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.
Day One Hundred, the Man Hug and the Rocky Punch (Day 100)
Day 100: S79° 10' 17.65", E168° 34' 32.88"
Duration: 10 Hr 30 Min
Daily distance: 23.6 Mi
Distance to go: 111.3 Mi
Temperature: -12 °C
Wind chill: -18 °C
Altitude: 118 Ft
Apologies for what will be a quick one again; I'm cooking (and cooking more than usual as we picked up the first depot with extra grub in it today) and we ended up skiing for ten-and-a-half hours as the conditions were so lousy, which meant about thirteen hours outside on our feet, and not getting inside the tent and taking our boots off until 9pm.
The sun shone for the first hour or so (and we had a cracking view of Minna Bluff to our north west, or to the front and left hand side as we ski towards Ross Island) before a giant blanket of cloud descended with tedious predictability, giving us every combination today from fog so thick we almost lost sight of each other a few metres apart, to a merely irritating flat light that made navigating hard. The surface was hopeless as well; really sticky with lots of lumps and ridges and mini-sastrugi, and it's been snowing most of the day which doesn't help matters either.
Despite all of that, our mojo was much improved today, principally as we're no longer starving hungry thanks to the bonus ration bag we can split over the next two days, giving us an extra 3,000 or so calories per day. I've gone for the Winnie the Pooh approach with mine (if I eat it all now there'll be less to drag tomorrow) but managed to save a few bars and the main meal so it'll be double dinner night tomorrow evening.
I've also been meaning to write about two other important techniques we've used to keep going. When Tarka was mid-way through a particularly epic expedition on the southern Patagonian icecap with his wife Katie (so epic that their tent was eventually shredded in a storm) he turned round during a blizzard to see her performing miniature shadow-boxing moves with her mittens on. "I'm pretending I'm Rocky. He would get through this", she shouted into the wind, by way of explanation.
The man hug is something the English rarely perform well or with any degree of comfort, except perhaps muddied, bloodied and battered after a good game of rugby, but it's something we're doing more and more out here, as a way of reaffirming our solidarity and defiance in the face of Antarctica's daily attempts to make our lives as challenging as possible. It's looking like four days left in the sledge harnesses as I type this, so the end is very much in sight now...
Comments
# Dave, February 2nd 2014
Thank you for allowing us to be “on board” with you all this time. These last miles will no doubt be challenging for you and your positive attitudes are providing a boost at a propitious moment. Enjoy the eats and watch out for heffalumps.
There will soon be time for much reflecting. One thing I will be curious to learn is whether your physical, mental, or supply preparations played the biggest role in your success.
Continued safety and progress.
# TEells, February 2nd 2014
Your camaraderie and commitment to each other is exemplary! Hopefully Mother Nature celebrates with you as you click off the last couple of days I showing you things you haven’t yet seen.
My favorite example would be Mount Erebus celebrating your arrival with a steam display suitable for postcards and screensaver.
Or how about a small group of penguins running towards you inspect and satisfy their curiosity? I remember adelies doing that.
Perhaps you’ll get to see a leopard seal. When you see skuas you know you’re getting close!!
Our prayers and blessings go out to you as you celebrate these last few days of your incredible journey and historical accomplishment!
TEells in California
# Mal Owen, February 2nd 2014
Quote from Pooh “People say nothing’s impossible…but I do nothing every day !”
# Andy Ward, February 3rd 2014
Please note that the distance to go has been updated for the exact distance to Scott Base on Ross Island where Ben and Tarka will finish the expedition. Ben and Tarka will blog about the finishing point in a few days.
# Intrepid, February 3rd 2014
Oh! And here I got to thinking I had looked at the mileage and then arbitrarily plugged some numbers into the song, and that doing so in the middle of the night was the reason nothing was matching with the stats. I just had a very interesting little peek at how willing I am to acknowledge being wrong. Very good then .... Onward ho!!
# dj, February 3rd 2014
Thanks for this too Andy… I’ve noticed that the numbers didn’t quite add up for some time but figured they had some other End Point than the Scott Hut in mind. At their current rate, which would be hard to visualize they could surpass, it seems like it would take more than the “4 days” that Ben seems to hope for.
# Darcy, February 3rd 2014
It’s Superbowl Sunday here in the US, and instead of watching it, I’m checking in with you guys again—because it’s waaaay more interesting! I’m so excited for your expedition to be in its final days and am thankful you both seem in better spirits. Be safe and ski on!
# Dave, February 3rd 2014
Ben and Tarka are a much better “game” than the one just played in East Rutherford.
# Helen Haile, February 3rd 2014
Ben - I have been with you and Tarka every inch of the way on your epic journey as I know how many hurdles there have been along the way to even start this expedition after all these years. Your blogs have been amazing so we have all been on the rollercoaster with you. So glad Tony has been able help to lighten the atmosphere sometimes with his awful riddles but I am sure a part of him would still have loved to have been sharing the experience with you. I feel so privileged to have known you and I look forward to seeing you again at one of the many talks you will be giving soon! Fingers crossed for the next few days till you achieve your goal. Tony’s mum.
# Feb 14th, February 3rd 2014
If only man could survive a world full of ATOS. As frozen as the Ocean beneath the Ice.
For everything else there is LOVE.