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.
Deja Vu (Day 104)
Day 104: S77° 52' 32.34", E167° 24' 47.88"
Duration: 10 Hr
Daily distance: 25.1 Mi
Distance to go: 11.1 Mi
Temperature: -9 °C
Wind chill: -22 °C
Altitude: 197 Ft
As I type this, we're camped about 15km from our Ross Island finish line, which is less than four hours' skiing away. We'll have a massive lie-in tomorrow before setting off in the afternoon, principally as the bases here run on New Zealand time, which is 11 hours ahead of us, so if anyone's going to be there to wave us over the line and take a photo for our holiday snaps, we need to fit in with their time zone.
Antarctica, true to form, didn't make life easy or comfortable for us today, and the weather seemed to be messing* with us in a spookily adversarial fashion; luring us - wearing far too little - out of the tent with bright sunshine and a still warmth first thing, before pelting us with a blizzard barely ninety minutes later. The wind intensified just as we stopped to eat and drink at our first break, and as we sat on our sledges with our down jackets on and our backs to the gale, whirling eddies and vortices of sandy spindrift were spun up into our faces, filling our pockets and sledges and anything else left unzipped for more than a few seconds with fine, gritty snow. It calmed down before we started skiing, then revved up again at the next break, in a pattern that dogged us for most of the day.
As I mentioned yesterday, our sheer exhaustion seems to be overriding any chance of outright back-slapping glee at being so close to pulling this vast journey off (our GPS says we've clocked a cumulative 2,859km now, which is 68 back-to-back marathons dragging sledges) but team morale is definitely much improved, and the prospect of skiing a mere 15km after a big lie-in seems infinitely more manageable than another mammoth day. Interestingly, despite never having seen the view we faced today, skiing past White Island towards the giant flanks of Mount Erebus until we picked up our final (hundred-day-old!) depot, before hanging a left and heading past Castle Rock towards McMurdo Sound, the scenery felt strangely familiar after so many years of dreaming of reaching this point.
We'll start skiing tomorrow in the late afternoon UK time so don't be alarmed if the tracker doesn't budge for a while after our usual kick-off. We should finish in the evening, but it may take us a while to get online again and send a blog post back, so watch this space. I'm sure Andy, Chessie and the team in London will update the site as soon as we phone in from Ross Island, so you'll be the first to know when we're home and dry.
At the moment, the magnitude of it all hasn't really sunk in yet, though I'm excited about getting more than five hours sleep for the first time in weeks, and I suspect lying here tomorrow morning the excitement - and if I'm honest, the sheer relief - may start to finally kick in...
*This may not be the precise word Tarka used as we were shouting at each other in the blizzard, but it was hard to hear him over the wind.
Comments
# Judy in North Carolina, February 6th 2014
What they said. Really! I couldn’t have said it better (and added my comments also on FB), but just so happy you both made it back safely. Congratulations to you and your excellent team. I feel like part of it. Thanks!
# Jackson, February 6th 2014
Ben & Tarka-
Great work! So impressive. In awe.
Question for the Brits on the blog: As an American what is an appropriate way to celebrate? I was thinking of cranking up the speakers and playing Rule Brittania or God Save the Queen (or what we call over here “My Country Tis of Thee”) as they pass the finish line. Am I on the right track? Don’t want to hijack the blog, just a suggestion or two will do. Thanks!
# Mal Owen, February 6th 2014
Just heave a huge sigh of relief, ‘cheer wildly’along with Dawn and everyone else, then raise a glass !
# Richard Pierce, February 6th 2014
Don’t play either of those. Find Jerusalem instead. Or, best of all, play The Internationale. This is an effort by the people for the people. Scott belongs to all of us, not just to England or the Polar Community. And this journey has been in remembrance of all the heroes ever to set foot on the Antarctic, past and present.
R
# Phil Satoor, February 6th 2014
Just bring plenty of booze and have a right knees-up!
# Jackson, February 6th 2014
Jerusalem and a beer it is! Thanks all!
# Chris Wood, February 6th 2014
Jerusalem on repeat. Thanks so much Ben and Tarka for allowing us to be part of this incredible journey. Well done lads!
# Theresa, February 6th 2014
Can’t wait to see your “Antarctic-explorer-safely-home-white-chin” when you eventually remove your over a 100 day beard. Congratulations and take care over those last few miles!
# Nick, February 6th 2014
You both deserve your challenge, respect, based on gritty determination and ambitious slog and pretty toughness of a difficult ‘rare’ thing for any human to achieve. That is true. The respect you also have given to the terrain you’ve just walked 1789 miles on. I wouldn’t do it ! - Walking and running is good, but 24 miles is beyond me, nevermind 1800.
Must be pretty good to ‘get an Award’ ! Everything has its rewards ! Sponsorship usually =‘s a few rewards - and you do deserve to get something for your work - as well as the reward of completeing your journey which you’ve 11 miles left…tomorrow !
1800 miles (a done deal).
# Lydia, February 6th 2014
How about - Arise Sir Ben - a real role model for modern day children?
Lydia x
# Nick, February 6th 2014
People, don’t be critical of people who have less than yourselves. using the word Pig etc is very cheeky and imature. Esp. from older people.
No one can take away the challenge of what these modern travellers have achieved, but don’t be critical of major challenges in politics you don’t understand, if you’re gifted with a life what has never faced challenges of poorer people !
# Dave, February 6th 2014
Have you seen the movie “Babe”, Nick?
# Andy Lawrence, February 6th 2014
Just to clarify for the puzzled. Most of us Brits will recognise that phrase from the movie ‘Babe’ as the perfect example of classic phlegmatic British understatement. It actually translates as ‘that’s the most awesome performance I’ve ever seen in my life, well done’.
# Harlan, February 6th 2014
What an adventure! Thank you! What you are about to accomplish has been, and will continue to be, inspirational to me.
My new mantra is: if Ben and Tarka can walk to the South Pole and back I can…
# Paul Bower (Downe Arms hotel), February 6th 2014
What an epic achievement, well done to everyone involved & thank you for the daily blog removing us, for a short time, from our daily life.
# Intrepid, February 6th 2014
11 miles of skiing to go, 11 miles to go,
You ski some more, make tracks in the snow,
10 miles of skiing to go.
10 miles of skiing to go, 10 miles to go,
You ski some more, make tracks in the snow,
9 miles of skiing to go….
Dear Ben and Tarka,
I had my eyes closed just now, imagining your soon to be final few miles ski to the finish line, and as the finish line was right in front of you, you stopped…. there is a ritual I suppose, about ‘crossing the threshold’ and I was wondering, what your plan is… how it is you will leave the journey of the last few months behind, while also symbolically completing this as a long journey for others. The step across the finish is a commemorative moment… completing a magnanimous responsibility you carried for 1800 miles as well as being for you and Tarka, an epic fait accompli. Do you have something planned to say (or read) for that moment, to leave on the inside of the trek, for Antarctica to keep. And then something to say at that first step across (the symbolic line) for what you picked up on the way and took with you across the line.
From all those now and forever who hear of your journey and the journey you carried on your shoulder, congratulations!!! and peace.
# rod pattinson, February 6th 2014
well done wonderful achievement have followed all the way rain winds flooding in uk no snow congrat rod
# Raven, February 6th 2014
Amazing. Best wishes for your final leg, and congratulations from Vermont!
# David, February 6th 2014
Has anyone seen any media coverage on the day’s events yet?
# Mikkel Frese, February 6th 2014
Wow.. A massive congratulations to the two of you! What an amazing journey you have done and thank you for sharing it with us, and the inspiration. Wishing you god luck on your final push homewards..
Mikkel, Denmark