Tracking
the Journey
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Distance to go:
0 Mi
Distance
Ben and Tarka will cover 1800 miles starting from Scott's Terra Nova Hut at the edge of Antarctica to the South Pole and back to the coast again. That's equivalent to 69 back-to-back marathons hauling up to 200kg each (the weight of roughly two adult men) of kit and supplies necessary to survive.
Distances here are shown in statute miles.
A Big Day Out (Day 64)
Day 64: S89° 34' 31.62", E158° 28' 37.08"
Duration: 9 Hr
Daily distance: 21.3 Mi
Distance to go: 869.2 Mi
Temperature: -12 °C
Wind chill: -20 °C
Altitude: 9491 Ft
Apologies for the delayed update, but I suspect you already know that we swang round the South Pole yesterday (the day before yesterday by the time you read this) and are now on the homeward leg of our journey. Our plan was always to pitch the tent and leave our sleds about 10km from the Pole and then to leg it with not much more than a bit of food and drink, our satellite phone, our tracking beacon, a camera and a flag. The round trip turned out to be a bit of an epic by the time we'd followed the regulation route into the South Pole station itself, skirting the runway, and we clocked 56.7km (nearly 36 miles) in what turned out to be a eighteen-hour day.
In short, I'm afraid to say -though it's probably quite apt- that I concur with Captain Scott himself when he said of the South Pole "Great God this is an awful place". For him, of course, there was nothing there at all. A patch of snow at the heart of a barren, deeply inhospitable continent. For us, it felt like walking into a cross between an airport, a junkyard and a military base. Or perhaps a scene that was omitted from a Star Wars film: skiing along with sacks swinging from our backs, futuristic mirrored goggles and hoods framed by coyote fur, we looked like two bounty hunters approaching some sort of outpost on a frozen planet.
As we skied alongside the runway, two skidoos -presumably electric ones as they sounded like hairdryers- skimmed past us, and one visored pilot raised a mittened hand in a half-wave, half-salute. It all felt very strange. The next thing we spotted was several acres of oil drums, cargo containers, pallets and cardboard boxes, with giant tracked vehicles moving between them, belching smoke and reversing with beepers blaring. We skied past several vast sets of fuel bladders that had been towed to the Pole from McMurdo, leaving tracks thirty feet wide. The smell of aviation fuel hung in the air, and huge exhaust plumes rose from what I assume are generators near the main station buildings itself. Anyone who thinks the South Pole station is all about bearded scientists releasing weather balloons and peering into telescopes is sadly mistaken; the place is a giant logistics hub geared, it seems, mainly around the vast quantities of fuel needed to keep this outpost heated and powered all year round, and to quench the thirst of the Hercules aircraft we saw sat on the snow runway.
We raced to the Pole (there are two actually, a few metres apart, the ceremonial one with all the flags, and the actual Pole that they move around as the ice slowly edges towards the coast), and took a few photos, shot some film and made some calls, before racing away again as fast as we could. By the time we made it back to the tent it was nearly 1am and we still had snow to melt and dinner to eat before sleeping for all of two-and-a-half hours and skiing another 35km today.
I felt strangely devoid of emotion at the Pole, but now we're skiing back to the coast my excitement (and indeed apprehension about the colossal distance that still remains) is mounting. We're both, as you might imagine, pretty shattered, and were struggling deeply today after almost no rest. Sat on my sledge at some point this afternoon, struggling to keep my eyes open, I said to Tarka as we ate and drank, "This is a stupid way to make a living". "True," he replied, as he emptied a packet of cashew nuts into his mouth, "But it's not a bad way to make a life".
Comments
# Richard McGehee, December 28th 2013
I had similar feelings about climbing up the trail out of the Grand Canyon at the end of a three day backpacking trip. “We could not be paid enough to put forth this much effort, but we will gladly volunteer to do so for the joy of being here.” The others around agreed.
Happy trails to you,
Richard McGehee
# Sean Chapple, December 28th 2013
Congratulations lads. Best of luck for the return journey - all downhill from now with the wind on your backs.
# Kristoffer, December 28th 2013
More like uphill part of the way, with the wind at their backs, occasionally from the SE or SW, occasionally from their sides, occasionally into their faces, and occasionally calm.
# Otto, December 28th 2013
What an honour to undertaken this expedition.
I have followed the blog, but no more. I am so fed up with constant moaning and whinging by the ‘leader’. Walking there and back is hellish hard, but the blogs are moan after moan.
There are a lot of people in the world going through hell in their daily lives. This trip is self imposed and is costing a lot of money..
So, sorry guys; was looking forward to reading this blog- but have had enough..
# Richard Pierce, December 28th 2013
Such a shame, Otto, that you feel that way. I think the blogs make it entirely clear that the pain here is self-inflicted. I also think a fair amount of perspective about the world at large is given in Ben’s posts, which I don’t see as moaning but as reflection.
R
# Kristoffer, December 28th 2013
I wouldn’t call the blog posts moan after moan, although I think there is some moaning. Of course, Ben has his critics.
# Mal Owen, December 28th 2013
In 64 days of blog following, I haven’t actually logged anything as a moan, just facts, thoughts, and feelings being stated and very kindly shared with an interested audience of people having differing agendas.
