I wanted to get up this morning, I really did, but my Therm-a-Rest sleeping bag was so warm and cozy, I didn't want to unzip it. Since the start of our trip, I've had incredible nights sleep. It's the only time on a North Pole expedition where you can relax.

Still, there is no making miles in the tent and it takes us nearly two and a half hours from the time we open our eyes until we start skiing. It takes a lot of work to simply melt snow each day.

The weather was clear and cold once again today. Actually, surprisingly cold for this time of year. If it weren't for the sun being up 24 hours a day, it would be a complete and total sufferfest. But the sun makes it a few degrees warmer in the tent which makes a huge difference in our comfort.

Dealing with frost and moisture is a constant battle here and by the end of the day our nose beaks, buffs and fur riffs are covered in a thick layer of ice.

Clothing-wise I was surprised to be skiing in five layers of Helly Hansen base layer and light fleece. I'm not going to lie, it was cold.

The upside to all this super chilled air and clear skies is that there is very little movement in the ice. We skied over several large leads that were nearly eight inches thick (making them very stable and safe) and covered with a solid layer of large hoar frost crystals. For most of the day we skied from one older pan to the next never really encountering any big pressure ridges - thankfully.

In the end it was a good day and we covered 9.2 nautical miles.