#10: cold comfort

A team of 10 makes overnight bear watch a breeze, an hour each is pretty easy to manage. Besides, the clouds cleared, the stars and a half moon appeared, and so too a brief aurora. Staying outside was no chore. We spilled from Vendom into Sassen and skied down the valley in lockstep, surrounded by mountains drenched in alpenglow. A head wind and plummeting temperature kept us in check and rest breaks were short, cramming in as much fluid and calories as possible. Mardi led us up a steep climb to a windless lunch break, our most scenic and pleasant for the trip, and the remainder of the afternoon we skied up Eskerdalen, passed by the occasion snowmobile group. We are heading back to Longyearbyen. I’m tenting with Teresa, who gives a shout out to her boys, Archie and Freddie, and her big boy, Alex!