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.
Back in the Saddle (Day 71)
Day 71: S88° 03' 14.04", E159° 10' 0.54"
Duration: 4 Hr
Daily distance: 9 Mi
Distance to go: 763.7 Mi
Temperature: -20 °C
Wind chill: -30 °C
Altitude: 10066 Ft
A modest day for us today (we slept for ten hours and skied for four hours after a pretty lazy start) and a correspondingly short update this evening as I'm on snow-melting and cooking duty.
Only now, after a lot of sleep and a lot of food, are we starting to realise quite how depleted we were a few days ago. It's still pretty fresh outside (-30 degrees C. windchill all day today) but our ability to generate heat and to carry out basic tasks outside in thin gloves (like zipping up salopettes after venturing out for a poo with a view) has increased dramatically, and I woke up warm this morning instead of feeling chilled and miserable.
Interestingly, Tarka and I have both gone from being almost unable to hold a train of thought, other than willing ourselves to carry on (and being haunted by food fantasies and cravings) to being able to daydream away the four hours we travelled today in relative happiness.
We'll do a full day tomorrow and should finish slap bang at the last depot we left, which is 21 miles (34km) away from where we're camped this evening. We were tantalisingly close to reaching it before we called for the resupply, but the more we reflect on things, the more I'm convinced the decision was the right and responsible thing to do, and even if we'd reached it on the verge of collapse, I'm not sure we'd have recovered at all before starting our descent of the Beardmore, a 180km stretch of technical, crevassed glacier where we have almost no chance of being reached by aircraft if we'd got into trouble.
We'll pick up our Pilot at the depot (our satellite antenna that allows to get online at far higher speeds than the phone we're using at the moment*) so we'll be able to read and respond to some of you then, but I know we received an overwhelming number of comments yesterday, and Tarka and I are really grateful for the support you're giving us.
You'll be glad to hear his thumbs are on the mend, and we're indebted to our doctor, Rob Conway, for his advice. A special mention also goes to Tony Haile for the best video message yet (Andy, my expedition manager, asked lots of friends and family to film short messages of support and we have them on the Ultrabook here, password-protected so Andy can drip-feed us motivation as and when we need it).
*To give you an idea of the difference, the heavily-compressed photos we're sending back by phone take about 25 minutes each to upload. In contrast, the Pilot sends a high-resolution photo in about a minute, and a 60-second HD video takes about six or seven minutes. We'll send a video back in the next few days...
Comments
# Nick, January 4th 2014
I don’t know, but there must be a point where you get over the worst distance wise. I think that point isn’t far away looking at what you’ve already done and the fact you’re heading in the right direction now and making good progress. But the thing is, challenges like this are for a reason. Like running or mountain climbing, sports or work of any kind, it’s all for a good reason, everyday work etc. And without the long walk there, there would only be a long walk back. That’s the mean tough thing about many a thing. It’s all worth it in the end. If you’re willing to do it in the first place - that’s the test of human and where people can or can’t.
# Bård Haug, January 4th 2014
Back in business, that’s great. What about blisters boys? Are your feet in good shape? What about the inside of your tights? Any skin rashes, as often seen (as a problem) on expeditions like this?
# Hilary Snaith, January 4th 2014
So glad to know that you’re both well, and to see both of you in the photo! You humble any of us reading this even by being where you are and attempting your epic journey. Getting back home is so, so much more important than anything else. Take good care as you go.
# Sue (and Noodle ), January 4th 2014
Phew, Now smiling.You guys make me love all that is good in this world of ours.No adjectives can describe the emotions you are putting us though. Excitement, pride, concern,elation,panic,chocolate and wine. Well hey ho, whats a girl to do. My love to you both. x
# Sans Nom, January 4th 2014
Oh the relief! Beauty lies in the journey. Your decision was obviously the wise one. The contrary could have turned into a tragic case of vanity… Ironically, one might say that this transforms you from Scotts into Shackletons. Like him you chose reason over your initial goal, and you will stand taller for it.
# George Chapman, January 4th 2014
Glad to see you guys on the ice are doing well again. I think of you often during the day and follow you on Google Earth Facebook and Twitter. I pray you guys continue to monitor your health closely it’s important to all of us you get back home healthy and with no long term injuries. You have a very big following here nearly 260 comments and reply’s on yesterdays blog. Stay safe and warm and I’m wishing you a good day on the ice.
