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Day 8 - 9:30 AM
The challenging trailer
It's bloody cold out there this morning - minus 40 Celsius when you factor in the windchill. You couldn't find a more gruelling cold-weather hybrid vehicle test than the most northern point of this continent. But the hybrid Cayenne fired up without complaint.
We decide to try our luck at the checkpoint, but we're unable to convince the unsmiling guards to take sympathy on us. Our Italian companions are disappointed, but cheerfully settle for pictures of the restricted access sign and the vast open tundra adjacent to the ocean.
After filling up (at $5.00 a U.S. gallon) we set forth once again to tackle Haul Road. There's a thin snow blowing almost diagonally, and the big rigs pass in great swirling clouds. Traffic is heavier today, with trucks passing every fifteen minutes or so. Visibility is horrible, and the rigs seem enormous when they suddenly appear through the gloom.
I admit I've got butterflies thinking about the deadly Atigun Pass - particularly given that our trailer's brakes were periodically malfunctioning causing it to wiggle and squirm. We inch our way up and down the double switchback, mere feet from a tiny guardrail separating us from a 4,000-ft drop.
Reaching the end, I exhale with relief.
Day 8 - 1:00 PM
Ahem, pit stops...
Once over the Pass, trees start to reappear, and soon we're back on pavement.
I know there's one burning question you're just dying to ask, but are much too polite, and that's the matter of "pit stops". From the Arctic Circle to a few miles past Coldfoot, there are occasional wooden outhouse shelters. After that, it's a quick dash outside and a shake for the guys.
For me, it's a bit more... elaborate. Out on the frozen tundra, there are no rocks or bushes, no cover from approaching trucks. Opening the front and rear doors forms an impromptu shelter, my travelling companions chivalrously averting their eyes while I curse the stinging snow.
After we've reached the treelike - it seems easy - a simple dash up the steep slope and a quick crouch behind a spruce. Part way up the incline, I break through the deceptively thin crust and flounder in deep, thigh high snow, cursing and grabbing onto a spindly tree to haul myself up.
Finishing my ritual as quick as humanly possible and "invigorated" by a handful of refreshingly cold snow, I flounder back down the slope, grabbing at trees for balance and fling myself back into the Cayenne... only to find my two companions convulsed with laughter. Wankers.
DAY 8 - 3:00 PM
Challenging route
If we were expecting our drive to be anti-climactic after the Atigun Pass, the feeling was short-lived.
There's a fairly calm flat stretch through the re-emerging treeline, then the road once more becomes a winding ribbon that's mostly obscured by drifting snow.
Lesley
Day 8 - 5:00 PM
Back to Coldfoot
Pulling into Coldfoot once again is almost like coming home after the barren, lifeless stretch we've left behind. Transformed by a blanket of deep and fluffy snow, the lodge looks warm and inviting. This time we're acknowledged with nods from the truckers, all of whom we've shared the road with over the last couple of days.
Our V6 Cayenne is running smoothly. Controlling engine speed at about 3,000 rpm seems to keep the overheating issue at bay. Even though we're locking out 7th & 8th gear, which would allow it to run more efficiently - it's still managing to deliver a very reasonable 10.4L/100 km.
Chatting with a couple of truckers, I ask them if the Atigun Pass yesterday was just a typical day, and does it ever get boring. Somehow, I'm reassured when they comment on how nasty it had been, and that the road always demands all of their attention. The Ice Road Truckers show had just packed up and left a couple of weeks before, and I overhear snatches of gossip from the trucker's tables on how staged it was.
Among the idling rigs outside are a couple of old pickup trucks with makeshift kennels and dogsleds strapped to the beds. As I walk past, I hear plaintive whining, and see cold black noses pressed against the wire.
I'm completely knackered, so after supper I hit the sack early. I'm exhausted, but despite the chilly room and the narrow single bed - I'm pretty sure to fall asleep almost immediately.
Lesley