Alone

At 8:45 I received the first phone call from the team since they started the expedition. According to them yesterday's temperature was below -50°C, and this morning it was -35°C. So they says they don't feel much trouble with the coldness. Actually they slept in triple sleeping bags at night, so they didn't feel the coldness at all. I told them day and night I am praying for their safety.

From today on, I am alone. At the hotel I moved from a twin room where I stayed with Mr. Ohba to a single room on the first floor located just next to the entrance of the cafeteria. The humidity is low, so it is very important to drink enough water. My room now is close to the cafeteria. It is very convenient for hydration

Children who regularly visit the hotel often come to my room saying "Hi Joe." My name is "Joichi" and people call me "Joe" in Japan too. I like my name because "Joe" is common abroad also. I am glad that people here calls me "Hi Joe" in a friendly manner whenever I meet them in the town or CO-OP. However when children call my name, sometimes I wonder which child is calling me! That's because many of them are wearing a facemask, so I can't tell by just looking at them.

Neighborhood brothers who were playing in the snow. They live next door to the hotel

I wonder how far the team progressed today. Seeing a sunset, I just wish them a happy journey ahead. Even if they have been getting along with one another before the expedition started, it must be far more difficult than one might imagine. People of different nationalities travel together and sleeping in one tent.

A sunset at 74 degrees North

When we arrived here the sun did not rise high and moved like rolling along the horizon.