# CaninesCashews, January 4th 2014
Hi guys,
As Madonna would say (before she went all cupping & yoga) back into the groove - literally if you find your tracks. Well done - remember Einstein - “Only those who attempt the absurd can achieve the impossible.”
Great stuff guys - stay safe.
Gav
# Uncle Pete, January 4th 2014
Well done to you and the Team - you seem (uk pm) to be getting pretty close to rendevous with your Pilot and stores now (sorry I got wrong camp in an earlier blog). Clearly you would have had real problems reaching them without your airdrop and also good decision to get restocked before the Beardmore, that will need all your strength and concentration. Check and double check and onward. I am deeply awed at the amazing support that you have garnered from around the globe, I think you have a book already written! Take strength from the messages of support (plus any actually useful tips!) to guide you safely on. Look forward to the continuing story…..
# Intrepid, January 6th 2014
I felt worried about them (a sense I had ever since they laid the depot they just picked up). But as of today, I actually feel I don’t need to be worried about Ben and Tarka anymore. The expedition is in their hands and they are very capable of making decisions (as recently demonstrated) even under incredible strain to their system. They are aided and powered with high tech gear and a team of attentive people ready to act in a moments notice are watching over them. I will continue to send both men positive thoughts, well wishes for their journey, as well as write. You know what? I am grateful for being able to do all these things!
# George Chapman, January 4th 2014
For anyone interested if you want to see all comments from todays blog easily just use this link: http://scottexpedition.com/blog/back-in-the-saddle/all This .makes it easier to get to the last post or if you just want to see them all at once. I just learned this little trick, some of you may have already know this. This will work on any days blog. Just look at the link at the top of the blog and add the word “all” to the end of the link. Just trying to help out here.
# AndreaTP, January 4th 2014
George, this is a fantastic hint. I ‘m going to re-read all yesterday’s comments as well.
Many thanks.
Andrea
# George Chapman, January 4th 2014
Your welcome Andrea. And in case you want to know you will be reading 327 of them. I did a search of the page and there were 327 entries.
# Richard Pierce, January 4th 2014
George,
That’s just grand. Thanks ever so much.
R
# Mal Owen, January 5th 2014
Thanks George… Useful :-)
# George Chapman, January 4th 2014
According to Google Earth it looks like the guys on the ice have traveled about 20 miles so far as of :3:00PM EST. That’s great seeing the guys back up and running again. Wishing them all the best.
# Andrea, January 5th 2014
Indeed, all the best. And the splendour’s views, and the splendors of the ice on the calotte’s plateau or on glacier, and the splendour of passing through them and of staying with them all as walking along in their environment,non important that that exhaust the human beings. And wishing them all the lights, and all the ideas, and all the thoughts witch are perceiving and exposing and fulfiling and conquering the various exigent facets of nature there and the grades of her exigency she can demand to the human beings.
# richard h, January 4th 2014
Thank you for a great picture chaps, you look determined but tired - which comes as no surprise at this stage. I’ve been out and about today and repeatedly checking back to see if you’ve posted and its a relief to see this - and as iI type (2043 GMT) google earth shows you’re pretty much at the depot.
Your posts, as others have said, have, and continue to be, inspiring and instructive. You have opened up a world that I’d only really read about and watched on the TV (I nearly went out with the BAS many years ago - long story). The replies on the blog on the other hand have opened up a whole other world that didn’t exist to me not that long ago. I agree that it’s right for readers to respond and to ask questions, but and I also think that by posting in an almost live format you open yourselves up to a particularly modern day form of interrogation and even defamation that carries the risk of influencing the outcome of the expedition itself.
After a bit of googling I’ve sadly discovered that there appears to be a whole lot of handbags at dawn between historians,explorers, authors and academics that really should stay in its own ivory tower, leaving the rest of us to dream and be inspired to better things. I’ve a feeling ( well, I hope…) that you are wise enough to have foreseen this and I hope that right now you are either oblivious of the hot air that has been expressed yesterday or don’t give a flying f”“”.
Strength to you both guys, and respect all you dreamers out there :-)
# Richard Pierce, January 4th 2014
Dear Richard H,
Unfortunately, the Polar community is all too renowned for its handbags, and I’ve been on the receiving end of a few of them since I wrote my novel, despite reiterating again and again that “IT’S A NOVEL; IT’S GOT MADE-UP BITS IN IT!!“And yes, I was shouting.
