The North Pole, Part 1 (The Setting)

From Volume 13 of The Armand Diaries, the following sets the scene for Armand's North Pole adventure at age 69. I was able to find a bit of information on all but one of his tour mates, quite a group of people set out on Friday, April 13, 1984, in search of the North Pole.

Hotel Leduc, Edmonton, Alberta, Room 304, $48.00 Canadian (less 20%). Nice room. Next a.m., 7:30, left for Resolute Bay, arriving early aft. in cold snow and ice. Then off by First Air's Bradley charter division Twin Otter for beautiful flight to Grise Fiord at south end of Ellesmere Island.

Dipped low over Devon Island to see ice floe and two polar bears running hard. Rough and scenery spinning past my eye. Sicker than usual. Puked my guts out. I skipped dinner at Grise Fiord hotel, but it looked scrumptious.

Beside Skip Voorhees of Special Odysseys Tours (Medina, Washington), our very able tour leader, there's big lawyer of 75 or so from Atlanta, who knows Allan Little (from 1982 Tibet trip) and who's been to South Pole (he makes about number 12 who's done both, we were told after we did make it); named Hamilton Lokey; Ladislaw and Peggy (she's Australian) Reday (Hungarian noble - told me Satori - like others in "y" are all noble - so grandma was doubtless a countess, and father and I counts!), 60-ish; Steve Tabb, retired engineer, aged 37, from Signal Mountain, Tennessee and me. Only 6 in all.

Before I went to sleep, with my roommate for the trip, Lokey, ate some of my Hershey chocolate, 4 squares. No ill effects.


Stay tuned for next week's installment. It gets cold!
Image: The North Pole