NORTH POLE OF THE WINDS 



morning start on the back trail. This seems to 

 be necessary, for there is as yet no sign of improve- 

 ment of the ice surface. Wliat we have found thus 

 far has been very discouraging and it is largely 

 due to the numerous earlier delays that we must 

 now start back without our aims accomplished. 

 We lost a week at Copenhagen, five days en route 

 to Holstensborg and another week en route to our 

 base. Then the labor necessary to erect the ob- 

 servatory on Mount Evans occupied much more 

 time than we had expected, and to cap the climax 

 Kallquist's accident still further delayed our start. 

 At the end of our advance we found a fairly 

 smooth valley bottom upon the ice which required 

 less axework than usual in order to get up the 

 tent. It now begins to look like a change in the 

 weather. Abstracts from my diary now follow: 



August 23 



We made a special effort today and went on 

 without our heavy packs and reached an altitude 

 according to our aneroids of 2430 feet at noon. 

 I think we have advanced today from 3 to 3^ 

 miles. We returned to camp and finding favor- 

 able conditions we sent off two pilot balloons which 

 were followed to altitudes of 3000 and 4000 meters 

 respectively, the southeast wind of the ice surface 



174 