However, I would think anybody should be entitled to a moan on a couple of hours sleep, in the normal way of things, let alone after 900+ miles of total exertion of body and mind. Surely a diary should be honest and saying it as it is ? You should see my diary ! :-)
Wish I could emphasise text on here cos I wouldn’t want to shout with capitals lol
# Andrea, December 29th 2013
The hell in the social medium is an individual one, versus the hell in a such an expedition (not for nothing unrealized till now) is of the human species meaning that it is of this creature.The one’s social hell migth not be hell for some other person, while this expedition’s hell would be hell for anyone human. Regarding the goal of the hell, the first is personal, while the second is to introduce the acting human creature in one of the nature’s summits. In these pages, eventually was visible the second hell.
# Gina, December 28th 2013
I like to believe that Captain Scott said….“awe-full place”. When you are away from the research station, Antarctica is pure brilliance! And you fellas are experiencing the purity of Antarctica as she lives today. Look at where you’ve been!!!! We humans will pollute our spaces, yet this allows the perception of progress and making a difference, and perhaps there is much truth to that. Rather than being let down by your experiences at Pole, see it as a circus. Everyone has a job to make the show go on. You happened to walk through it! How cool is that?! There really are bearded and unbearded scientists at Pole that are discovering; and perhaps your appreciation of that “god awe-ful place” would have been different if you could have seen that part. I share much of your criticisms; and I am grateful that some of us have been allowed to witness and be part of its history. Your journey continues, be well!
# Kat, December 28th 2013
Nice comment, Gina, but to want to believe that Scott said the Pole was an “awe-full” place is to really miss the clarity with which Scott wrote.
“Great God! this is an awful place and terrible enough for us to have laboured to it without the reward of priority.”
He absolutely said it was an “awful place”, and said so with good reason.
He knew he had lost the prize to Amundsen, and that he would be lucky to make it out alive. The photographs and his writing show just how awful it was.
# George Chapman, December 28th 2013
I like all the post here. Some are laced with accolades and some are questioning certain things or pointing out their thoughts. I think we should all realize there are all sort of folks here from all around the World and we are all different. I’m no mountain climber so I’m not really asking a lot of questions about boot types or such. Some others want to ask questions about how you poop. We have several more weeks to go and I myself am just relaxing and watching this play out. Now see I’m the type that in fun would say:
Ben and Tarka: Come on guys let’s start cranking up the miles we have a long way to go here. My 80 year old mother could get in at least 20 miles a day doing what you’re doing.
Wishing all of you out there a Happy New Year wherever you may be.
# dj, December 28th 2013
In “the West” many merely say: “just cowboy up and git ‘er done!”
# Rocco roberts, December 28th 2013
Well done guys sounds tough going , be strong , all the best for the journey home , from a wet and windy Plymouth Hoe.
# Tara Carlisle, December 28th 2013
If you’re not supportive of Ben and Tarka then just stop reading. They’re not moaning they are sharing their days. If you can’t say something positive then sod off and stop bringing us all down. We are privileged to be allowed a window into THEIR adventure. If you think you can do it then prove it. Your negativity is pathetic. Ben and Tarks - keep your head up, keep your heart strong.
# Kristoffer, December 28th 2013
The writing of other people is not bringing down the rest of the commenters. It’s getting to the point that DJ is complaining about the behavior of the commenters on the Offroading Home Blog. Before long, he’ll be complaining about them again. When are people going to learn that critics do have their place?
# Paul, December 28th 2013
Ben on the phone to his Mum: “We’re here! We’re at the Pole! ...Yes, he’s fine ... well he snores a lot. ... No, no tree this year but I stopped off for a coffee on the way here. It was lovely. ... No, Starbucks is a bit of a walk from here. ... They’re doing fine. They are clean enough. I’ll change them next month. Anyway, better get going. ... Love you too!”
# Intrepid, December 28th 2013
Hahahahaha! You sure have a way with dialogue! Still chuckling…
# George Chapman, December 28th 2013
This is really getting funny now. The folks who don’t like the complaining are complaining about the complainers. It’s reminds me of this funny clip with the old British theme music from Benny Hill. http://youtu.be/LUYbu5DJA1U
# dj, December 28th 2013
George, you’re a hoot - haven’t laughed so hard at something in a loooong while.
Personally, I have no problem with whiners or complainers (unless prevented from pressing fast-forward), people with alternate opinions, people who love soap-box dramas or reality shows, incessant optimists/positivity, continuous pessimists, artists, scientists, show-offs, introverts (...). I was fortunate to learn in my first 30 years that “all little monkeys have their place under the sun.”
That’s not to say that I don’t have any intolerances. I am realizing now that I seemed to have picked up some, back during my second thirty years. Some to a greater extent than others. Snobbery, elitism, lies, condescension, manipulation, arrogance, willful ignorance, greed and commercials are all things I find myself chaffing at. As are the “take all you can,” “world owes me a living,” and “something for nothing” mentalities.
In my youth I was always taught to look up to and “respect your elders.” The unanticipated advantage of now traversing the “third thirty” is that there seems to be less and less of them around every year, so it lakes much less effort now. (I also notice that I’m having less and less inclination to beat around the bush, couch (mince) words, waste time or repeat myself; or to shovel snow, get up before six or to bed after eleven.)
# C.loz, December 28th 2013
whaooo!!! Your futuristic mirrored goggles look Sick!! Congratts.. not many can say they have endured the South Pole. Epic..
# Peter, December 28th 2013
Those planes actually UNLOAD fuel. They don’t take any from the station.
# Mal Owen , December 28th 2013
:-) :-)