Young in the High North

Harald Dag and Jan-Gunnar blogging in the tent in the evening. Photo: Norwegian Polar Institute

Seven hour-long shifts took us nearly thirty kilometres. But Amundsen, that slick character, picked up his pace today. After leaving the depot at 82 degrees south he decided that from then on he wanted cover 37 km per day, because by doing so they would need only three days per degree of latitude. Admittedly, they rested on day four, but nonetheless he was travelling at good speed.

Last night Jan-Gunnar had telephone conversations with two primary schools in Tromsø. The children have been studying Nansen and Amundsen all year and yesterday was a special theme day for all the students, their teachers, parents, and families. It’s fantastic to see how deeply the schools in Tromsø have become involved in the Nansen-Amundsen Jubilee Year! The children had prepared questions and had obviously made themselves well acquainted with the issues. When children and young people learn about Norway’s polar history – a source of national pride – and simultaneously lend their enthusiasm to discussions about current topics of relevance for the High North – such as climate change – they are an inspiration to us. Tomorrow’s polar heroes are today’s children whose ideas and knowledge will permeate future developments in the High North. Their fingerprints will help shape our planet’s future.