I’m glad you have a sense of proportion and reality, and for that I appaud you.
Thank you.
R
# richard hellen, January 4th 2014
Richard Pierce
Thanks for the thanks, and I agree with you - lets stay grounded here. Seeing your entry raised a point. I have a surname (Hellen) and unlike some I’m happy to see it in print and attached to my comments - I’m not afraid. Thank you also to Lucy Scott for dropping a valuable nugget into one of her postings that helped fathom out some of the back story to some of the discussions.
The reason I , and probably many of the other followers read this blog is because of the possibility that we might be in Ben and Tarka’s boots. What would it be like? How would we feel? How would we, honestly, respond to their dilemmas? We can even live our lives for a while vicariously through them.
In a small way, we are all in their boots every day. Perhaps not in the antarctic, but maybe in our job, our climbing , our travelling, our sailing, our business. Daily, we all have to make decisions and to each of us those decisions have their own impact.
Imagination, dreams, novels, physical exercise, risk, adversity, dreams, can all be a route to finding our inner truth and stories like this are food for the soul.
# Intrepid, January 5th 2014
@ Richard Hellen @ Richard Pierce @ All
I’ve reached a point of consideration that puts the matter of blogging to rest. There are bloggers who choose to expose themselves to be influenced, allowing input from anywhere/anyone. At the polar extreme are posts that allow blogging inputs without responding and are therefore unaffected (at least by the bloggers). And then there’s all the in between. Blogging isn’t any different than any other kind of interaction, it’s just done virtually and in writing.
I’ve been commenting on this blog and do not expect to be replied to (by Ben and Tarka). I can admit that it is also really exciting to consider that I may say something that is responded to but certainly it’s never why I have written. Blogging is a bit like unrequited love ... writing because it seems too important to go without writing. Other than the few posts asking questions about blogging, my posts are for encouragement, support, maybe inspiration, and simply for the guys to know people are following them, reading the posts, and enjoying what is shared. And for these reasons, I made the commitment to respond to Ben and Tarka’s daily posts.
# Richard Pierce, January 5th 2014
Richard, Kristoffer, Intrepid,
I didn’t mean to kick anything off here, and I’m always open to people disagreeing with me. I love the way you compare blogging (and responding to blogs, actually) as unrequited love, because that is really what it is.
I disagree with some of the things Kristoffer says, and with things said by others, but, as I have said before, I will always defend their right to say what they have to say. Perhaps it’s because I’m a thoroughly disorganised and lazy man that I never go back to check other people’s comments that I can’t quote back at them, but then I never really have the urge to (maybe I’;m just too self-interested).
The long and short of it is, in the case of this expedition, that I would love to be doing what Ben and Tarka are doing, and that I know I am in no shape or form (not mentally or physically) capable of doing it (probably because I’m a dissolute artist), but that I have stood at the edge of the Ross Sea and looked South, and felt the presence and heard the voices of all those who have been brave enough and strong enough to explore the depths of the continent which has captured my heart for all time. That’s why I wrote my novel, that’s why I comment here every day.
R
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dead-Men-Richard-Pierce/dp/0715642960
# Intrepid, January 5th 2014
Richard - Thanks for your reply. I have a project on the horizon which involves listening to voices that are beheld by the land. How interesting you have approached your passion in a similar way! Also, in regards to this particular blog, I am playing with image of birthing; as readers we are in the waiting room waiting for updates, respectful, available if needed, anxious to hear news, excited for what is coming ....
# Richard Pierce, January 5th 2014
Intrepid,
Now that sounds wildly interesting, the voices. My view of the Antarctic voices is in my novel, and many of the things experienced at Cape Evans by the main character are things that happened to me while I was there.
Birthing, re the blog; now that’s a novel take, and I get what you mean (specially being a father of four). It’s also like waiting for my 21-year-old to get in touch when he’s at uni because, no matter what our children’s ages, they’ll always be a worry to us. :-)
R
# Sharon Hartley, January 4th 2014
It’s wonderful to see you guys have re found your sense of humour and are able to remain in the saddle.
Your journey and your updates arr inspiring.
God speed with one foot in front of the other you will continue to drive yourselves homeward xx