of the rolligon. I think we got lucky - some of the crew who were headed out with us, had to ride in the cabs of the vehicles loaded on the back of the rolligons, which was apparently even more sick inducing. They kept all these vehicles running for the entire journey though (as they do with all the vehicles 24hours a day here at this camp) not to keep the occupants warm, but so that the vehicle doesn’t freeze up permanently.
Driving the juggernaut-like buggies loaded with tonnes of cargo over frozen rivers and lakes made for more anxious moments, despite the driver’s assurances that the ice was over 6 feet thick. You could see the cracks in the ice, for fuck’s sake.
But for all the neck ache, sleep deprivation and general discomfort, the journey was an incredible experience. Just one minute watching this convoy of 5 massive space buggies snake its way across this bleak featureless desert of ice and you know its been more than worth it – and you’d do the whole thing again in a flash – and as for the footage……….
At one point we got the giant juggernauts to thunder past us at close range, churning up ice fog which floated in a haze across the permanently setting sun. Before long they were like tiny dots in the vastness of the frozen moonscape, which stretched from horizon to horizon and beyond.
After 16 hours of bouncing along at 6 miles an hour, we finally spotted two bright lights on the horizon – we were within an hour of our final destination. After filming the unloading and stuffing our faces with hot food in the galley (after a full day on half a sandwich and a few nuts), we hit the sack exhausted.
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